Machu Picchu ruins was built in the mid 15th century, but because it's existence was not recorded by the Spanish Conquistadors who ramsacked the region in the 1530s, we don't really known what it's purpose was. Many of the ruins incorporate ceremonial features, so it could possibly have been a religious sanctuary. It's likely that the place was already deserted by the time of the Spanish invasion, as otherwise it would have been mentioned in their reports of the Inca civilisation.
Whatever purpose it served, until it was 'discovered' by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu ruins had been forgotten by all but a handful of local peasants for 400 years. Bingham at first thought he had found the lost city of Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Incas which is now known to be deeper in the jungle, at Espiritu Pampa. It was an enormous task to clear away the thick forest which covered the ruins and excavate the site properly. Despite recent archaeological investigations which have uncovered some interesting new evidence including burial sites, our understanding of the origins and history of Machu Picchu ruins remains sketchy.
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