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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 4590–4593Cite as

Machu Picchu: Geography and Culture

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Introduction

Machu Picchu is an archaeological site known worldwide. Furthermore, it is the most emblematic site in the archaeology of Peru and in building national discourses. It has undergone a series of missions and “scientific” explorations since the late nineteenth century, such as Antonio Raimondi, Clements Markham, and Charles Wiener (Mould de Pease 2008a). Between 1868 and 1919, it was represented by the mapping done by these travelers. In 1874 it was recognized by the Peruvian government in official map drawn up by the German geologist Herman Göring (Mould de Pease 2008b; Gavazzi 2012: 42). In 1911, the American explorer Hiram Bingham claimed to have discovered this site as the “Lost City of the Incas.” This would be the “scientific discovery” of Machu Picchu. Seventy years after this discovery, the site was declared by the Peruvian government as “National Protected Area by the State,” and it was in 1983 when it was declared “World Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO. However, in...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. French Institute of Andean Studies, Superior National University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru

    Henry Tantaleán

  2. Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia

    Miguel A. Aguilar

Authors
  1. Henry Tantaleán
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  2. Miguel A. Aguilar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henry Tantaleán .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Tantaleán, H., Aguilar, M.A. (2014). Machu Picchu: Geography and Culture. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1996

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1996

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0426-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0465-2

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