100th anniversary of the discovery od Machu Picchu

In memory of the 100th anniversary of the world-famous discovery of Machu Picchu, the main building hall of our University hosted an exhibition of the collection of 32 large-format maps and photographs of the miraculous Peruvian flora and the mythical city located on the tops of the Andes, where until present day researchers from Poland and many other countries conduct their archaeological study. On the day of its opening (April 20th) the exhibition was visited by a number of honourable guests, including the Ambassador of the Republic of Peru in Poland, Martha Chavarri Dupuy, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Peru, Kajetan Pyrzyński. The exhibition was open until May 20th, 2012. 

“It is our great honour to host here at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences such a unique exhibition devoted to one of the Seven Wonders of the world. Machu Picchu, discovered a hundred years ago by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, was included 20 years ago into the UNESCO World Heritage list,” said Professor Roman Kołacz on welcoming the guests. “I hope that thanks to this exhibition this unique memorial of the Inca civilisation will charm and fascinate those of you who have not yet had a chance to see it and bring wonderful memories to those who know it very well.” Ambassador of the Republic of Peru in Poland, Martha Chavarri Dupuy, after expressing her deepest gratitude for the organizers and visitors, explained how important was the discovery of Machu Picchu for the Peruvian culture and heritage as well as how she appreciates the efforts of numerous researchers who worked very hard to preserve, maintain it and to discover its secrets. Honorary Consul of Republic the of Peru recalled the Polish team of researchers and engineers who devoted their lives to scientific research in this remote, for us Poles, country.

What happened on July 24th, 1911? It all started from Hiram Bingham, a Yale University history professor, was one of many scholars who strove to find Vilcabamba, the last capital of the Inca Empire.

To do this between 1909 and 1911 he searched a vast area of the Eastern slopes of Peruvian Andes. Eventually, on July 24th, 1911, after consulting a local farmer Melchor Arteaga, he climbed onto a mountain pass between the peaks of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, located 450 meters over the meanders of Urubamba river. There, for the first time he saw a wonderfully preserved, although very much overgrown with subtropical flora, the mythical city of Incas. After making this breakthrough discovery, he paid his guide, Arteaga, only a daily rate of one Peruvian nuevo sol (about half a dollar in silver). It was probably the best business in Bingham’s entire life.

A fervent dispute about the historical origins of Machu Picchu started as soon as Bingham announced the results of his first expedition. However, one discovery-related fact was definitely undisputed: this city was not Vilcabamba, the last capital of the Incas. Actually, Bingham has visited Vilcabamba during his expedition (he found the ruins called Espiritu Pampa, situated about 120 km away from Machu Picchu) but he didn’t realize he had made a meaningful discovery, because what he saw did not meet his expectations – the remains of Vilcabamba were not as monumental as he expected, so he underestimated their value. The fact that Espiritu Pampa was the last capital of the Inca Empire was eventually confirmed in 1976 by the expedition of Peruvian and Polish researchers, directed by a Peruvian historian Doctor Edmundo Guillén, accompanied by a couple of Poles, Elzbieta Dzikowska and Tony Halik. At the same time, Machu Picchu, had long been a subject of dispute. Eventually as a result of research, historians decided that Machu Picchu was probably a private residence of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ruler of Incas who lived in the first half of the 15th century. Pachacuti was a great conqueror and he is claimed to have imitated the conquest activity, which – continued by his son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui and grandson, Huayn Capac – in the period of less than a hundred years transformed a small Incas state, located in the Cuzco valley, into a powerful and vast Panandian Empire. Following the death of Pachacutek, the power over Machu Picchu was probably left in the hands of his family.

Between 1536 and 1539 the Machu Picchu inhabitants felt threatened the Spaniards whose territory and power was at that time rapidly growing and this was probably the time when they (and most definitely its aristocratic elite) fled the city.

National Reserve From 1981 Machu Picchu is treated not only as a historical site, but is also a location of a National Park, covering the area of about 326 square meters. It houses several dozen archaeological sites – some of which are accessible for the tourists. Among most popular attractions is the so called road of Incas – true remains of Incas communication route form Cuzco to Machu Picchu. But the mostly visited place is its section located at the 82nd kilometre of the railroad route Cuzco–Machu Picchu–Quillabamba. It normally takes tourists to cover this route in 3 days time, during which they visit such sites as: Llactapata, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Huiñay Huayna and Intipuncu – a well preserved gate leading to Machu Picchu. The park area is also a nature reserve, including a wide variety of natural environment types: from the high-mountain steppe puna, situated above 4000 m amsl, to tropical climate valleys (with tropical flora), situated at about 1700 m amsl. It is home to numerous protected species of both flora and fauna, including the Andean spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), North Andean Deer, also called Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis), monkeys, like White-fronted Capuchin (Cebus albifrons) and many others. Its rich flora includes over 200 species of orchids.

dr Ewa Jaworska based on materials provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Peru