Turn Right At Machu Picchu by Mark Adams

Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams retraces the journey of Hiram Bingham III, the Yale professor credited with bringing Machu Picchu to international attention. Adams follows Bingham’s route through the Andes and dense jungle, despite having little outdoor experience, blending his own adventures with historical accounts and Inca history. 

The result is a lively mix of travel narrative, historical exploration, and a personal rediscovery of one of the world’s most iconic archaeological sites.

Peru Information

• Cloud forests can regrow in ~3 years; vegetation can reach ~40 ft
• Llamas were used for wool, pack animals, and meat
• Peru’s Geographic Diversity
  • Rainforests (including unmapped Amazon)
  • Mountains (24,000+ ft peaks)
  • Deserts & sand dunes
  • Hotspot for seismic & volcanic activity
  • World’s deepest canyon (2x deeper than Grand Canyon)
  • Of 34 global climatic zones, Peru contains 20

The Incan Empire

• The Empire
  • Spanned 2,500 miles
  • Population ~10 million people
  • Capital → Cusco
  • Peak years → 1438–1532
• Engineering & Infrastructure
  • Sites built in coordinated alignment across vast distances
  • Advanced road system; messages relayed 1,000+ mountainous miles in 12 days
  • Fresh fish transported 300 miles inland for the emperor
  • Walkable route stretched from southern Colombia to central Chile
  • Sophisticated water channels & fountains still work today
  • Cusco’s Inca stone foundations remain seamless despite centuries of earthquakes
• Machu Picchu
  • Constructed around 1450
  • Not the origin of Inca civilization
  • Purpose debated: royal estate, religious center, or elite school

The Incas’ Last Days

• 1519 – Cortés arrived in Mexico and began the conquest of the Aztecs
• 1520 – Pizarro landed in Panama, inspired by Cortés to seek southern riches
• 1528 – Pizarro learned of a wealthy empire in “Birú” and asked Spain for royal approval
• 1532 – Returned to Peru with 180 soldiers, horses, and guns
• 1532 – In November, Pizarro kidnapped Emperor Atahualpa
• 1533 – After extorting 6+ tons of gold, Pizarro executed Atahualpa and installed Manco as a puppet ruler
• 1536 – Manco led a major revolt, capturing Sacsayhuaman and besieging Cusco
• 1537 – Incas withdrew to Vitcos, then founded a new jungle capital at Vilcabamba
• 1539 – Civil war erupted among the Pizarro brothers in Cusco
• 1541 – Francisco Pizarro assassinated by fellow Spaniards, who fled to join the Incas
• 1544 – The same Spaniards betrayed and killed Emperor Manco
• 1545 – Manco’s son Sayri Túpac became ruler of Vilcabamba
• 1558 – Sayri Túpac died; his brother Titu Cusi succeeded him
• 1571 – Titu Cusi died; brother Túpac Amaru became emperor and rejected Spanish rule
• 1572 – Spaniards launched final war, found Vilcabamba abandoned, and pursued Túpac Amaru 200+ miles
• July 24, 1572 – Túpac Amaru captured and beheaded; his head became a lasting symbol of resistance

Bingham’s Early Years

• 1875 – Hiram Bingham III born in Honolulu
• 1892 – Attempted to stow away to Africa, but was stopped
• 1894 – Entered Yale University
• 1897 – Met Alfreda Mitchell, heiress to the Tiffany fortune
• 1899 – Completed master’s degree at UC Berkeley
• 1900 – Began PhD in South American history at Harvard; married Alfreda Mitchell
• Early 1900s – Height of global fascination with “lost” ancient cities (e.g., Chichen Itza, Valley of the Kings)
• 1905 – Recruited by Woodrow Wilson (then Princeton’s president) to teach
• 1905 – Began expedition across Venezuelan and Colombian Andes with Hamilton Rice
• 1905 – Endured jungle hardship; team survived at one point solely on Bingham’s hunting
• 1909 – First arrival in Peru; fell in love with Cusco
• 1909 – Heard legends of the “Lost City of the Incas” where they allegedly retreated during Spanish conquest
• June 8, 1911 – Bingham set out to find the Lost City of the Incas

‘Finding’ Machu Picchu

• July 1911 – At Mandor Pampa, Bingham heard of “Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu”
• July 24, 1911 – Bingham “discovered” Machu Picchu
  • Paid a tavernkeeper to guide him up a steep, cloud-shrouded mountain
  • Left at 10 AM; climbed for ~80 minutes on all fours through dense forest
  • Found ruins inhabited by tenant farmers renting from the tavernkeeper
  • Fitted white-granite walls and dramatic views over the Urubamba River
  • Stayed less than five hours
• July 1911 – Next day, continued down the Urubamba Valley without revisiting the site
• July 1911 – Reached Espiritu Pampa; was not impressed and never returned
• Dec 1911 – Returned to New York
• Late 1911 – Yale and National Geographic agreed to fund a second expedition

Subsequent Expeditions

• 1912 – Bingham returned to Peru
  • Peru began protecting indigenous heritage
  • Allowed U.S. to export finds but could demand their return
  • Expedition deemed a failure with no major artifacts
• 1913 – National Geographic released its first special issue, fully dedicated to Machu Picchu with 250+ photos, sparking global excitement
• 1915 – Returned to Peru
  • Charged with illegal excavation and export of thousands of artifacts
  • Failed expedition except for discovering the Inca Trail
• 1916 – Joined the National Guard; commanded 8,000 men in WWI
• 1922 – Elected Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
• 1924 – Became Governor, then Senator
• 1933 – Censured and removed from Congress for putting lobbyists on payroll
• 1948 – Published Lost City of the Incas; presented himself as the first to see Machu Picchu despite tenant farmers, earlier visitors, and local guides
• 1964 – Savoy proved the “Lost City of the Incas” was Espiritu Pampa, not Machu Picchu

Adams’ Journey

• Mark Adams’ Journey
  • Retraced Bingham’s route through Andes and jungle on foot
  • Spent months following the original path to Machu Picchu
  • Had no prior outdoor experience (hunting, fishing, camping, etc)
• Experiences
  • Met children in remote jungle communities who had never heard of the U.S.
  • Spoke with the family that once owned Machu Picchu, later forced to sell it to the government for worthless bonds
  • Met former Peruvian president’s wife who publicly sued the U.S.
  • Highlighted U.S. refusal to return smuggled Machu Picchu artifacts