by HughThomson (Editor), HiramBingham (Author)
In 1911 Hiram Bingham, a pre-historian with a love of exotic destinations, set out to Peru in search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca. With a combination of doggedness and good fortune he stumbled on the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 ft above the torrent of the Urumbamba River. The buildings were of white granite, exquisitely carved blocks each higher than a man. Bingham had not, as it turned out, found Vilcabamba but he had nevertheless made an astonishing discovery which he described in his best-selling book Lost City of the Incas .
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Published: 14 Feb 2002
ISBN 10: 0297607596
ISBN 13: 9780297607595
Book Overview: Reissue of one of the great pieces of exploration literature Discovery of Machu Picchu was one of the most important romantic stories of the heroic age of archaeology Beautifully illustrated edition with new photographs