If it wasn’t for Hiram Bingham (1875 , 1956), Machu Picchu (in Peru) may have never found its place on the archeological map. This explorer and archeologist was also a teacher and a politician (serving as a member of the U.S. Senate in his later years), but what he is best known for is his rediscovery of the Inca settlement called Machu Picchu in 1911.
What set Bingham aside from other archeologists was that he was not trained in the traditional sense. As a matter of fact, Bingham discovered the Incan city of Machu Picchu while still a lecturer turned professor at Yale. So, how did a scholar wind up making a rather illustrious discovery? In 1908, Bingham was called upon to serve as a delegate to the First Pan American Scientific Congress located at Santiago, Chile. Traveling through Peru (on his way home), he became convinced by a local prefect to pay a visit to the pre-Columbian city of Choquequirao. If you’re interested in his exploits, Bingham published details in Across South America; an account of a journey from Buenos Aires to Lima by way of PotosÃÂ, with notes on Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru (1911).
When given the chance to explore never-before-seen Incan cities, Bingham was truly excited. He even returned to the Andes in 1911 with the Yale Peruvian Expedition. On July 24th, 1911 Bingham was guided to Machu Picchu with the help of Melchor Arteaga. At the time, the cities had been overlooked for quite some time. The only people who acknowledged the cities were a small group of inhabitants that lived in the closest valley. Bingham just couldn’t get enough of Peru and returned in 1912 and 1915 , allowing Yale and the National Geographic Society to support his travels.
Since its rediscovery, Machu Picchu has evolved into one of the most significant tourist attractions in South America; and at the forefront of opening the rest of the world to its greatness was Bingham. Others assisted in the process, but he is the man who is most associated with the discovery. To this day, when tourist buses carry guests to the sites, they travel along the Hiram Bingham Highway.
Other interesting facts regarding Bingham deals with the character of Indiana Jones. It is said that he may have possibly served as inspiration for ol’ Indy. In 1948, he also wrote a book titled, “Lost City of the Incas,” which quickly became a bestseller.
On the downside, Peru has since pursued the return of what is believed to be at least 40,000 artifacts, including mummies, ceramics and bones, which Bingham is responsible for removing from the Machu Picchu site. It wasn’t until September 14th, 2007 that Yale University and the Peruvian government came to an agreement for the return of the objects.