102 years ago, on the 24th of July, 1911, Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an explorer from the U.S. He had come to Cuzco to look for undiscovered ruins. He headed to Urubamba after receiving a tip from Alberto Giesecke, who worked with the National University in Cuzco. A local rural man guided him. Hiram found 2 families who lived and worked in the fields, and one of the children took him to the top of the mountain, where he spotted Machu Picchu.
Tipical street in Machu Picchu
After making the discovery, the finding was published in a magazine by the National Geographic Society. History tells us that 9 years prior to Bingham’s discovery, landowner Agustín Lizárraga had already found Machu Picchu, leaving his name and the date of his arrival carved in one of the stones.
In 1983 Machu Picchu was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and recognized as 1 of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World on July 7, 2007.
