Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site in Peru, in South America. The Incas built the city on a mountain ridge, 2430m above sea level.They lived there between 1200 and 1450 AD. Other people lived there before about 650 AD.achu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site in Peru, in South America. The Incas built the city on a mountain ridge, 2430m above sea level.