Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located high in the Andes mountains in Peru. In 1911, American historian Hiram Bingham was led to the site by local guides and claimed to have "discovered" it, though others had likely encountered it before. Bingham documented and publicized his findings, bringing international attention to Machu Picchu. While Bingham promoted his role as discoverer, some dispute this title given that others had previously explored the region and indigenous people still lived in the area at the time of his arrival. Today, Machu Picchu is recognized as one of the greatest archaeological sites in South America.

1. The “Discovery” of
Machu Picchu
By Sarah Macedo

2. What is Machu Picchu?
 An ancient Incan city 2,430 m above sea level dating to the 15th century containing
palaces, baths, temples, and houses
 It was one of the greatest Incan structural achievements
 Made from stone placed so exactly that no mortar was used to keep it together
 Believed to be used for spiritual and astronomical purposes
 Probably due to its elevation and difficulty in traveling there, this site was not
destroyed during the Spanish conquest

3. Hiram Bingham and 1911
 Bingham was a historian in search of
the lost Incan city “Vitcos” (or
“Vilcabamba”) which was said to have
contained Incan treasures
 On July 24, 1911 he was lead by a
group of locals (the Quechuans) to
Machu Picchu (which translates to
“Old Peak”)
 Upon seeing Machu Picchu, Bingham
claimed to have discovered the lost city
 He documented what he found and
even took about 5000 artifacts with him
back to Yale in the United States
 Today, he is still the one often credited
with “Discovering” Machu Picchu

4. Bingham‟s Conclusions
 Bingham was convinced that he had
indeed discovered Vitcos
 He also originally concluded that the
skeletal remains found where 10 female
to every 1 male, which would support
the theory of finding the lost city
because he believed the remains were
those of the Incan leader and the Virgins
of the Sun (the selected Incan women
who were chosen for their beauty to
serve the Emperor)
 Later studies based on the analysis of
skeletons of various races (and not just
European) eventually concluded that the
actual female to male ratio was more
equal and that the city was not Vitcos
 In the end, however, the „discovery‟ of
Machu Picchu was an even greater
source of fame for Bingham

5. Bingham vs. Columbus
 Several of the articles pointed out
similarities between these two
historical figures, an argument that I
also support with reasons of my own
 One author pointed out that they both
considered the lands that they
„discovered‟ to be empty before their
arrival, even though Amerindian
populations were living there (some
Peruvians were still living in Machu
Picchu when Bingham arrived in 1911)
 They both „discovered‟ a land they did
not intend to (and insisted that they
had actually discovered somewhere
else), even though their actual
„discoveries‟ proved much greater
 They are both singly credited with
„discovering‟ land that was not only
previously inhabited, but previously
discovered by other travelers

6. And Before Bingham?
 While Bingham is often credited as being the sole discoverer of Machu Picchu (besides
the indigenous people who lived there), there are several disputes with varying degrees
of evidence
 The names Enrique Palma, GabinoSánchez, and AgustínLizárraga were carved into a
rock at Machu Picchu on July 14, 1901 (Bingham was not there until 1911)
 Some speculate that the people who brought Bingham to the site could have easily
brought previous explorers who just never brought attention to the city
 Peruvian anthropologist Jorge Flores Ochoa says that German, British, and other
American explorers had already drawn maps of the region
 An article published in the Times in 1916 stated that a German mining engineer (Carl
Haenel) claimed to have been in Machu Picchu with the explorer J.M. Von Hassel in 1910
 But, according to Richard L. Burger (an anthropology professor Yale ), Bingham was the
“Scientific Discoverer of Machu Picchu.”

7. The Role of Technology
 One of the main contributing
factors to Bingham being credited
as the “discoverer” of Machu
Picchu is the fact that he brought
along a camera and visually
documented what he saw on his
various expeditions to the site from
1911 to 1915
 He followed up his expedition with
articles and even a book called
“The Lost City of the Incans”
 His articles and finding spread to
the public through publications in
periodicals like Harper‟s
Monthly, The New York
Times, and National Geographic
(which designated an entire issue
to Machu Picchu in 1913)

8. The Site‟s Significance
 Today, Machu Picchu is considered one of
the greatest archeological sites in South
America
 It was recognized as an UNESCO site in
1983
 Even a hundred years later, there is still
believed to be some areas of the site yet to
be excavated
 It has allowed historians and archeologists
to gain a better understanding of the
Incans (although there are still many
artifacts and structures yet to be fully
understood)
 It also provides an example of native
countries wanting to gain back artifacts
taken during European explorations. Peru
sued Yale University for its artifacts back
in 2005. Although Yale agreed to give back
some, Peru pressed for the entire
collection in 2007.

9. Works Cited
 “The Discovery of Machu Picchu.” Rediscover Machu Picchu.
n.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
 Eede, Joanna. “The „Discovery‟ of Machu Picchu 100 Years Ago.”
National Geographic Daily News. National Geographic, 8 Aug. 2011.
Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
 Eisner, Peter. “Who Discovered Machu Picchu?” Smithsonian.com.
Smithsonian Media, Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
 “Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.” UNESCO The List.
UNESCO, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
 “Machu Picchu.” Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power. Magic
Planet Productions, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
 All photographs and illustrations are from Wikipedia.org