Have you made any discoveries this summer? You might have found a new friend, or fallen in love with a book you hadn't read before. Maybe you've discovered a new hiding place for hide-and-seek!
One hundred years ago this month, an explorer from Yale University made a stunning discovery high in the mountains of Peru. Looking for ruins of the ancient Inca people, Hiram Bingham came upon an abandoned city.
The wrong city
Bingham was looking for another place, Vilcabamba, the "lost city of the Incas." When he found Machu Picchu (MAH-choo-PEE-choo), he believed he had found Vilcabamba.
Well-preserved ruins
When Bingham found Machu Picchu, the Inca ruins were in wonderful condition. Even though the city had been in the 1400s, it had been hidden from Spainish conquerors who had begun to take over the Inca empire about 100 years later. The city's features hadn't been changed or damaged.
Amazing building
The Incas who built the buildings and designed the city had great skills. Without any iron tools, they were able to shape the stones so that each one would fit tightly against the others. They probably used round rocks to pound and chipaway at the building blocks.
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