Yesterday, the people of Peru celebrated the 100th anniversary of the adventurers' discovery of the famous ruins of Machu Picchu, a stronghold of the Inca empire.
>>>Machu Picchu aerial city - Peru
Machu Picchu was built during the Inca Empire in 1450, at an altitude of 2430 m of the Andes in the Urumbamba valley, Peru. When historian and explorer Hiram Bingham found this site on July 7, 1911, it was almost covered by trees.
Bingham's expedition team cleared trees and obstacles to reveal the citadel after many centuries of neglect.
After years of hiding in the forest, Machu Picchu has gained international attention after Hiram Bingham's discovery.
Hiram Bingham also became famous since he announced his discovery of Machu Picchu before the world and he wrote a very well-selling book about it.
After months of clearing the dense forest surrounding it, the shape of the Inca city appeared more clearly.
The photograph of Bingham (leftmost) and explorers, history and botanists on the expedition to Machu Picchu in 1912, a year after he discovered the site.
Often called " The Lost City of the Incas ", many scholars believe that Machu Picchu was the birthplace of the Inca empire. In the picture, Bingham was studying drawings carved on a stone in the ruins.
Bingham and the explorers unearthed thousands of relics here and brought them to the United States to study. After many centuries of controversy, Yale University finally approved to return them to the old place last year.
Machu Picchu today is Peru's most famous attraction with an average of 1,800 tourists a day. UNESCO recognized the Inca empire as a World Heritage site from 1983 and in 2007, it was voted one of the wonders of the world.
The 100-year anniversary of Michu Picchu's discovery was held yesterday with music festivals and performances. In the picture, the workers are carrying the stage assembly parts to Michu Picchu.
Chilean artist Mario Mutis, a member of the legendary Chilean band Los Jaivas, participated in the special celebration.
