In 1911, Hiram Bingham, a archeologist peofessor at Yale and a relative of Jacks, wanted to find the lost city of the Incas. Many referred to The Lost City as the City of Gold but he was interested in discovering more about the Incan culture and Andean way of life. Logically, he followed the Urubamba river because civilizations historically have formed near a water source. Luckily for his logic and the hospitality of a simple farmer he found Machu Picchu. After a long journey he stayed one night in a small village and asked the man who provided the roof over his head if he knew anything about the lost city. The farmer simply stated, "I don't know about any lost city but I know of Manchu Pichu." The following morning the farmer took Hiram up to Manchu Pichu. Not only had he found a lost Incan city but he also found a two families living there and farming the land.
Although Hiram Bingham is credited with discovering Manchu Pichu, the truth is that many people (French and German) came before him but they were all treasure hunters. The Spaniards never arrived here so the Incan way of life was preserved in comparison to the other Incan cities and because of Hiram's discovery there are many things we do know about Manchu Pichu. From 1912-1915 he escavated the area with help from Yale University finding a number of different artifacts. Unfortunately we still do not know what purpose Machu Picchu served. There are many theories with one being that only the beautiful women lived there and were the virgins of the sun. Or maybe only the nobility lived there. Or maybe it was the starting point of the jungle. Or maybe it was a university. Or maybe it was just another city that was part of the Incan Empire. But, if it was just one more city, possibly it was just the newest city and had all the technology the Incans had acquired making it seem the most imoptant. Maybe, Manchu Pichu was the City of Gold and it was just all plundered before Hiram Bingham arrived? We will never know the truth of Manchu Pichu but one thing is for sure, it is surrounded by mountains on everyside giving you a sense of protection. Possibly it was because today was the winter solstice but it truly has a very spiritual feeling, one that pretty much takes your breath away. So much so that on July 7, 2007, Manchu Pichu was named The 7th Wonder if the World.
Enjoy the pictures and we will see you in a few days!
Miss T
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