Cradle of GoldCradle of Gold
the Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu
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Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , Available .Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , Available . Offered in 0 more formats"In 1911, a young Peruvian boy led American explorer and Yale historian Hiram Bingham into the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Hidden amidst the breathtaking heights of the Andes, this settlement of temples, tombs, and palaces was the Incas' greatest achievement - and a breakthrough discovery for the field of archeology. Tall, handsome, and sure of his destiny, Bingham believed that Machu Picchu was the Incas' final refuge, where they fled the Spanish Conquistadors. Bingham revealed the lost and forgotten city to the Western world, and his dispatches from the jungle cast him as the swashbuckling hero romanticized today. But his excavation of the site raised old specters of conquest and plunder, and met with an indigenous nationalism that changed the course of Peruvian history. Though Bingham successfully realized his dream of bringing Machu Picchu's treasure of skulls, bones, and artifacts back to the United States, conflict between Yale University and Peru persists to the present day over a simple question: Who owns Inca history?" "In this textured and sweeping narrative, Christopher Heaney crafts a masterful tale of archeology and adventure - taking the reader into the heart of Peru's past to relive the dramatic story of the final years of the Inca empire, the exhilarating recovery or - their final cities, and the thought-provoking fight over their future. Drawing on original research from untapped archives, Heaney vividly portrays both a stunning landscape and the complex history of a fascinating region that continues to inspire awe and controversy today."--BOOK JACKET.
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- New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
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