by Mark Adams
First published 2011
Mark Adams has made a career editing adventure magazines without experiencing real adventure himself. When modern reports accuse explorer Hiram Bingham of stealing artifacts and credit for discovering Machu Picchu, Adams decides to investigate by following Bingham's original 1911 expedition route through Peru's Andes Mountains. Adams must sleep in a tent for the first time while navigating treacherous terrain with an abrasive Australian survivalist and local Quechua guides who chew coca leaves. The journey takes him from Cusco through remote ruins like Vitcos and Vilcabamba, where he encounters remarkable locals and stunning landscapes. As Adams struggles through physical challenges he never anticipated, he searches for evidence about what really happened on that rainy July morning when Bingham climbed into the mountains and found the ancient citadel. His quest reveals both the truth about the controversial explorer and an answer to the question that has puzzled researchers for decades about Machu Picchu's original purpose.
Genres: biography, history, adventure, archaeology
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, quest
Setting: Machu Picchu, Peru, Andes Mountains, Cusco, Vitcos, Vilcabamba
Period: 1911
333 pages · Hardcover · Dutton Adult