MACHU PICCHU: BINGHAM'S BELLOG

An 1874 map of the Urubamba Valley near Machu Picchu, which researchers claim identifies the archaeological site.

I never believed that Hiram Bingham actually "discovered" Machu Picchu. He was simply the first non-native to bring the ruins to the world's attention. And he may still hold that honor. However, according to an article by the Telegraph, he wasn't the first gringo to visit the site.

According to an article in the Telegraph, a German adventurer named Augusto R. Berns not only "discovered" the site but looted it with the permission of the Peruvian government in 1867 -- some four decades before Bingham. This explains the paucity of artifacts Bingham found after clearing the site.

So, what did he find? Any of the legendary lost treasure of the Incas? (The Incas supposedly hid many treasures in order to keep them out of the hands of the Spaniards.) Well, if he did, there's no record of it. So, the researchers who broke the Berns story are hoping to find the whereabouts of the loot by tracking down descendants of Berns and his associates.

Personally, I wonder if some pieces -- maybe even the mummy of the Inca emperor Pachacuti himself -- haven't been sitting secretly in private collections in Europe for all this time. It's a treasure hunt worthy of Indiana Jones himself...OP+

Read: Machu Picchu 'ransacked 40 years before its discovery'

INCA LAND - HIRAM BINGHAM YALE UNIVERSITY October 1, 1922

Some of my story has already been told in Harper’s and the National Geographic, to whose editors acknowledgments are due for permission to use the material in its present form. A glance at the Bibliography will show that more than sixty articles and monographs have been published as a result of the Peruvian Expeditions of Yale University and the National Geographic Society. Other reports are still in course of preparation. My own observations are based partly on a study of these monographs and the writings of former travelers, partly on the maps and notes made by my companions, and partly on a study of our Peruvian photographs, a collection now numbering over eleven thousand negatives. Another source of information was the opportunity of frequent conferences with my fellow explorers. One of the great advantages of large expeditions is the bringing to bear on the same problem of minds which have received widely different training.

Searching for Lost Worlds: Machu Picchu: Secrets of the Incan Empire [VHS]

National Geographic Sent Bingham back to Peru in 1912 to take pictures for an entire issue devoted to the Incas, whose breathtaking stonework shrines were once covered in gold, whose kings had worn cloaks of bat skin, who called silver "the tears of the moon, "gold and" the Sweat of the sun. " Machu Picchu Tells you these and Other Fascinating facts About the Inca and Their Escape Route Through Valleys and sacred mountaintop Cities as THEY Fled the Spanish conquistadors in the Early 1500s, as well as relating the Story of Bingham's passion for exploration and how he parlayed his exploration fame into a political career. Anyone for WHO Dreams of the thrill of Exploration, IS Curious About the Incan Empire, Or IS interested in Stunning images of southeastern Peru, Machu Picchu IS a Great Introduction to Early 20th-century Incan Exploration.

BOOK

Written by his son Alfred M. Bingham, this biography conveys the ambitious, multifaceted personality of Hiram Bingham III, the explorer who rediscovered the lost Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. It is a life of both high accomplishments and very human failings. The son and grandson of New England missionaries in the Pacific, Hiram Bingham was raised to carry on the family tradition within the church. But rebelling against the piety and poverty of his background, he chose instead an academic career and married an heiress, a grand-daughter of the founder of Tiffany and Co. His overnight acquisition of great wealth opened many opportunities to Bingham. During his career as an academic specializing in Latin American history, the Tiffany money helped support five scientific expeditions, one of which led to Machu Picchu and his lasting fame. Later it also facilitated a political career, culminating in his serving two terms as a U. S. Senator from Connecticut. This book chronicles Hiram Bingham's achievements, with emphasis on the explorations of which he was most proud, as well as some of his more questionable actions. His adventurous character is brought to life in all its human complexity. This 'must have' book chronicling Hiram Bingham's South American explorations and his 'discovery' of the famous lost Inca city is lavishly illustrated with many photos, maps and sketches. Most are by Hiram Bingham and other members of the Peruvian expeditions. This book should be of interest both to the serious scholar of Inca history and culture as well as the traveller interested in learning more about the events leading to Machu Picchu becoming the great tourist attraction that it is today. This book was originally published in 1989 under the title Portrait of an Explorer: Hiram Bingham, Discoverer of Machu Picchu.

BINGHAM'S BELLOG

ПРЕДАЙ НАТАТЪК!

THE WEATHER AROUND THE WORLD