Turn Right at Machu Picchu : Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

English

ISBN: 0525952241

EAN: 9780525952244

Category: Social Science / Archaeology/Political Science / Public Policy / Cultural Policy/Travel / South America / Peru/

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Release Date: 06/30/2011

Age Range: 18-null

Synopsis: What happens when an adventure travel expert-whos never actually done anything adventurous-tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu? July 24, 1911, was a day for the history books. For on that rainy morning, the young Yale professor Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and encountered an ancient city in the clouds: the now famous citadel of Machu Picchu. Nearly a century later, news reports have recast the hero explorer as a villain who smuggled out priceless artifacts and stole credit for finding one of the worlds greatest archaeological sites. Mark Adams has spent his career editing adventure and travel magazines, so his plan to investigate the allegations against Bingham by retracing the explorers perilous path to Machu Picchu isnt completely far- fetched, even if it does require him to sleep in a tent for the first time. With a crusty, antisocial Australian survivalist and several Quechua-speaking, coca-chewing mule tenders as his guides, Adams takes readers through some of the most gorgeous and historic landscapes in Peru, from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco to the enigmatic ruins of Vitcos and Vilcabamba. Along the way he finds a still-undiscovered country populated with brilliant and eccentric characters, as well as an answer to the question that has nagged scientists since Hiram Binghams time: Just what was Machu Picchu?

Awards: American Library Association Notable Books – null 

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Turn Right at Machu Picchu : Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.23 inches

Width: 6.31 inches

Length: 9.28 inches

Weight: 20.67 oz

Pages: 352