It was July 24th: Discovery of Machu Picchu

On July 24, 1911, American explorer Hiram Bingham reached the ruins of Machu Picchu, perched at nearly 2,430 meters altitude in the Peruvian Andes. Guided by local inhabitants, including a young boy, he discovered an impressive Inca city reclaimed by nature. His expedition, conducted for Yale University, revealed to the world an exceptional site that would become one of the most famous vestiges of the Inca civilization. While Machu Picchu was already known to the local population and had notably been visited in 1902 by the Peruvian farmer Agustín Lizárraga, it was Bingham's publicizing of the discovery that brought it international renown.

A forgotten city in the Andes

Machu Picchu is located in the heart of the Andes Mountains, about 100 kilometers from Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Built around the mid-15th century during the reign of Emperor Pachacuti, the city is believed to have served as a royal residence, religious center, and agricultural estate. Its buildings, constructed with imposing stone blocks perfectly fitted together without mortar, testify to the remarkable skill of the Inca builders.

After the Spanish conquest of Peru in the 16th century, the site was gradually abandoned. Isolated in the mountains and difficult to access, it escaped the conquistadors and gradually faded into oblivion from the rest of the world, while remaining known to the local communities living in the surrounding area.

A discovery that fascinates the world

In search of ancient Inca cities, Hiram Bingham traveled through Peru during the summer of 1911. On July 24, accompanied by a Peruvian officer and guided by locals, he climbed the mountain to the ruins. Faced with the agricultural terraces, temples, and dwellings overgrown with vegetation, he immediately grasped the archaeological significance of the site.

During subsequent expeditions, Bingham undertook to map the site, excavate several buildings, and study the unearthed remains. His work was widely reported by the magazine National Geographic In 1913, they attracted the attention of the scientific community and the general public. Machu Picchu then became one of the best-known symbols of the Inca civilization.

A treasure that has become a symbol of Peru

Throughout the 20th century, the site was the subject of numerous archaeological investigations that led to a better understanding of its role within the Inca Empire. However, the artifacts taken to the United States by Bingham's expeditions fueled a long-standing dispute between Peru and Yale University, before being gradually returned starting in 2011.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and designated one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Machu Picchu now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. More than a century after its rediscovery by Hiram Bingham, this city perched in the Andes remains one of the most precious testimonies to the grandeur of the Inca civilization and one of the most iconic archaeological sites on the planet.