114 years ago today, July 24, 1911 (June 29, 1911 in the lunar calendar), Machu Picchu was rediscovered. Machu Picchu was rediscovered on July 24, 1911. Machu Picchu (Spanish, English: Machu Picchu, Quichua: Machu Piqchu, which means "ancient mountain"), also translated as Machu Picchu, is a famous relic of the Inca Empire during the pre-Columbian period in Peru. It is 130 kilometers northwest of Cusco. The entire site towers on a ridge at an altitude of 2,350 - 2,430 meters, overlooking the Urubamba Valley and is one of the new seven wonders of the world. Due to its unique location, address characteristics and late discovery (1911), Machu Picchu became the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire. In 1983, Machu Picchu was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is one of the few dual cultural and natural heritage sites in the world. But at the same time, Machu Picchu is also facing concerns about tourism damage. On July 24, 1911, American historian Hiram Bingham III brought Machu Picchu to the attention of the Western world. He was taken to Machu Picchu by locals who knew the area well. The controversial explore-archaeologist completed an archaeological report on the area here. Bingham came up with the attractive name "The Lost Inca City" and used it as the title of his first book. In 2002, traces left by other unknown twentieth-century explorers were discovered, and these discoveries showed that Bingham had deliberately covered up these traces in order to become the recognized discoverer of Machu Picchu. Although Bingham went to the credit for the discovery of Machu Picchu, Simone Waisbard, who has long studied Cusco, still insisted that the discoverer of Machu Picchu was another person. The first to visit were Enrique Palma, Gabino Sánchez and Agustín Lizárraga, who engraved their names on a rock on July 14, 1901. Bingham was actually looking for Vitco, the last refuge and resistance stronghold of the Inca Empire during the Spanish conquest of Peru. After exploring the area repeatedly, he was brought to Machu Picchu in 1911 by the local Quichua people who lived in the ruins. Bingham visited the site several times and dug it up until 1915. Among the several books he wrote about the discovery of Machu Picchu,"The Lost Inca City" became a bestseller. Bingham brought 5,000 ancient relics back to Yale University. At the long-term request of the Peruvian government, these cultural relics have still not been returned. More and more people believe that Bingham's behavior is typical of the plunder of cultural heritage, and Peru has suffered deeply. Comments: Western-style archaeology, discoveries are great, robberies are legal, Peruvian version of the story of the Sutra Cave.