July 24, 1911: Hiram Bingham ‘Discovers’ Machu Picchu

July 24, 2008

1911: Exploring in Peru, Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham locates Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. The event will set off a century of controversy.

Bingham’s expedition photographed Machu Picchu soon after his 1911 arrival.

Bingham was born in Honolulu, the son and grandson of Protestant missionaries in the Pacific. He graduated from Yale University and did graduate work in history and politics at the University of California and Harvard.

Bingham had already made two expeditions to South America — and published a book on each — when he returned to Peru in 1911. He located the last Inca capital, Vitcos, and made the first ascent of the 21,763-foot Mt. Coropuma. Then came the find that would make him famous: Machu Picchu.

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