In 1911, American professor and explorer Hiram Bingham III stumbled upon the ruins of an abandoned city high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The city was Machu Picchu is today recognized as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. In this series, we tell the story of Machu Picchu – and several other major ‘lost’ Inca cities – and the efforts by Bingham – and others – to find them.
As a note, Bingham is not the ‘discover’ of Machu Picchu. There were many others who reached the city before him. But it is Bingham who would document the ruins, and be the first to bring their existence to the rest of the world. Many call Bingham the ‘scientific discover’ of Machu Picchu.
Episodes
Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu – Part 1
In part 1 of our series, we look at the Inca Empire, and the cities that would – in time – become ‘lost’ to the world. We then meet Hiram Bingham III – the man who will one day become the scientific ‘discover’ of Machu Picchu. We then take him on his first two expeditions to South America, including his documentation of the Choquequirao.
Download this episode or listen online.
Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu – Part 2
In part 2 of our series, we follow the 1911 Yale Peruvian Expedition as they go searching for the last cities of the legendary Inca Empire. However, Hiram Bingham will find something entirely different – a place no one had yet documented – Machu Picchu.
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Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu – Part 3
Hiram Bingham has found Machu Picchu. In this episode, he goes searching for the last Inca cities – Vitcos and Vilcabamba.
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Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu – Part 4
In this part of our series, we wrap up the 1911 Yale Peruvian Expedition and look at the 1912, and 1914-15 Expeditions. Meanwhile, the fame of Bingham – and Machu Picchu – continues to grow.
Download this episode or listen online.
Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu – Part 5
In the final part in this series, we look at the rest of Bingham’s life, the true nature of Machu Picchu, and the story of the artifacts taken from Peru by Bingham and Yale.
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Maps
This map is from Bingham’s book, and is actually from the 1912 expedition. But I have highlighted the key locations of the Inca cities. Click on the map to expand. Source.
Resources and links
Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu, by Christopher Heaney. A good all around biography of Bingham and the story of Machu Picchu and the surroundings Inca cities. The story gets bogged down in the latter half on the debate surrounding the return of artifacts taken by Bingham (and others) back to Yale. But it’s still a good book that gives you a really nice understanding of the history of the Inca.
Portrait of an Explorer : Hiram Bingham, Discoverer of Machu Picchu, by Alfred Bingham. This is good biography of Bingham by his son. It is more about the explorer than the places he investigated, but it gives a nice insight into the man. It also talks more about his work in Peru beyond the Inca cities.
Across South America: An Account of A Journey from Buenos Aires to Lima by Way of Potosí, with Notes on Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru, by Hiram Bingham III. Bingham’s account of his first journey to South America.
Across South America; an account of a journey from Buenos Aires to Lima by way of Potosi, with notes on Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru,
by Hiram Bingham. Bingham’s account of his second journey to South America, including his documentation of the Choquequirao.
Here is one of the first photos of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham.
Wikipedia pages – Check out some of these, especially the ‘lost cities’ to see some photos. They are pretty amazing.
Explorers Podcast 