Today, Machu Picchu is one of the best remaining examples of the ingenuity and audacity of Inca architecture and stonemasonry. The city was sculpted from huge blocks of stone, carved with incredible skill and fitted together without mortar or cement. These stone constructions have resisted both the gentle passage of time and the occasional violence of an earthquake-prone geography. Its fascination is due in part to its position, high on a mountain ridge at 2,430m/7,972 ft. above sea level. There is also the beauty of the ruins themselves. See below our sample itineraries: