Machu Picchu History

History

By Dr. Crit Minster

In July, 1911, Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham was exploring the area near Cuzco, searching for the lost city of Vilcabamba, the final stronghold of the Inca before they were defeated by the Spanish. Acting on a tip from local guides, he climbed a misty, rainy hill and made a marvelous discovery: Machu Picchu, which means Old Mountain, the ancient retreat of the royal Incas.

Following several years of exploration and excavation (and the "borrowing" of countless Inca artifacts by Bingham on behalf of Yale University), the mysteries surrounding Machu Picchu were cleared up. It is believed that Machu Picchu was a small city that served as an observatory, religious center and sort of vacation home for the royal Inca, who governed their empire from relatively nearby Cuzco. Archaeologists believe the site was built about 1440, and was sparsely inhabited until the Spanish conquest in the 1530s, when it was abandoned and forgotten by all except a few locals.

In 1913, the National Geographic Society published a special edition about Machu Picchu, bringing it worldwide renown. It captured the imagination of people around the globe, and has since been one of the most sought-after visitor destinations in the world. Recently, Machu Picchu has been in the news, as Peru has been pressuring Yale University to return hundreds of artifacts taken from the site during Bingham's initial excavations.