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INCA CITY FOUND – MACHU PICCHU

Inca City Found Machu Picchu

INCA CITY FOUND – MACHU PICCHU

 

11/7/2024,

Tuesday, July 24, 1911: INCA CITY FOUND AND NAMED MACHU PICCHU

An unexpected discovery


Machu Picchu (pronounced like Matschu Picchu; literally, “Old Mountain”) is a magical city high in the Andes mountains of Peru that was discovered 113 years ago today, on July 24, 1911, by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham.
The city was covered in moss and engulfed in lianas.

The Incas constructed this metropolis around 500 years ago. More than a thousand people could have fit inside. The Incas were a people that at one point in time controlled a vast empire in what is now the South American nation of Peru.

Bingham had set out from his university to comb the shadowy alpine forests for signs of the extinct Inca civilization. The Inca Empire was destroyed in the sixteenth century by Spanish conquerors in America, who also destroyed many of the remnants of their architecture and way of life.

The Incas were supposed to have taken sanctuary from the conquerors at a splendid location far away in the mountains, according to persistent rumours.


Who constructed the city?

Inca City Found Machu Picchu
INCA CITY FOUND – MACHU PICCHU

At an elevation of more than 2400 metres, the specific person who ordered the construction of Machu Picchu remains unknown.

The Incas spoke no written language and left no written records. The city was renamed “Machu Picchu” by later occupants, hence its original name is still unknown.

For ages, people have wondered how the Incas brought the enormous, finely cut stone blocks to this remote spot on the high plateau surrounded by densely forested mountains.

Today, the majority of the mysteries surrounding the city are known thanks to numerous excavations. Experts can describe the construction of this spectacular city, including its intricate irrigation system, temples, and opulent homes. However, the exact reason behind the city’s magnificent creation remains unknown.

Worldwide Legacy

Machu Picchu rose to international fame in 1913 when the esteemed American magazine National Geographic Society dedicated an entire issue to the glories of the Incas. People from all over the world started to swarm to Machu Picchu.

The difficult-to-reach Inca city remains one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations. Every year, tens of thousands of visitors flock to this remote mountain city in the hopes of soaking up a little bit of its aura of mystery. In 1983, Machu Picchu received the designation of a World Heritage Site.

Hiram Bingham rose to fame with this amazing find. His notes likely inspired the Indiana Jones films as well.

 


Art theft: is there recompense?

The long-running disagreement about who is the legitimate owner of the Inca artefacts is also linked to Hiram Bingham. The discoverer was permitted to take them to the United States by the Peruvian government at the time.

The Bingham University Museum featured exhibits from the Machu Picchu excavations. It took 100 years for them to be returned to their original location after that. There had been numerous discussions between the Peruvian government and the museum before that.

The ceramics, jewellery, and bone artefacts from the vanished Inca civilization are on display at a museum in Peru’s capital city.

A recent conversation

In recent years, several museums have also repatriated artwork and historical artefacts to their originating countries. One such museum is the Linden Museum in Stuttgart.

It remains controversial to this day how various nations handle artwork that has been stolen in the past or vanished from its original country. The main topic of contention is whether returning the artwork is required or if there are other ways to make recompense.

 

 

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