American historian Hiram Bingham came across the ruins of Machu Picchu on this day in 1911. Sitting in the mountains, the visually striking ruins were largely unknown outside of local indigenous groups before then. Bingham was exploring the mountain range with his team to find lost Inca settlements. A farmer told them that there were ruins on a nearby mountain, so Bingham’s team got climbing.
He was led by a local boy to the entrance of the long-abandoned site. It stretches for five miles and has over 3,000 steps. Since Bingham published a book on his discovery, Machu Picchu (which means "Old Peak" in Quechua) has become a major global destination.
You can read more about Machu Picchu at National Geographic.
NCPA
