On July 24th, 1911, the historic site of Machu Picchu was discovered by an American explorer called Hiram Bingham. It is a complex that is believed to have been built between 1460 and 1470 AD by the Inca empire as not only a royal but also a religious estate (Reinhard 16).It is found in the Cuzco area of Peru, and it is a historic site that was known to only the inhabitants of that region and had laid abandoned for years before it was discovered. It covers about five miles and has towering stone monuments that continue to attract tourists from across the world.
Machu Picchu is an interesting place because it forms part of the historic landscape of Peru and a lot about the Inca Empire. Before Spanish invaders moved in, Machu Picchu stood as a strong civilization in the region and to this day, it remains a mysterious splendor because it existed at a time when such civilizations were rare (Adams 34). It is also interesting that it had to lie undiscovered for a very long time, tucked away from the rest of the world. Something that makes the Machu Picchu even more amazing is its architecture that has stood the test of time!
It was easy finding information about Machu Picchu because it is a famous historic site and so much has been documented about it. But of course, it is Bingham that wrote about it first, and his book offered a lot of information, thus calling for the attention of archeologists of the time and even today. There is tons of information found on the internet about Machu Picchu, and all search engines provide a variety of options to read from so as to know more about this historic site.
Works Cited
Adams, Mark. Turn RightAat Machu Picchu: Rediscovering The Lost City One Step At A Time. Melbourne: Text Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reinhard, Johan. Machu Picchu: Exploring an Ancient Sacred Center. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, 2007. Print
