Lost City of the Incas

In 1911 Hiram Bingham, a pre-historian with a love of exotic destinations, set out to Peru in search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba and the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca. With a combination of doggedness and good fortune, he stumbled across the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrent of the Urubamba River. The buildings were of white granite, exquisitely carved blocks, each higher than a man. Although Bingham had not as it turned out found Vilcabamba, he had nevertheless made an astonishing and memorable discovery.