Hiram Bingham's 1911 expedition discovers Machu Picchu

Hiram Bingham's 1911 expedition discovers Machu Picchu. Hiram Bingham was a 33-year-old Yale professor of Latin American history National Geographic granted him $5,000 for the expedition The expedition crew consisted of 8 people including a naturalist, geologist, physician, and topographers

In 1911, 36-year-old Yale history lecturer Hiram Bingham, funded by National Geographic Society, reached Machu Picchu guided by local farmer Melchor Arteaga. He initially believed he'd found Vilcabamba, the last Inca capital.

Key Facts

• Hiram Bingham was a 33-year-old Yale professor of Latin American history
• National Geographic granted him $5,000 for the expedition
• The expedition crew consisted of 8 people including a naturalist, geologist, physician, and topographers
• Bingham was guided to the site by local farmer Melchure Artega
• Local natives told Bingham about ruins on the mountain called Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu
• Bingham reached the site on July 24, 1911
• The city sits at 8,000 ft elevation on a ridge in the Andes
• Bingham initially believed he had found Vilcabamba, the last Inca capital

Related site: Machu Picchu — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.

Source: The First Explorers of Machu Picchu: Megalithic City in the Clouds by Luke Caverns