The lost city of Machu Picchu (History Documentary)

Machu Picchu is known as one of the seven wonders of the world. It is Peru's most visited tourist attraction and one of South America's most famous ruins. In this video, I'm going to talk about the discovery and excavations of Machu Picchu, as well as the interesting facts about the site. Machu Picchu is an Inca site built in the 15th century. It is located on a ridge between the Jainapichu and Machu Picchu mountains. The site is 2,430 meters or 7,970 feet above sea level on the eastern slope of the Andes and oversees the Urabamba River. Now the first important thing I want to get into is the discovery of Machu Picchu. In the summer of 1911, the American archaeologist Graham Bingham arrived in Peru with his colleagues to search for the last Inca stronghold to fall to the Spanish, Vilcabamba. Bingham and his small team of explorers traveled by foot and by meal from Cusco into the Urabamba Valley. It is there that a local farmer told them of mysterious stone ruins at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called the ruins Machu Picchu, which meant old peak, in the native Quechua language. That means we don't know what the stone ruins were actually called during the time it was inhabited. On July 24th, after a harsh climb to the mountain ridge, through the cold and rainy weather, the explorers came into contact with a group of peasants, which agreed to lead them the rest of the way to the ruins. It turns out that the peasants were actually living in Machu Picchu. Interesting fact, Graham Bingham, for a while after the discovery of Machu Picchu, thought he actually discovered Vilcabamba, which he was originally searching for. He actually discovered the site before Machu Picchu in the same year of 1911, but he saw the site as less significant and left it behind. It seems Bingham was more fascinated with the legend itself that he missed the opportunity to see the site for what it really was. If we look more to the so-called discovery of Machu Picchu by Bingham, we see evidence that 19th and 20th century mercenaries and explorers made it to Machu Picchu, but were just less spoken about what they found. But don't get me wrong, here Bingham did shine a light on the site for the world to see. Now let's talk about what Bingham found at Machu Picchu. In this photo taken in Machu Picchu in 1911 by Bingham, it shows how much vegetation took back the site 500 years later. Some of the stone buildings were found collapsed, but luckily for us, most of them were not in this condition. The roofs were made out of wood, grass, and thin branches of trees, therefore they were not able to stand the test of time. It took years of hard work to restore the city of Machu Picchu, but even in modern times, some specialists claim that there are still more parts of the city underground. Some also believe that there is the possibility of an Inca cemetery right near the entrance where the visitors pass through. Between 1912 and 1915, Bingham found thousands of artifacts while excavating Machu Picchu. The artifacts were legally removed and transported to Yale University. Bingham officially claimed he found no real treasures, like artifacts of gold or silver, but he did find stone objects, copper, and pottery. Nothing major, but still important for scientific research. One of the most important objects found would have to be the Intahitana stone, named by Bingham, which I will cover the topic of stone structures in a bit. It has since taken over 100 years for the Peruvian government to take legal action to recover the artifacts. What is interesting about this unusual legal dispute is that it isn't about taking stolen artifacts. It was more of breaking a promise. The Peruvian government claimed that the artifacts were loaned to Yale for research after World War I. Yale University did give back some of the artifacts, but contended that they could keep the rest, as the laws of the time benefited Yale over the underpowered Peruvian government. In 2008, the Peruvian government filed a lawsuit, which ended in two separate agreements. Firstly, Yale would return all the artifacts by the end of 2012, and the second agreement created a partnership between Yale and San Antonio Abad University in Cusco to share in supervising the artifacts. It is good to see that the people of Peru finally get to see the artifacts that they have been so eagerly waiting for, while also creating a strong bond between the two universities. Next, we have to talk about the Inca's ingenious works of engineering at Machu Picchu. The large terraces were used to farm crops, and to keep the city from sliding off the cliff. Think of them as a pair of grips. Without them, the city would not have been this well preserved over the hundreds of years. They made the terraces with coarse rocks at the bottom, getting progressively finer, and then they added a gravel layer, a sand layer, and then topped it off with topsoil. Another wonder of Inca engineering is the aqueducts. Most of the aqueducts are constructed with the least amount of parts as possible to limit water leakage. This irrigation system provided drinking water, bathing water, and was even used irrigating the agricultural terraces. Another wonder is the stonework skills of the Inca. They made their walls and buildings by fitting stones together without using mortar. The stones fit so perfectly that not even a blade can fit between the stones. Next, we'll take a look at some of the stone buildings. Machu Picchu is made of more than 150 buildings, but there are a few that catch the eye. First is the Temple of the Sun. It is one of a number of structures found that add spiritual importance to the site. The Temple of the Sun has an elliptical design. Inside the temple, there is a rock that could have been used as an altar. At the time of the June solstice, the rising sun shines into one of the temple's windows, linking the window, the rock, and the solstice sun together. Underneath the temple lies a cave that is naturally formed. It could have been used for religious purposes. Next, we have the Principal Temple. It holds a carved stone altar. When the temple was excavated by Bingham, he found a layer of white sand. This sand has been seen in other temples at Cusco. Another temple of interest is known as the Temple of Three Windows. This building is next to the Principal Temple and contains a number of broken pottery, which seems to be ritually smashed. Now for the most mysterious structure, the Inca Jatana found in the Citadel of Machu Picchu. It is a sacred object found in all the major Inca cities, but the one in Machu Picchu is the only one found to be complete. The sacred stone seemed to be of religious construction. It was first thought to be a sundial that measured the time to celebrate the winter solstice, one of the most important rituals and celebrations of the Inca Empire, but that theory has since been disproven. It is possible that the giant rock could have been used for astronomical research, or it could be linked to the surrounding mountains. For now, the stone structure will be one of the biggest mysteries at Machu Picchu. Now that we have seen the terraces, the aqueducts, and the stone skill work of the Inca, the big question emerges, why was Machu Picchu built in the first place? Many historians believe that Machu Picchu was built by the 9th ruler of the Inca, Pachacuti, in the mid-1400s. Machu Picchu is believed to be constructed for the purpose of a royal estate, a retreat for the elites. We can see this claim is backed up by the presence of elite residences in the northeastern sector of the site. Inca estates are nothing unheard of, as there are other examples of Inca royal estates in Peru. Machu Picchu does have a wall and a dry moat, mostly for collecting water, but it doesn't look like a site for military purposes, and there is no evidence of any battles being at the site. It is estimated that Machu Picchu was abandoned around 100 or so years after it was built. This is around the time the Spanish started their conquests of pre-Columbian civilization, in the 1530s. But again, there is no evidence of the Spanish conquistadors ever found Machu Picchu. But regardless, some do believe that the reason for abandoning the site could have been from a smallpox epidemic. It seems the reason for Machu Picchu being built, tends to lead towards a royal retreat for the emperor and the other elites. We are still uncertain about many things, and it seems for the most part, Machu Picchu will surround itself with mystery for the time being. Thanks for watching, if you liked the video leave a like, and if you haven't already, subscribe for more history content. If you have any interesting topics for me to cover, let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you guys in the next video.