Hiram Bingham discovered the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu in 1911 high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. While searching for the lost city of Vilcabamba, Bingham came across Machu Picchu, which was built in the 15th century without metal tools. The site contains over 5,000 artifacts that provide evidence of Inca civilization dating back to the 12th century, making it an important archaeological discovery.