On the left are the western agricultural terraces. Above them is the Sacred Plaza, with the Chief Temple and the three-windowed temple to the right of it. Above these and connected with them by the finest stairway in Machu Picchu is the sacred hill, on which is located the Intihuatana, or sun dial stone. In the central picture in the immediate foreground are the rough boulders near which we found most of the little bronze pins and artifacts. Above them are the terraced gardens and a thatched hut built by the modern Indians. Above this in turn is one of the most densely crowded portions of the city, while to the right above the long stairway is the group called the Private Garden Group, and below it, on the extreme right, the group characterized by greatest ingenuity in its stonework. The beautiful peak of Huayna Picchu overshadows the city like a sentinel. On its summit were found a few rough caves whence guards could give warning of approaching danger.
This Picture Gives a General View of About One-Half of the City of Machu Picchu
On the left are the western agricultural terraces. Above them is the Sacred Plaza, with the Chief Temple and the three-windowed temple to the right of it. Above these and connected with them by the finest stairway in Machu Picchu is the sacred hill, on which is located the Intihuatana, or sun dial stone. In the central picture in the immediate foreground are the rough boulders near which we found most of the little bronze pins and artifacts. Above them are the terraced gardens and a thatched hut built by the modern Indians. Above this in turn is one of the most densely crowded portions of the city, while to the right above the long stairway is the group called the Private Garden Group, and below it, on the extreme right, the group characterized by greatest ingenuity in its stonework. The beautiful peak of Huayna Picchu overshadows the city like a sentinel. On its summit were found a few rough caves whence guards could give warning of approaching danger.
In the wonderland of Peru—rediscovering Machu Picchu
The work accomplished by the Peruvian Expedition of 1912, under the auspices of Yale University and the National Geographic Society.
This story appears in the April 1913 issue of National Geographic magazine and retains the original language and spellings.
Prof. Hiram Bingham's explorations in South America, 1906-1911, and particularly his discoveries in 1911, were so important that when he was seeking funds for another Peruvian expedition in 1912, the Research Committee of the National Geographic Society made him a grant of $10,000, Yale University contributing an equal amount. His preliminary report to the National Geographic Society and Yale University of the work done in 1912 is printed herewith, and forms one of the most remarkable stories of exploration in South America in the past 50 years. The members of the Society are extremely gratified at the splendid record which Dr. Bingham and all the members of the expedition have made, and as we study the 250 marvelous pictures which are printed with this report, we also are thrilled by the wonders and mystery of Machu Picchu. What an extraordinary people the builders of Machu Picchu must have been to have constructed, without steel implements, and using only stone hammers and wedges, the wonderful city of refuge on the mountain top. —Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Editor
Prof. Hiram Bingham's explorations in South America, 1906-1911, and particularly his discoveries in 1911, were so important that when he was seeking funds for another Peruvian expedition in 1912, the Research Committee of the National Geographic Society made him a grant of $10,000, Yale University contributing an equal amount. His preliminary report to the National Geographic Society and Yale University of the work done in 1912 is printed herewith, and forms one of the most remarkable stories of exploration in South America in the past 50 years. The members of the Society are extremely gratified at the splendid record which Dr. Bingham and all the members of the expedition have made, and as we study the 250 marvelous pictures which are printed with this report, we also are thrilled by the wonders and mystery of Machu Picchu. What an extraordinary people the builders of Machu Picchu must have been to have constructed, without steel implements, and using only stone hammers and wedges, the wonderful city of refuge on the mountain top. —Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Editor
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