The picturesque monuments of Machu Picchu are perhaps the most recognizable yet least understood of the world’s famous monuments. Historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the world of the Inca empire and analyzes Machu Picchu’s original function as a royal estate for successive Incan kings during the last century of indigenous rule prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. He covers the innovative layout of the site, the type of structures that have survived, the reason for their abandonment, their rediscovery by American explorer Hiram Bingham in the early 20th century, and how the site became a magnet for tourists.
Jacobs is a professor of history at American University.
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