For travelers to Peru, 2011 was arguably the year of Machu Picchu. We saw an internationally acclaimed, giant celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham’s “discovery” of the iconic Inca ruins. And we witnessed the historic, and long overdue, return of thousands of artifacts that Bingham took to America on loan.
[Originally published September 22, 2011] Eleven young explorers discovered what could be a new Inca trail that connects the town of Huayopata in the province of La Convencion, with the district of Machu Picchu, El Comercio reported Thursday.
[Originally published September 12, 2011] Peru’s Culture Minister Susana Baca warned that allowing a major daily increase in the number of tourists to Machu Picchu could mean not only the deterioration of the Inca Citadel, but also risk the wrath of UNESCO, which could add Peru’s top tourist attraction to an infamous list of endangered sites.
[Originally published August 11, 2011] Peru’s Ministry of Culture and tourism sector hammered out an agreement this week to lift restrictions on the number of visitors to Machu Picchu following fallout from last month when hundreds of tourists were turned away because the famed Inca ruins had reached it’s official 2,500-person-per-day capacity.
Machu Picchu Centennial Parade 10:00 a.m.
Location: City of Cusco
