Machu Picchu Is Discovered
Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, renowned for its remarkable architecture and engineering. It was rediscovered on July 24, 1911, by American explorer Hiram Bingham, who followed a local rumor while researching the area around the Inca capital of Cuzco. The site covers approximately five square miles and features finely cut stone buildings, some of which likely had religious significance. Its construction is believed to have begun in the 15th century under the rule of Emperor Pachacuti. Despite its significance, Machu Picchu was not mentioned in Spanish chronicles following the conquest of the Inca Empire in the 1530s, leading to speculation that it may have served as a refuge for those resisting Spanish rule. Bingham’s discovery brought international attention, inspiring literary works, including a celebrated poem by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda. Today, Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination, attracting around 500,000 visitors annually, who come to appreciate its historical and cultural significance.
Machu Picchu Is Discovered
Machu Picchu Is Discovered
On July 23, 1911, Hiram Bingham, a U.S. explorer, set out from the vicinity of the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, now located in the modern nation of Peru, to pursue a rumor that he had heard in a local pub about some large Incan ruins nearby. An assistant professor of Latin American History at Yale University, Bingham had been canvassing the region around Cuzco and now set off for a ridge above the Urubamba River. The next day, July 24, he came across the ruins of a massive city. “Suddenly,” he wrote in his diary, “I found myself confronted with the walls of ruined houses built of the finest Inca stonework”; Bingham had found the ancient city of Machu Picchu. Covering approximately five square miles, the city is a complex of finely cut stone buildings, some of which may have served religious purposes. Machu Picchu is considered to be a masterpiece of pre-Columbian architecture and engineering skills.
The city is located in a remote region, high in the Andes Mountains, which is why it was not discovered by outsiders until 1911. Before the arrival of Spanish conquerors, this region of Peru was part of the empire of the Incas, a native people who established one of the most remarkable civilizations of the New World. Construction of Machu Picchu probably began in the 15th century, perhaps under the emperor Pachacuti, and may have served as a ceremonial or seasonal residence for Incan emperors and royalty. The Spanish conquest began in the 1530s under Francisco Pizarro, who killed the emperor Atahualpa in 1533 and took Cuzco shortly thereafter. However, there is no mention of Machu Picchu in the Spanish chronicles. It may have served as a secret refuge for Incas resisting Spanish rule; there were several such places in remote regions of the country for years after Pizarro's conquest. However, there is no concrete evidence that definitively supports any theory about Machu Picchu's fate except for the obvious fact that it was eventually abandoned.
The discovery of Machu Picchu received worldwide attention, and Bingham wrote a best-selling book, Lost City of the Incas, about his expedition to the city. Thanks in part to his newfound fame, he went on to enjoy a successful career in politics, serving as a Republican governor of Connecticut and a U.S. senator. Bingham's discovery also inspired the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda to write one of his best-known works, “Alturas de Machu Picchu” (The heights of Machu Picchu), first published in 1958 and issued in English in 1966. In the poem Neruda provides a haunting description of the lonely city and contemplates the fate of its ancient inhabitants before committing himself to a life of greater social activism.
Today, Machu Picchu is a significant tourist attraction, drawing nearly 500,000 visitors every year.