Machu Picchu Was Never Lost: Debunking Hiram Bingham's 'Discovery'

Hiram Bingham did not discover Machu Picchu. The Inca city, built in the 15th century, was known to locals and had been visited by Westerners before 1911. Bingham was guided by Melchor Arteaga and a local boy, and he photographed an inscription by Agustín Lizárraga from 1902, which he later ordered erased. Bingham also had maps showing the site and knew of Augusto Berns' plundering in the 19th century. Despite this, he fabricated the narrative of a 'lost city' to gain fame and funding. The site was inhabited by three families when he arrived. Bingham removed thousands of artifacts to Yale University, which were returned to Peru between 2011 and 2012. The article emphasizes that Machu Picchu was always known to indigenous communities.