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Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.
Educational and entertaining! What more can one ask for? Mark Adams retraces the footsteps of Hiram Bingham, who introduced Machu Picchu to the world in 1911, then Adams returns to confirm the Incas’ engineering was superbly accurate aligning with the winter solstice. Adams is self-deprecating but clearly very brave, willing to expend an enormous effort when he hadn’t so much as tented in his own backyard as a child. A book not to be missed for anyone interested in history, the Incas, South America, travel, Peru, South America, the Andes—or anyone just wanting a good read. My only complaint? The author’s photos weren’t in color and were very small. ( )
Lots of fun - nice braiding of history of Inca history, adventures of Incan ruin discoverer Bingham, and author's own trek to follow Bingham's path. ( )
This is an excellent, well-written account that combines history -- of the Incas, of Hiram Bingham, even of the provenance of Indiana Jones! -- with insight into traveling to and around this fascinating site. It is also an interesting first-person narrative of the author's (well-guided) explorations of the area. I definitely recommend this for anyone thinking of making the trip. ( )
Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.
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Book description
What happens when an adventure travel expert-who's never actually done anything adventurous-tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu?
July 24, 1911, was a day for the history books. For on that rainy morning, the young Yale professor Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and encountered an ancient city in the clouds: the now famous citadel of Machu Picchu. Nearly a century later, news reports have recast the hero explorer as a villain who smuggled out priceless artifacts and stole credit for finding one of the world's greatest archaeological sites.
Mark Adams has spent his career editing adventure and travel magazines, so his plan to investigate the allegations against Bingham by retracing the explorer's perilous path to Machu Picchu isn't completely far- fetched, even if it does require him to sleep in a tent for the first time. With a crusty, antisocial Australian survivalist and several Quechua-speaking, coca-chewing mule tenders as his guides, Adams takes readers through some of the most gorgeous and historic landscapes in Peru, from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco to the enigmatic ruins of Vitcos and Vilcabamba.
Along the way he finds a still-undiscovered country populated with brilliant and eccentric characters, as well as an answer to the question that has nagged scientists since Hiram Bingham's time: Just what was Machu Picchu?
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