Hiram Bingham wrote in his book Lost City of the Incas, ìIt will be remembered that it was in July 1911, that I began the search for the last Inca capital.î

The place he was referring to was not called Machu Picchu, but Vilcabamba. There, the last Inca ruler Manco built a fortress to rebel against the invading Spaniards. He chose a location deep in the jungle of the Andes, inaccessible by Spanish horses. Mancoís men shot arrows through any Spaniard trying to attack Vilcabamba by foot.

The Inca’s ìGreat Rebellionî lasted until 1572, when the Spaniards captured Mancoís third ruling son, Tupac Amaru. They brought him to the main square of Cusco, the great Inca city besieged by Spaniards, and beheaded him. Don Francisco de Toledo, the Viceroy of Peru ordered that Tupac Amaruís body be dismembered to bring fear to the remaining Incas and to suppress any future uprisings. Thus ended the Inca civilization in Peru.

Bingham searched for Vilcabamba because it was believed that the Incas brought their treasures there for final safekeeping. He had heard about the site while tracing Spanish colonial routes in the Andes. Local farmers tried to convince Bingham that another Inca site called Choqquequirau (ìCradle of Goldî) was indeed Vilcabamba. But the meager findings at the site did not convince him. Bingham returned to Yale University, where he was professor, and planned his search for Vilcabamba.

In 1911, with financial support from Yale, Bingham traveled to southern Peru with two colleagues. They hired local guides in Cusco and set out to find the last Inca capital. They ventured through the Inca sacred valley, along the banks of the sacred river Urubumba, and up into the Andes Mountains. (more…)

The Greek island of Santorini is among the most well known destinations for tourists. It has inspired, and still does, many photographers and painters with its magical blue hues, breathtaking sunsets and whitewashed villages. The island is situated next to a live volcano and a caldera, a basin of very deep sea water. The basin was shaped when the volcano erupted around 1650 B.C.

Santorini is unique not only because of its serene heavenly beauty, but for its archaeological site located in the southern part of the island. The promontory of Akrotiri is the location of a settlement of the Late Bronze Age (1700- 1650 B.C.). When the nearby volcano exploded, it spewed forth volcanic materials (pumice and volcanic ash) and buried the contents of Akrotiri. The site was never inhabited again.

Akrotiri is one of the most important archaeological sites all over the world, as it mirrors the high level of preservation found at Pompeii. It is a real prehistoric city buried under tons of pumice and volcanic ash, found almost intact the way it used to be before the fatal volcanic eruption that caused its end. Visually, Akrotiri looks like a snap shot of a deserted city. (more…)