For Immediate Release Contact: Pat Kremer/Nancy O’Shea (312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only) In 1911, as a climax to a series of expeditions to South America begun five years earlier, scholar and explorer Hiram Bingham of Yale University became the first North American to reach Machu Picchu, which he then revealed to the outside world. Throughout the 20th century, there has been much speculation on why Machu Picchu existed. Was it a sacred spiritual site? The birthplace of the Inca Empire? A sanctuary for training priestesses and Inca brides? Scientists have considered these and other possibilities, but recent research has revealed that Machu Picchu was probably a country estate for the Inca elite – a 15th century royal retreat, not unlike today’s Camp David. It was a place where Inca royalty and hundreds of their entourage gathered. The words “Machu Picchu” mean “old peak” in the Quechua language and scholars agree that Inca nobility picked the site because it was so beautiful. The Inca considered the highland panoramas sacred. According to Jonathan Haas, Ph.D., anthropology curator at The Field Museum, “The site deserves descriptive superlatives – it’s spectacular. This is the first exhibition on Machu Picchu ever that really gives people the experience of what it’s like to be there.” Dr. Haas and other Field anthropologists are actively working to uncover the mysteries of ancient Peru (see accompanying piece on scientific research.) The exhibition includes items from The Field Museum’s collections including a striking wooden stool featuring carvings of two jaguars, a wooden llama drinking vessel, an Inca royal tunic and a miniature stone tower. Untouched by the Spanish invasion in the early 1500s, Machu Picchu’s 150 structures included palaces, baths, temples and storage rooms, carefully carved from the gray granite of the Andes Mountains. Construction of Machu Picchu began in the early 1400s and is a marvel of engineering and craftsmanship. Many of the building stones weigh 50 tons or more, yet they were sculpted so precisely and fitted together so exactly, that there was no need for mortar to hold them in place! A network of stone-lined viaducts brought spring water to the site. Superb craftsmanship is also apparent in the artifacts found at Machu Picchu. A special caste of metallurgists and artisans served the Inca elite. They were well fed, well treated and created magnificent works of art. Precious metals had symbolic significance for the Inca – gold was associated with the sun and silver with the moon. Inca royalty, high-ranking officials and other favored individuals wore precious metal jewelry and used gold and silver vessels in their feasts. Continue>>