Long the symbol of the ancient Inca Empire, Machu Picchu remained hidden from the modern world until 1911 due largely to its geographic isolation; the city sits on a 7,710-foot-high ridge in the Andes.  

Lima's San Francisco Church woos visitors with its Spanish neoclassical exterior and a ghoulish interior. The church's extensive catacomb system holds the mortal remains of almost 100,000 people.  

Many indigenous people around Peru's Lake Titicaca use traditional Inca straw-boats as transportation. Titicaca is located in a remote region on the Peru-Bolivia border, and many locals still follow a 14th-century Incan lifestyle.  

Despite cocaine's illicit contemporary uses, Andean farmers have cultivated—and consumed—coca leaves as a stimulant and component in religious ceremonies for hundreds of years. It's also a favorite of hiking travelers...  

After conquistador Francisco Pizzaro discovered the ancient Incan capital Cusco in 1533, colonists covered the Incan city with modern architecture. In 1950, an earthquake damaged many buildings, but the Incan foundations remained intact.  

Overlooking the ancient city of Cusco, Sacsahuaman's stone perimeters are all that remain of this fortress. The precise, mortar-free Inca stonework stands up through time, however—a single sheet of paper cannot slide between the stones.  

Traditional markets dot Urubamba Valley in central Peru, such as the Chichero Market, where Andean locals sell traditional handicrafts including Peruvian flutes, alpaca sweaters, and silver jewelry.