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N0KFQ > TODAY 25.07.11 00:09l 45 Lines 1979 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 10284_KB0WSA
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Jul 24
Path: IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<VE3UIL<N0KFQ<KB0WSA
Sent: 110724/2138Z 10284@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.0.4
Jul 24, 1911:
Machu Picchu discovered
On July 24, 1911, American archeologist Hiram Bingham gets his
first look at Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru
that is now one of the world's top tourist destinations.
Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Machu
Picchu is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca
leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish
invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years afterwards,
its existence was a secret known only to the peasants living in
the region. That all changed in the summer of 1911, when Bingham
arrived with a small team of explorers to search for the famous
"lost" cities of the Incas.
Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their
way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer
told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain.
The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant "Old
Peak" in the native Quechua language. The next day--July
24--after a tough climb to the mountain's ridge in cold and
drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed
him the rest of the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got
his first glimpse of the intricate network of stone terraces
marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.
The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a
best-selling book, sending hordes of eager tourists flocking to
Peru to follow in his footsteps up the Inca trail. The site
itself stretches an impressive five miles, with over 3,000 stone
steps linking its many different levels. Today, more than 300,000
people tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and
landslides to see the sun set over the towering stone monuments
of the "Sacred City" and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one
of the world's most famous man-made wonders.
73, K.O. n0kfq
Another old retired guy
E-mail: n0kfq@winlink.org
N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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