'•' 1 Ijy Hiram Bingham 

 A SIGHTLY tower: MACHU PICCHU 



The corner of the Princess Group where the ornamental wall joins the semicircular tower 

 is one of the most sightly spots in the city and commands a magnificent view of the great 

 canon. Within the tower was a sacred rock, which has been partly destroyed by fire. 



WHY MACHU PICCHU IS AX ARCHEOLOGI- 

 CAI. TREASURE 



On the other hand, Machu Picchu not 

 only is larger and contains more edifices 

 than any other ruin discovered in Peru 

 (except Cuzco) ; it has the additional ad- 

 vantage of not having been known to the 

 Spaniards, of not having been occupied 

 by their descendants, and of not having 

 been torn to pieces by treasure hunters 

 seeking within the walls for the gold and 

 silver ornaments that were not to be 

 found in the floors. 



In other words, Machu Picchu is not 

 only more extensive than any previously 

 discovered Inca city outside of Cuzco. 

 but it is in a remarkably good state of 

 preservation, and its architecture has not 

 become confused with Spanish efforts to 

 build churches and villas. 



If the theory here propounded is cor- 

 rect — that Machu Picchu was the orig- 

 inal "Tampu Tocco." from whose "three 

 windows" set out the tribes that eventu- 

 ally founded Cuzco — the importance of 

 Machu Picchu as the cradle of the later 

 Inca race will, of course, be increased. 



It is not very profitable to speculate on 

 the habits of these ancient people until 



we have had more opportunity to study 

 the finds made in the burial caves and to 

 compare these with finds made in other 

 parts of Peru. We know that they were 

 masters of the art of stone-cutting. 



We know that they knew how to make 

 bronze, and that they had a considerable 

 artistic sense, as evidenced by their work- 

 manship. One of the bronze pins found 

 at Machu Picchu has for a head a minia- 

 ture reproduction of the head of a hum- 

 ming-bird, including a long, curved bill. 

 One bronze knife is decorated with the 

 head of a llama ; another with an Indian 

 boy, lying on his stomach, with his heels 

 in the air, playing tug-of-war with a 

 large fish on the end of a little bronze 

 rope. 



The workmen of ^Machu Picchu not 

 only had skill, but originality and inge- 

 nuity. Their pottery is varied in form 

 and attractive in its ornamentation. They 

 understood how to plan great architec- 

 tural and engineering works and to carry 

 them to a satisfactory conclusion. 



The soil of the terraces is extremely 

 fertile, and the Incas utilized every 

 square yard of available land within a 

 radius of several miles. The two or 



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