Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-31
RUINS OF ANCIENT
CITY Discovered
Yale Expedition Finds Cradle"
of Inca Empire on Peru
Wan Mountain.

WASHINGTON Dec. 31.-What
probably will prove to be the largest
and most important ruin discovered
in South America since the days Of
the Spanish cenquest-the discovery
Of the ruins of the city of Machu
Picehu, the cradle of the Inca EN-
pire, on top of the Peruvian Andes
was brought about by the chance
meeting of an expedition under the
auspices of the National Geographic
Society and Yale University with
Peruvian Indian. Details of the dis
covery became known today when
the society made pubic the prelim-
mary report of Professor Hiram
Bingham, of Yale, director Of the
expedition.
The expedition came across the In
dian, who was selling food and pas
turage for horses to travellers, on the
mountain trail six days out from
Cuzco. Professor Bingham says that
the Indian. when questioned, said he
believed there were signs of ruins
on the top of the high and almost
inaccessible precipices nearby and
offered to act as guide. The profess
sor became interested and a few
hours later the ruins were diseov-
cred.
While it not only is larger and con-
tains more edifices than any other
ruin discovered In Peru, except Cuz
co. Professor Bingham says Machu
Picchu also has the additional adj
vantage from an archaeological view
point of not having been occupied
by descendants, which accounts for
its not having been torn to pieces
by treasure hunters.
s'Macfru Picci1u,' says Professor
Bingham, '1s essentially city of
refuge. It is perched on a mountain
top in the most inaccessible corner
of the most inaccessible section of
the Urubamba river So far as /
know, there Is no part of the Andes
that has been better defended by
nature. Here on a narrow ridge,
f1anl1ed on all sides by PERCEPTIONS
slopes a highly civilized people-ar-
tistic, inventive and capable of sus-
tanned endeavor-at some time in the
remote past built themselves a city
of refuge. Since they had no iron
or steel tools-only stone hammers
Its construction must nave cost
many generations, If not centuries,
of effort
Across the ridge, and defending
the builders from attack on the side
of the main mountain range. they
constructed two walls. Within the
outer wall they constructed an ex-
tensive series of agricultural ter
races. Between these and the city
lis steep, dry moat and the inner
wall. When the members of an att
lacking force had safely negotiated
the precipitous and easily defended
sides of the moat. they would still
find themselves outside the inner de-
lenses of the city, which consisted
of a wall from is to 20 feet high,
composed of huge boulders, many of
which weighed many tons"
While not caring to speculate on
the habits of these ancient people
until after more careful study has
been made Professor Bingham says
it is known that they were masters
in the art of stone cutting, knew
how to make bronze and had con-
siderable artistic skill and ingenuity.
They understood he said, how to
plan great architectural and engi-
neering works and to carry them to
a satisfactory conclusion.
Professor Bingham's final report
will be made to the society in the
near future.