1911 : Machu Picchu discovered
On July 24, 1911, American archeologist Hiram Bingham gets his first
look at Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru that is now
one of the world's top tourist destinations.
Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu
is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca leaders, whose
civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th
century. For hundreds of years afterwards, its existence was a secret
known only to the peasants living in the region. That all changed in
the summer of 1911, when Bingham arrived with a small team of
explorers to search for the famous "lost" cities of the Incas.
Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way
from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of
some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called
the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant "Old Peak" in the native
Quechua language. The next day--July 24--after a tough climb to the
mountain's ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small
group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an
11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate
network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.
The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a
best-selling book, sending hordes of eager tourists flocking to Peru
to follow in his footsteps up the Inca trail. The site itself
stretches an impressive five miles, with over 3,000 stone steps
linking its many different levels. Today, more than 300,000 people
tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and landslides
to see the sun set over the towering stone monuments of the "Sacred
City" and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one of the world's most
famous man-made wonders.
history.com/tdih.do
1567 : Mary Queen of Scots deposed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5202
1847 : Mormons settle Salt Lake Valley
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6968
1969 : Kennedy's goal accomplished
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5203
2005 : Lance Armstrong wins seventh Tour de France
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5204
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On July 24, 1911, American archeologist Hiram Bingham gets his first
look at Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru that is now
one of the world's top tourist destinations.
Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu
is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca leaders, whose
civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th
century. For hundreds of years afterwards, its existence was a secret
known only to the peasants living in the region. That all changed in
the summer of 1911, when Bingham arrived with a small team of
explorers to search for the famous "lost" cities of the Incas.
Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way
from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of
some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called
the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant "Old Peak" in the native
Quechua language. The next day--July 24--after a tough climb to the
mountain's ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small
group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an
11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate
network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.
The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a
best-selling book, sending hordes of eager tourists flocking to Peru
to follow in his footsteps up the Inca trail. The site itself
stretches an impressive five miles, with over 3,000 stone steps
linking its many different levels. Today, more than 300,000 people
tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and landslides
to see the sun set over the towering stone monuments of the "Sacred
City" and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one of the world's most
famous man-made wonders.
history.com/tdih.do
1567 : Mary Queen of Scots deposed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5202
1847 : Mormons settle Salt Lake Valley
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6968
1969 : Kennedy's goal accomplished
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5203
2005 : Lance Armstrong wins seventh Tour de France
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5204
###########################################
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