Pics of Machu Picchu Peru

In 1945, the Incan ruins remained pristine and calm, perhaps not yet threatened by throngs of eager tourists

To say that Machu Picchu was “discovered” on July 24, 1911, will be forget that ruins cannot truly be located for the first time, since somebody had to develop all of them very first. Nevertheless, when Yale historian Hiram Bingham ascended into ancient web site on that day—led by a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, and a guy known as Pablito—many reacted just as if Machu Picchu had unexpectedly made an appearance away from nothing.

The ruins Bingham saw that day—and he saw just a fraction of them, as countless had been obscured by hundreds of years of lush overgrowth—had been indeed there considering that the 15th century, when the Incas built a town for reasons nonetheless debated these days. Numerous think it absolutely was a royal retreat for the emperor Pachacuti along with his entourage, while some keep it absolutely was a temple honoring the divine landscape upon which it sits.

Whatever Machu Picchu’s origins, Bingham’s announcement of their presence on globe brought along with it combined effects: On the one hand, fascinating history and breathtaking views for years to find. On the other, that extremely attention—to the tune of more than 1 million site visitors a year—has posed to a grave danger its presence.

Whenever LIFE’s Frank Scherschel taught his lens on Machu Picchu therefore the surrounding places in 1945, the erosion and degradation that tourism has taken into the site were still years away. The pictures he made are peaceful and majestic, devoid of people and imbued with a sense of awe on remains of a once magnificent town.