Machu Picchu: Before and After Discovery Comparison
Identifying the remnants of Machu Picchu in the explorers' photographs from 1911 proves challenging. These images prompt a critical question: how many significant sites remain hidden beneath the relentless encroachment of vegetation? Can we ever hope to uncover them?
In July 1911, the Yale University Peruvian expedition, led by explorer Hiram Bingham, was greeted with an extraordinary sight: the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, revealed in all their splendor.
After reading 16th and 17th century chronicles that spoke of Inca cities never discovered by the Spanish conquistadors, after studying local legends, historical events and the physical characteristics of the area, Bingham laboriously managed to reach Machu Picchu. The expedition found two peasant families who had settled on the site: the Recarte and the Álvarez. They exploited the terraces to the south of the ruins to cultivate the land, and used a still functioning Inca canal, which drew water from a spring. Pablo Recarte, one of the children of Machu Picchu, led Bingham to the weedy “urban area.”
Following deforestation, restoration, and reconstruction efforts, Machu Picchu has been transformed into the site we see today.
Machu Picchu is located in Peru, in the Urubamba Valley, at approximately 2430 m above sea level. The name derives from the Quechua terms, machu (old man) and pikchu (peak or mountain). The archaeological area itself is accessible both via the Inca trails that lead there and by using the Hiram Bingham road (which goes up the slope of Machu Picchu from the Puente Ruinas train station, located at the bottom of the gorge).
It is part of the World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO. In 2003, more than 400,000 people visited the ruins, and UNESCO has expressed concern about the environmental damage such a volume of tourists can cause to the site. In 2007 Machu Picchu was elected as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
As is evident, it is difficult to identify the vestiges of the city of Machu Picchu in the photos taken by explorers in 1911. Looking at the images, a question arises: how many significant sites remain hidden beneath the relentless encroachment of vegetation? Can we ever hope to uncover them?
