- 8 months ago
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00:00100 years ago, an intrepid explorer arrived in the remote cloud forest of Peru in South America.
00:00:11Little did he know that he was about to uncover one of the greatest and most mysterious archaeological
00:00:18sites the world had ever seen, the lost city of Machu Picchu.
00:00:23Machu Picchu was built by the Inca. 500 years ago, their huge empire covered half the length of South America,
00:00:36rivaling the scale of ancient Rome. But their story was lost for centuries. Now, all that was about to
00:00:47change. Here, in this remote corner of the Andes, this spectacular ancient wonder would finally reveal
00:00:55the true magic of the Inca to the world. In this program, I'll uncover the remarkable story
00:01:03of the discovery of Machu Picchu. I'll unearth what life was really like for the people who lived in
00:01:11this extraordinary place. What a great bit of ancient technology and come face to face
00:01:17with a 600-year-old Inca ice mummy. Oh, that's extraordinary. It's like new, isn't it? Yeah.
00:01:24I've never been this close to an Inca. And try to unravel the mysteries of Machu Picchu.
00:01:31Who built this magnificent city in one of the most impossible places imagined? And why?
00:01:39So, this is the first written evidence about Machu Picchu and its connection with the Inca.
00:01:46This is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world. And its discovery is as
00:01:52breathtaking as the place itself. This is the story of Machu Picchu.
00:01:58Today, it's celebrated as one of the great wonders of the world. Its astonishing streets, houses, and temples
00:02:19visited by up to one and a half million people every year.
00:02:24But for centuries, its very existence, like that of the Inca who built it, was all but forgotten.
00:02:33My journey of discovery starts in Cusco, in southern Peru. This bustling city, high in the Andes mountains,
00:02:48is over 300 miles from the modern capital, Lima.
00:02:53At first glance, it looks Spanish. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find an amazing,
00:03:01more ancient past. 500 years ago, this was the beating heart of the great Inca people.
00:03:10When Henry VIII was king of England, across the Atlantic, the Inca Empire was one of the largest
00:03:17in the world, ruling over 12 million people and stretching over two and a half thousand miles.
00:03:25And it all started with one man, the Emperor Pachacuti.
00:03:30Pachacuti was the Julius Caesar, the Genghis Khan of South America. His name means he who overthrows
00:03:40the world, the earth shaker. When he came to the throne, the Inca ruled over Cusco here and a few
00:03:46neighboring valleys. By the time he and his two successors were finished, the Incas had extended
00:03:52their rule across thousands of miles of South America, deserts, jungles, coastline, and mountains,
00:03:59until they controlled around half the length of the continent.
00:04:06But the empire wouldn't last.
00:04:11Just 150 years into its epic expansion, Spanish invaders arrived in Peru and set about destroying
00:04:19the Inca Empire, killing their leaders and taking as much gold as they could lay their hands on.
00:04:29In desperation, a handful of Inca royalty fled Cusco to a remote city stronghold deep in the jungle.
00:04:39They held out for 40 years, before the Spanish finally tracked them down and put an end to
00:04:46the Inca dynasty once and for all.
00:04:49After the swift and brutal conquests of the Inca Empire, a blanket of secrecy fell across this region.
00:05:00The Spanish refused to allow foreign travelers here, and they focused on exploiting their new empire,
00:05:07extracting as much treasure as they could.
00:05:09Although here in Cusco and surrounding villages, there were memories, rumors, the glories of the Inca,
00:05:17many of their most important sites were lost and forgotten.
00:05:22But all that would change just over a century ago, when Peru began to open up to the world.
00:05:34And magnificent ruins like this one, on the edge of Cusco, became known.
00:05:38Part city, part fortress, it towers over the Inca capital.
00:05:49This is some of the most impressive, monumental historic building work that I have ever seen anywhere in the world.
00:05:57Just look at the size of these stones and how well they've been crafted.
00:06:01It's no surprise that when word of Inca ruins like this got out, and others across the country,
00:06:09that treasure seekers and adventurers started to appear in Peru.
00:06:15Evidence of spectacular Inca structures seized the imaginations of several explorers,
00:06:22including an American professor named Hiram Bing.
00:06:25Bing was 34 years old.
00:06:30He was a lecturer at Yale University in America, and he was ambitious.
00:06:35He wanted to make discoveries.
00:06:37In 1909, he came to Peru, and for the first time, he arrived in Cusco.
00:06:42One of the first things he did was visit this massive fortress in the hills above the city,
00:06:47and he was blown away.
00:06:49He left a diary full of vivid accounts of what he saw on the trip,
00:06:52and he describes this place here.
00:06:54He said these walls had been built by giants.
00:06:58He said they're the most impressive spectacle of man's handiwork that I've seen.
00:07:05Thrilled by what he'd witnessed in Cusco,
00:07:08Bingham set out on a mission to discover more Inca ruins,
00:07:13and in particular, a legendary last Inca settlement,
00:07:18rumoured to be buried deep in the Peruvian jungle.
00:07:21At the time, the only description they had of a mysterious last Inca city
00:07:29was in accounts left by the Spanish.
00:07:32They describe a remote Inca stronghold
00:07:35in wild, jungly terrain, 150 miles north of Cusco.
00:07:41In 1911, Bingham came back to Cusco with a team of six men determined to find the mysterious lost city.
00:07:52He began to make inquiries, and it wasn't long before he came across a lead.
00:07:58Just a few days after he arrived in Cusco,
00:08:03Bingham got a tip-off from a professor
00:08:04who'd heard from a man who owned a tavern
00:08:07that there was an Inca site to the west of the city,
00:08:11just above the Urubamba River.
00:08:13Now, Bingham's research had suggested that his lost city
00:08:17was in a slightly different location,
00:08:18but he decided to follow that tip,
00:08:21and he headed off northwest in that direction,
00:08:25down that valley.
00:08:29Although there was no guarantee of success,
00:08:32he hired a local interpreter
00:08:33and then set off down a rough track away from Cusco
00:08:37and into the depths of the jungle.
00:08:42I'm starting my journey by modern transport.
00:08:45All the young explorer had was a dirt track
00:08:58and the professor's tip-off that somewhere in this wilderness
00:09:01there was a tavern whose owner had special information.
00:09:06And after several days, he managed to track him down.
00:09:11Not before long, they faced their first obstacle.
00:09:15A treacherous tree-trunk bridge
00:09:18over a freezing, swirling river.
00:09:25This is the Urubamba River,
00:09:28which Bingham and his team were forced to cross
00:09:30on all fours on a rickety log bridge.
00:09:33And the excitement then continued
00:09:35as he headed up into the mountains with no path in sight.
00:09:38For that stage of the journey,
00:09:40Bingham wrote in his diary,
00:09:42a good part of the distance we went on all fours,
00:09:44sometimes holding on by our fingernails.
00:09:52Climbing up over 4,000 metres,
00:09:55the journey into the mountains
00:09:57is as grueling as it is spectacular.
00:10:01And as the trek got tougher,
00:10:03Bingham's team began to desert him.
00:10:06This is a tough hike.
00:10:13It's really hot and sweaty.
00:10:16I'm at high altitude,
00:10:17so the air's very thin,
00:10:17I'm very breathless.
00:10:19And I'm getting attacked by bugs.
00:10:21I can really see why some of
00:10:23Hiram's men decided they had enough
00:10:25and turn around.
00:10:27They also wouldn't have been able to use
00:10:28this beautiful Incan road,
00:10:31which at that point had been hidden in the undergrowth,
00:10:35unused for centuries.
00:10:40Just like the Romans over a thousand years before,
00:10:44the Incas had an incredible road system,
00:10:47extending over 25,000 miles,
00:10:49criss-crossing their entire empire
00:10:52from Colombia to Argentina.
00:10:57I'm currently on the world-renowned Inca Trail,
00:11:00which connects Cusco to Machu Picchu.
00:11:03But Bingham had no idea this was here,
00:11:06and nor did his guide.
00:11:08It was overgrown by jungle.
00:11:10It must have been a heady mix
00:11:15of anticipation, exhaustion, and terror.
00:11:20Bingham had come all this way.
00:11:22He risked his life,
00:11:24potentially for nothing.
00:11:26A hundred years ago,
00:11:27this was pretty much uncharted territory.
00:11:30He describes how he had to scale
00:11:32across sheer cliff faces
00:11:33and deal with the threat of snakes.
00:11:36It's no coincidence
00:11:38that the Indiana Jones movies
00:11:39to which this hat is my personal tribute
00:11:42were partly based on this very real adventure.
00:11:48After days of treacherous trekking,
00:11:52on the 24th of July, 1911,
00:11:55Bingham reached the top
00:11:57of yet another steep climb.
00:12:01Here, he entered a small Inca structure.
00:12:06And as he stepped through the door,
00:12:08there, on a distant mountain ridge,
00:12:12was Machu Picchu.
00:12:24Wow.
00:12:26It's the most marvellous thing
00:12:27I think I've ever seen.
00:12:29Look at the way the sun is catching
00:12:33that hilltop city.
00:12:38Having almost given up home,
00:12:41Bingham's determination
00:12:42had finally paid off.
00:12:47Maybe, I'm feeling emotional.
00:12:48Maybe it's the huge hike to get up here.
00:12:50Maybe it's exhaustion,
00:12:51but it feels like it's so much more special
00:12:53because you've had to work to get here.
00:12:55A lot of things in life
00:12:56are disappointing
00:12:57when you've really been looking forward to them.
00:13:00That's not true of Machu Picchu.
00:13:04Here on this remote mountain
00:13:06was a long-lost city.
00:13:09But Machu Picchu held many mysteries.
00:13:12And finding it
00:13:15was just the beginning.
00:13:26Over a century ago,
00:13:28Hiram Bingham discovered
00:13:29the lost city of Machu Picchu.
00:13:35Look at the way the sun is catching
00:13:37that unspoiled royal city
00:13:41on a mountaintop,
00:13:42bathed in sunshine.
00:13:43Look at that.
00:13:45But here's the weird thing.
00:13:48Bingham was a bit disappointed.
00:13:54It seems crazy,
00:13:56but this didn't match
00:13:57the description of the Inca fortress
00:13:59he was looking for.
00:14:00So after just a few hours here,
00:14:03he headed off
00:14:04back into the jungle.
00:14:08But after weeks of searching elsewhere,
00:14:10he realized that nothing he'd discovered
00:14:12came close
00:14:13to these spectacular ruins
00:14:16high in the Andean cloud forest.
00:14:20It wasn't the last outpost of the Inca.
00:14:24It was something even more incredible.
00:14:25A pristine mountaintop city
00:14:29left untouched
00:14:30by the Spanish.
00:14:33In spring 1912,
00:14:35Bingham returned
00:14:36with a workforce
00:14:37of 40 people.
00:14:39The first thing to do
00:14:40was cut back
00:14:41the thick jungle
00:14:42that smothered
00:14:43the entire ridge.
00:14:44When Bingham arrived,
00:14:50it was very difficult
00:14:51for him to get a sense
00:14:52of the true scale,
00:14:53the true majesty
00:14:54of this site.
00:14:56That's because,
00:14:57unlike today,
00:14:57the problem wasn't clouds.
00:14:59It was the jungle.
00:15:01Mature trees
00:15:02and vines
00:15:03and bushes
00:15:03had taken over.
00:15:05The courtyards,
00:15:06the fountains,
00:15:07the houses,
00:15:08many of them
00:15:09were beneath
00:15:09a layer of undergrowth.
00:15:11Some were sticking out
00:15:12and I like this picture here
00:15:13because you can see
00:15:14this rounded feature,
00:15:17the Temple of the Sun,
00:15:18which you can see
00:15:18just over there.
00:15:19And it appears
00:15:20on this shot as well.
00:15:21But look how much
00:15:22of the rest of the site
00:15:23was just covered
00:15:24in foliage.
00:15:27Bingham's team
00:15:28started to hack back
00:15:30the trees
00:15:30and thick undergrowth
00:15:32that covered the ruins.
00:15:34Gradually,
00:15:35stone by stone,
00:15:37building by building,
00:15:38the huge scale
00:15:40and astonishing beauty
00:15:42of Machu Picchu
00:15:43was revealed.
00:15:45The site
00:15:47held me spellbound.
00:15:49I could scarcely
00:15:49believe my senses
00:15:51as I examined
00:15:51the larger blocks.
00:15:54Would anyone believe
00:15:55what I had found?
00:15:58It's no wonder
00:15:59Bingham was so impressed.
00:16:00Just look at this wall here.
00:16:01I don't think I've ever seen
00:16:02a better example
00:16:03of stone masonry,
00:16:05of craftsmanship.
00:16:06Beautifully finished,
00:16:07giant granite blocks
00:16:09fitting together
00:16:10so perfectly,
00:16:12so strong,
00:16:13no need for mortar.
00:16:14You can hardly get
00:16:14a blade of grass
00:16:16in some of these gaps.
00:16:19As Bingham cleared away
00:16:21more of the undergrowth,
00:16:22the sheer magnitude
00:16:24of what you'd uncovered
00:16:25became apparent.
00:16:27Dozens of terraces
00:16:28supporting something
00:16:29like 200 structures
00:16:31from smaller dwellings
00:16:33with high-pitched roofs
00:16:35to storehouses.
00:16:36And as you go higher up
00:16:38through Machu Picchu,
00:16:40you get grander,
00:16:41perhaps more public spaces,
00:16:43big plazas like this one here,
00:16:45adorned with magnificent buildings
00:16:47and intricate temples.
00:16:52Eventually,
00:16:53more than 200 buildings
00:16:55were uncovered.
00:16:56There were houses,
00:16:58streets,
00:16:59and grand open squares.
00:17:01To find out more,
00:17:03I'm joined by someone
00:17:04who knows every inch
00:17:05of this place,
00:17:07Melbourne, Vienna.
00:17:09Melbourne,
00:17:09there's so many different layers
00:17:10here in different areas.
00:17:11Give me the geography.
00:17:12What am I looking at?
00:17:13In the lowest part of the area,
00:17:14we can see residences
00:17:16for the citizens,
00:17:18working areas.
00:17:19In the middle,
00:17:20a beautiful plaza,
00:17:21right behind us
00:17:22is the farming area.
00:17:24And what about up here?
00:17:26Are these buildings
00:17:26grander up here?
00:17:27In the highest part of the city
00:17:29is where we have
00:17:30the most important temples,
00:17:32like the Temple of the Sun.
00:17:34Machu Picchu
00:17:36is split into zones.
00:17:38At the top
00:17:39are the temples
00:17:40and houses
00:17:41for the most important people
00:17:42in Inca society.
00:17:44And below
00:17:45is where the ordinary folk
00:17:47lived and worked.
00:17:49Looking out
00:17:50at this square
00:17:50600 years ago,
00:17:52you might have seen
00:17:53people trading,
00:17:54parties going on,
00:17:55or children playing.
00:17:57a city in full swing.
00:18:00And why
00:18:01is it here?
00:18:03How do they have
00:18:04the resources here
00:18:05to build this place?
00:18:07This place
00:18:08is first magical.
00:18:09And I think
00:18:10the gods
00:18:11gave to the Incas
00:18:12the opportunity
00:18:13to build
00:18:14such an amazing city
00:18:16in such a complicated place.
00:18:19At the top
00:18:20of Machu Picchu
00:18:21is a natural spring
00:18:23that provides
00:18:23constant fresh water.
00:18:25there's also
00:18:26a huge pile
00:18:27of granite blocks,
00:18:29enough stone
00:18:29to build a city
00:18:30and still have
00:18:32some left over.
00:18:34And they must have been
00:18:35incredibly skilled
00:18:37because they had
00:18:37to be stonemasons,
00:18:38they had to be
00:18:39hydraulic engineers.
00:18:40definitely.
00:18:41This is a masterwork
00:18:43that shows
00:18:44the skills
00:18:45and the knowledge
00:18:46that the Incas
00:18:47had about
00:18:48engineering,
00:18:50astronomy,
00:18:51and of course
00:18:52architecture as well.
00:18:54They didn't have
00:18:55iron tools,
00:18:56they didn't have
00:18:57horses and donkeys,
00:18:58so it's an incredible achievement.
00:19:00You know what is the secret?
00:19:02Teamwork.
00:19:03Because you can have
00:19:04a block like that
00:19:05that weighs probably
00:19:0660 tons,
00:19:07and you might say,
00:19:08no,
00:19:08it's impossible
00:19:09that this can be
00:19:10moved by men.
00:19:11It is possible
00:19:12when you all focus
00:19:13in the same goal
00:19:15and the Incas
00:19:15used to live
00:19:16not as individuals,
00:19:18always as a community,
00:19:19as a team.
00:19:20It's hard to imagine
00:19:26the blood,
00:19:27sweat,
00:19:28and tears
00:19:29that went into
00:19:29building this
00:19:30incredible place.
00:19:32But why go to
00:19:33all the effort
00:19:33required to build
00:19:35Machu Picchu
00:19:36high in these
00:19:37remote mountains?
00:19:40The answer
00:19:41may lie
00:19:42at the highest
00:19:43point of the city,
00:19:45home to this
00:19:46mysterious
00:19:47stone needle.
00:19:50It's carved
00:19:54from the bedrock
00:19:55of the mountain
00:19:56and would once
00:19:57have formed
00:19:57the natural
00:19:58summit of the city.
00:20:00Terraces
00:20:01and temples
00:20:02have been built
00:20:03around it.
00:20:05We think
00:20:05there were spikes
00:20:07like this
00:20:07across the Incan
00:20:08Empire,
00:20:09but the Spanish
00:20:09made it their business
00:20:10to destroy as many
00:20:11of them as they could.
00:20:13They rightly
00:20:14believed that
00:20:15these were a central
00:20:16part of the old
00:20:17Incan religion
00:20:18they were trying
00:20:19to stamp out.
00:20:19this one here
00:20:21at Machu Picchu
00:20:22therefore is all
00:20:23the more special.
00:20:24And standing here
00:20:25on top of its
00:20:26highest point
00:20:27it feels like
00:20:28this could
00:20:29have been
00:20:30a superconductor
00:20:31between the mountains
00:20:33and the earth
00:20:34and the sun
00:20:35the heavens above.
00:20:36Magic and energy
00:20:37flowing between
00:20:38the two.
00:20:42It looks
00:20:43like a strange
00:20:44sundial
00:20:45and in a way
00:20:46it is.
00:20:46but instead
00:20:49of measuring
00:20:49the hours
00:20:50of the day
00:20:50it marks
00:20:51the passing
00:20:52of the seasons.
00:20:55But it also
00:20:55sits right
00:20:56at the heart
00:20:57of this spectacular
00:20:58landscape
00:20:59positioned
00:21:01at the centre
00:21:02of four
00:21:02snow-capped peaks
00:21:04that surround
00:21:04the city
00:21:05to the north
00:21:06south
00:21:07east
00:21:08and west.
00:21:08The Inca
00:21:12believed that
00:21:13the mountains
00:21:14were alive
00:21:14they were living
00:21:15gods
00:21:16and they worshipped
00:21:17them
00:21:17and there was
00:21:18a cluster
00:21:18of particularly
00:21:19important mountains
00:21:20in this area
00:21:21and today
00:21:21with the clouds
00:21:22swirling around
00:21:23this dramatic spot
00:21:24I can see why.
00:21:26Perhaps
00:21:27that was the reason
00:21:28why the Inca
00:21:29chose this spot
00:21:31on this jungle
00:21:32covered mountain
00:21:33ridge
00:21:33for their new
00:21:34royal city.
00:21:37Mountaintops
00:21:38were where the
00:21:39three worlds
00:21:39of the Inca
00:21:40collided.
00:21:42This world
00:21:42the world above
00:21:44and the world
00:21:45below.
00:21:50And it was on
00:21:51a freezing summit
00:21:52300 miles away
00:21:54that a grisly
00:21:55find
00:21:56has revealed
00:21:57just how far
00:21:58they were prepared
00:21:59to go
00:21:59to keep
00:22:00their mountain
00:22:01gods happy.
00:22:04I've come
00:22:0512 hours south
00:22:06of Machu Picchu
00:22:07to the region
00:22:08of Arequipa.
00:22:09This is an area
00:22:10dominated by
00:22:11these massive
00:22:12snow-capped
00:22:12volcanic peaks
00:22:14among them
00:22:15Mount Ampato.
00:22:18At over
00:22:186,000 metres
00:22:19this dormant
00:22:20volcano
00:22:20is one of
00:22:21the highest
00:22:22peaks
00:22:22in South America.
00:22:23Even today
00:22:24it's a hugely
00:22:25challenging climb.
00:22:26The air at the top
00:22:27is so thin
00:22:28it's difficult
00:22:28to breathe.
00:22:29There are icy
00:22:30crevasses
00:22:30and sheer
00:22:31precipices.
00:22:33But over
00:22:33500 years ago
00:22:34the Inca
00:22:35made it
00:22:36to the top
00:22:36of the summit
00:22:37and they were
00:22:38there for a
00:22:39very special
00:22:39very gruesome
00:22:41purpose.
00:22:44In 1995
00:22:46archaeologist
00:22:47Johann Reinhardt
00:22:48set out to
00:22:49explore
00:22:49Mount Ampato.
00:22:51As he
00:22:53neared the
00:22:53summit
00:22:53he was
00:22:54shocked
00:22:55when bits
00:22:56of cloth
00:22:56and small
00:22:57woven
00:22:58baskets
00:22:58began to
00:22:59appear
00:22:59beneath
00:23:00his feet.
00:23:02You can
00:23:03imagine
00:23:03Reinhardt's
00:23:04surprise
00:23:04as he
00:23:04started
00:23:05seeing
00:23:05other
00:23:06items
00:23:06in the
00:23:07snow
00:23:07bits
00:23:08of
00:23:08pottery
00:23:08shells
00:23:09food
00:23:10offerings.
00:23:12As they
00:23:12got higher
00:23:13more and
00:23:14more objects
00:23:15emerged
00:23:15from the
00:23:15ice.
00:23:16What were
00:23:18they doing
00:23:19right up
00:23:19here?
00:23:20Where'd
00:23:20they come
00:23:21from?
00:23:22But nothing
00:23:23prepared them
00:23:24for what
00:23:25they found
00:23:25next.
00:23:26Just a few
00:23:27feet from
00:23:28the top
00:23:28Reinhardt
00:23:31discovered
00:23:32the body
00:23:33of a
00:23:3413-year-old
00:23:34girl
00:23:35frozen
00:23:36in the
00:23:36snow.
00:23:41Wrapped
00:23:41in cloth
00:23:42her body
00:23:43had been
00:23:43frozen
00:23:44for centuries
00:23:45buried
00:23:47in icy
00:23:47solitude.
00:23:49This
00:23:50young girl
00:23:51was an
00:23:52Inca
00:23:53human
00:23:53sacrifice.
00:23:56Today
00:23:57this
00:23:57extraordinary
00:23:58ice mummy
00:23:58is preserved
00:23:59in sub-zero
00:24:00temperatures
00:24:01kept in a
00:24:03specially
00:24:03made
00:24:03chamber
00:24:04in the
00:24:04Andean
00:24:05Sanctuary's
00:24:06Museum
00:24:06in Arequipa.
00:24:09Normally
00:24:10only seen
00:24:11through three
00:24:11layers of
00:24:12protective glass
00:24:13in near
00:24:13darkness
00:24:14I've been
00:24:15granted
00:24:15rare access
00:24:16to meet
00:24:16her face
00:24:17to face
00:24:17but not
00:24:22before suiting
00:24:23up to
00:24:24protect both
00:24:24her and
00:24:25me from
00:24:26potentially
00:24:27harmful
00:24:27contamination.
00:24:32My goodness
00:24:32okay.
00:24:33It's like
00:24:34a knife.
00:24:34Okay
00:24:35it's like
00:24:35a knife.
00:24:35Okay.
00:24:36Okay.
00:24:36It's
00:24:46really cold.
00:24:55This is an
00:24:56incredibly tense
00:24:57moment.
00:24:57I feel like
00:24:58we're responsible
00:24:58for one of the
00:24:59great treasures
00:25:00of history
00:25:00here.
00:25:06moving a 500
00:25:11year old
00:25:12ice mummy
00:25:13is an
00:25:13extremely
00:25:14delicate
00:25:14task
00:25:15but she
00:25:16must be
00:25:17regularly
00:25:17weighed
00:25:18by museum
00:25:18director
00:25:19Franz Grupp
00:25:20and his
00:25:20team
00:25:20to check
00:25:21she's been
00:25:22kept
00:25:22at the
00:25:22right
00:25:23temperature.
00:25:29It's
00:25:30like
00:25:30new.
00:25:31Oh my
00:25:31God.
00:25:32Look at that.
00:25:33That's
00:25:34extraordinary.
00:25:34It's
00:25:34like
00:25:35new.
00:25:36Just look
00:25:37at the
00:25:37colors
00:25:37on this
00:25:37woven
00:25:38fabric.
00:25:40500
00:25:41years
00:25:41those
00:25:42have
00:25:42been
00:25:42entombed
00:25:44in ice
00:25:44and it
00:25:45looks
00:25:45like
00:25:45they
00:25:45are
00:25:45brand
00:25:46new.
00:25:50I've
00:25:51never had
00:25:51an
00:25:51experience
00:25:51like
00:25:52this.
00:25:52I've
00:25:52never
00:25:52been
00:25:52this
00:25:52close
00:25:53to
00:25:53an
00:25:54Inca.
00:25:55A
00:25:55human
00:25:55being
00:25:56a
00:25:56young
00:25:56girl
00:25:56who
00:25:57still
00:25:57has
00:25:57so
00:25:58much
00:25:58of
00:25:59her
00:25:59humanity
00:25:59about
00:25:59her
00:26:00hair
00:26:00skin
00:26:00her
00:26:01internal
00:26:01organs
00:26:01her
00:26:02clothing.
00:26:03This
00:26:04is the
00:26:04human
00:26:04face
00:26:05of
00:26:05the
00:26:05Inca.
00:26:08How many
00:26:08years
00:26:09old is
00:26:10she?
00:26:12Ella
00:26:13tiene
00:26:13como
00:26:1314
00:26:14años
00:26:14más
00:26:14o
00:26:15menos
00:26:15no
00:26:15ha
00:26:16tenido
00:26:16en ese
00:26:16momento
00:26:1613
00:26:17o
00:26:1714
00:26:17años
00:26:18de
00:26:19vida
00:26:19una
00:26:20niña
00:26:20a
00:26:21child
00:26:21she's
00:26:21a
00:26:22child
00:26:22she
00:26:23was
00:26:23sacrificed
00:26:23smothered
00:26:24or
00:26:24striked
00:26:25to the
00:26:25head
00:26:25inca
00:26:26to go
00:26:26un
00:26:26golpe
00:26:27final
00:26:27en
00:26:27esta
00:26:28parte
00:26:28de
00:26:28aquÃ
00:26:29y ese
00:26:30es
00:26:30el
00:26:30golpe
00:26:31con
00:26:31el
00:26:31cual
00:26:31murió
00:26:32and
00:26:32why
00:26:33why
00:26:33the
00:26:34Inca
00:26:34offering
00:26:35their
00:26:35children
00:26:35porque
00:26:36los
00:26:37niños
00:26:37son
00:26:37puros
00:26:38además
00:26:38niños
00:26:39fÃsicamente
00:26:40muy
00:26:40perfectos
00:26:41yeah
00:26:42no
00:26:42de buena
00:26:43fisonomÃa
00:26:43y
00:26:44todo
00:26:44and
00:26:44they
00:26:44believed
00:26:45the
00:26:45mountains
00:26:45were
00:26:46sacred
00:26:46were
00:26:46gods
00:26:47los
00:26:48incas
00:26:48adoraban
00:26:49en la
00:26:49naturaleza
00:26:50todo
00:26:50lo que
00:26:50no
00:26:50podÃan
00:26:51controlar
00:26:51the
00:26:53Inca
00:26:53selected
00:26:54the
00:26:54purest
00:26:55in
00:26:55society
00:26:56to
00:26:56offer
00:26:56to
00:26:56the
00:26:56gods
00:26:57they
00:26:58believed
00:26:58child
00:26:59sacrifice
00:27:00could
00:27:00prevent
00:27:00natural
00:27:01disasters
00:27:01like
00:27:02volcanic
00:27:02eruptions
00:27:03or
00:27:04devastating
00:27:04floods
00:27:05we
00:27:09know
00:27:09where
00:27:10this
00:27:10young
00:27:11girl
00:27:11came
00:27:11from
00:27:12was
00:27:12she
00:27:12from
00:27:12this
00:27:13area
00:27:13children
00:27:22were
00:27:22kept
00:27:22in
00:27:22Cusco
00:27:23then
00:27:24paraded
00:27:24around
00:27:24the
00:27:24empire
00:27:25for
00:27:25months
00:27:25or
00:27:26even
00:27:26years
00:27:27before
00:27:27being
00:27:27sacrificed
00:27:28you
00:27:29can
00:27:29imagine
00:27:30the
00:27:30girl
00:27:30walking
00:27:31through
00:27:31the
00:27:32grand
00:27:32plazas
00:27:33of
00:27:33Machu Picchu
00:27:34before
00:27:34ending
00:27:35up
00:27:35on
00:27:35the
00:27:35mountain
00:27:36where
00:27:37she
00:27:37would
00:27:37be
00:27:37killed
00:27:38this
00:27:39museum
00:27:40now
00:27:40houses
00:27:41several
00:27:41ice
00:27:42mummies
00:27:42found
00:27:43on
00:27:43mountaintops
00:27:44dressed
00:27:45in
00:27:45the
00:27:45finest
00:27:45clothes
00:27:46and
00:27:46surrounded
00:27:47by
00:27:47special
00:27:47silver
00:27:48and
00:27:48gold
00:27:49objects
00:27:49even
00:27:50little
00:27:51dolls
00:27:51dressed
00:27:52the
00:27:52same
00:27:53as
00:27:53the
00:27:54children
00:27:54they
00:27:55are
00:27:55literally
00:27:56frozen
00:27:56in
00:27:56time
00:27:57an
00:27:58incredible
00:27:58connection
00:27:59to the
00:27:59Inca
00:27:59people
00:28:00astonishing
00:28:01extraordinary
00:28:02it's
00:28:03like a
00:28:04big
00:28:04enciclopedia
00:28:05of
00:28:06everything
00:28:06happened
00:28:07in
00:28:07the
00:28:08time
00:28:08of
00:28:08the
00:28:08Inca
00:28:08yeah
00:28:09well that was one of the most intense experiences I've ever had I mean I've
00:28:16worked with human remains before but they've been bones skeletons I've never picked up someone who felt as alive as human as that young girl
00:28:28I kept thinking to myself why would a family willingly give up the most precious thing in the world why would they sacrifice one of their own children
00:28:37it's just very difficult for us to understand today
00:28:40it's just such a sobering reminder that despite the things we admire about the Inca
00:28:46life under their rule could still be brutal
00:28:50following the discovery of this astonishing ice mummy 18 more victims of Inca human sacrifice have been found
00:29:04all on snow-capped peaks across the Incan Empire
00:29:08and though there's no evidence of human sacrifice in Machu Picchu
00:29:14its breathtaking mountain location
00:29:17lies at the heart of the Inca's decision to build it here
00:29:22miles from anywhere
00:29:24but what was it like to actually live here
00:29:31amongst the clouds
00:29:32some amazing discoveries take us closer to the people of Machu Picchu
00:29:39I've never seen anything like that that is incredible
00:29:49Machu Picchu is a magnificent high-altitude city
00:29:53living proof of the skill and ingenuity of the Inca
00:29:57they chose this remote site because of its incredible position surrounded by sacred mountains
00:30:04but who lived here?
00:30:06who called this spectacular place home?
00:30:10when explorer Hiram Bingham came here in 1912 he first cleared the site
00:30:16then he began to look for clues about the people
00:30:23and there was an obvious place to start
00:30:29Bingham started to scour this site for what he and most archaeologists at the time were particularly interested in
00:30:31and that was burials
00:30:38in the main urban area they only found one burial
00:30:40it was in this cave
00:30:42but as they searched the surrounding jungle
00:30:46they did find more and more human remains
00:30:49in the end
00:30:51they recovered 135 bodies
00:30:54from 107 different barriers
00:30:56but when they examined the bones
00:30:59the team was stunned by what they found
00:31:02among the team was the American bone specialist Dr. George Eaton
00:31:11and his initial analysis threw up some very interesting results
00:31:15he estimated that of all the bodies they recovered
00:31:1875% of them were female
00:31:24it was a real mystery
00:31:26why were so many more women buried here than men?
00:31:29Bingham had an intriguing theory
00:31:32that Machu Picchu was home to a sacred group of Inca women
00:31:37known as the Virgins of the Sun
00:31:40these were young women
00:31:42said to have been chosen for their beauty and skill
00:31:45to serve the emperor
00:31:47based in exclusive sites like this
00:31:52the ambitious explorer was convinced
00:31:55that he and Dr. Eaton
00:31:57had made a major breakthrough
00:31:59regarding the inhabitants of Machu Picchu
00:32:05but there was a problem with this idea
00:32:10Bingham's theory that this was a mountain top sanctuary
00:32:13for the most beautiful women in the Inca Empire
00:32:16caught the imagination of many back home
00:32:18trouble was, it was nonsense
00:32:20the analysis of the bones was all wrong
00:32:23Dr. Eaton was used to working with Caucasians and African Americans
00:32:28the bones found here were smaller and had more delicate features
00:32:33so he got confused
00:32:34in fact, we now know the remains found here
00:32:37were 50% male and 50% female
00:32:40Bingham's Virgins of the Sun theory had come to nothing
00:32:44it was back to square one
00:32:46apart from the bones
00:32:51the burials contained few clues to the people of Machu Picchu
00:32:56Bingham sent boxes of his grave finds back to America
00:33:01and he resolved to keep exploring the city
00:33:04Bingham returned two years later in 1914
00:33:08determined to learn more about this mysterious place
00:33:11but a changing of the guard and the Peruvian government
00:33:14stopped him in his tracks
00:33:15just three years after he had discovered Machu Picchu
00:33:20Bingham was suddenly thrown out of Peru
00:33:23the boxes he'd sent back to America
00:33:28would remain at Yale University for almost a century
00:33:31but in 2011 they were finally returned here to the Casa Contra Museum in Cusco
00:33:42where they've revealed some surprising secrets about the people of Machu Picchu
00:33:47I'm meeting bone expert Elsie Tomasto to find out more
00:33:53So what have we got here?
00:33:55These are the boxes that contain the bones that came from Yale
00:34:00So these are all Bingham's finds back in Peru after a hundred years?
00:34:04Yes, yes, a whole century
00:34:07When archaeologists re-examined the remains
00:34:11what they discovered was astonishing
00:34:13and would completely change our understanding of Machu Picchu
00:34:17Some of the skulls have been reconstructed
00:34:22and even I can see they look unusual
00:34:25Look at those skulls
00:34:28What's going on with these?
00:34:33They changed their shape when they were children
00:34:37binding in some places
00:34:39and the skull grew in the opposite direction
00:34:43In parts of the Inca Empire
00:34:46parents would tightly wrap their babies' heads using cloth
00:34:50deliberately giving them this distinctive head shape
00:34:53I've never seen anything like that
00:34:56That is incredible
00:34:58Why are people shaping their children's heads?
00:35:00It was part of their identity
00:35:02For example, they did these things to be similar to the mountain
00:35:07and also change their abilities
00:35:10It might make them cleverer?
00:35:12Yes
00:35:13So this is members of the community deliberately trying to elongate the skull?
00:35:16Yes
00:35:17All parents want to give their children the best start in life
00:35:23And 600 years ago, some believed this was a way to do it
00:35:28Other skulls found at Machu Picchu are strangely shaped for a different reason
00:35:34They have flat backs where babies were strapped to boards for long periods
00:35:39As their parents worked
00:35:41We found people from the highlands
00:35:44Frequently showing this kind of modification
00:35:47And people from the coast
00:35:49Frequently showing this other kind
00:35:52The fact that both types of skull were found at Machu Picchu
00:35:57Reveals a fascinating truth about the city
00:36:00These individuals weren't local to the area
00:36:08They were members of other tribes
00:36:10Conquered by the Inca during their rapid expansion
00:36:15So what does this tell us about life in Machu Picchu
00:36:18If these people from different parts of the empire all gathered here?
00:36:21In Machu Picchu they were a social class of servants
00:36:25Inca had a practice of choosing children from say eight, nine years old
00:36:34To do different kinds of services
00:36:37So they have servants of different types that came from different parts of the empire
00:36:44The different shapes of these skulls reveal that many of the people who lived and died at Machu Picchu
00:36:50Were an elite class of servant
00:36:53Trained from childhood
00:36:55And brought from across the empire to serve their Inca masters
00:37:00So to sort of bind the empire together
00:37:02You take children from all over the empire
00:37:04And you raise them to be servants or builders or artists
00:37:08Yes, yes
00:37:09And these were taken away as kids and they never went home
00:37:11No, they never went home
00:37:13It was a kind of control of the population
00:37:16You know the empire was so large that you need to control people
00:37:21And one way was to move people
00:37:26It was a clever way to transport skilled workers to where they were needed
00:37:31And keep the huge empire under control
00:37:36It's fascinating that the Inca handpicked people from all over the empire
00:37:40To come and live and work at Machu Picchu
00:37:43Along with the size of the place, the magnificence of the buildings
00:37:46That does strongly suggest that it was an important settlement
00:37:52For experts, this was a watershed moment
00:37:56And there are more clues to the people who lived in Machu Picchu
00:38:00If you know where to look
00:38:02I'm going to find out exactly what life was like for the people at the top of Inca society
00:38:09Who would live in a grand house like this?
00:38:20Machu Picchu is a masterpiece
00:38:24A mountaintop city home to people from all over the massive Inca Empire
00:38:29Including skilled servants, trained from birth to serve the Inca elite who stayed here
00:38:35To this day, there are special parts of Machu Picchu
00:38:41That us ordinary folk aren't usually allowed to visit
00:38:45But today, I've got a VIP pass to explore the city
00:38:50With leading Machu Picchu historian, Jose Bastante
00:38:54So Jose, what are we looking at here?
00:38:56The most probable thing is that these were housing for the elites
00:39:02So these would have been the aristocrats?
00:39:04Correct
00:39:06Two stories high, with golden thatched roofs
00:39:09The dwellings in this exclusive neighbourhood have up to three roofs
00:39:13Overlooking a private central courtyard
00:39:16This is where the cream of Inca society would have lived
00:39:22But it was also a place of intrigue
00:39:26The homes here are linked by a sort of corridor of power
00:39:31Connecting these three wealthy houses and their inhabitants
00:39:35I bet they're having important political conversations in these corridors
00:39:40Oh definitely, and they can hear each other
00:39:41Yeah
00:39:42Who's going to be the next Inca?
00:39:43Who's going to be the next leader?
00:39:45Negotiations going on
00:39:47So this is the kind of place where the fate of the Empire is being discussed
00:39:56So how many people would have been in this space?
00:39:58Well, roughly we can count around eight people
00:40:02The elites were allowed to have more than one wife
00:40:06Inca aristocrats usually had a principal wife
00:40:10As well as several others
00:40:11A visible sign of their wealth and status
00:40:14So that might have got a bit cosy in here
00:40:17Yes, definitely
00:40:19Machu Picchu was home to around 400 people
00:40:23From aristocrats to priests
00:40:25Astronomers, craftspeople and servants
00:40:29But even in the houses of the well-to-do
00:40:32A surprising thing was missing
00:40:36What are these niches in the walls here?
00:40:39Well, we have to remember that the Incas didn't have furniture
00:40:43So they needed a place where they can put their objects
00:40:47So there's no chairs, no kind of wooden furniture?
00:40:51No chairs, no drawers, no tables
00:40:56They will eat on the floor
00:40:58And are people sleeping on the floor?
00:40:59Yes
00:41:01Only the emperor was allowed even a stool to sit on
00:41:05And that was only 20 centimeters tall
00:41:08But if this was where the masters lived, where were the servants?
00:41:12So these could have served as servant quarters
00:41:18These ones here, yes
00:41:19What a view
00:41:21Yeah, it's impressive really
00:41:22But you see that line over there
00:41:25Well, on the sides of this path
00:41:28We have figured out that there is houses
00:41:33Where the bulk of the servants will live
00:41:36So that's quite a commute all the way down there
00:41:38Down into the valley and then right up the side of the hill
00:41:40Yes, but if you are prepared, you can do it in 40 minutes
00:41:45Maybe you can
00:41:47I'm not sure I could
00:41:51Walking around the houses of the people that called Machu Picchu home
00:41:55I'm starting to get a sense of everyday life here
00:41:59Intrigues and rivalries of the Inca upper classes
00:42:02Workers and servants going about their daily tasks
00:42:07Weaving, goldsmithing, cooking and growing food
00:42:14But Machu Picchu wasn't a self-sufficient paradise
00:42:18Analysis of the site shows that 90% of the farming terraces that surround it
00:42:23Only grew one type of corn
00:42:25And not enough to feed everyone living here
00:42:27Evidence has also been found of more varied and exotic foods
00:42:31Such as passion fruit, peanuts and garlic
00:42:34Impossible to grow on the exposed mountain
00:42:37But where it came from
00:42:39And how it got here
00:42:41Was a mystery
00:42:43Then in 1932
00:42:46Just over 20 miles from here
00:42:48Something incredible was discovered
00:42:50A farming marvel that reveals how the Inca managed to survive in this remote high altitude city
00:43:02This extraordinary man-made crater is absolutely enormous
00:43:07This one I'm standing in now is about 30 meters in depth
00:43:10And not only is it beautiful to look at
00:43:12It produced an abundance of food
00:43:15Some of which may even have gone as far as Machu Picchu
00:43:19And this wasn't just a simple farm
00:43:22This was a gigantic food laboratory
00:43:30Perched at 3,500 meters on a high mountain plateau between Cusco and Machu Picchu
00:43:36The spectacular moray terraces dominate the landscape
00:43:40Experts now believe this was a scientific testing ground
00:43:49Where the Inca experimented with different crops at different levels
00:43:54Even importing different soils from around the empire
00:43:57The science behind these huge terraces is just so clever
00:44:03These walls for example
00:44:05The stone sucks up the heat of the sun during the day
00:44:06And then radiates it out at night
00:44:09Protecting the crops here from the cold mountain temperatures
00:44:13And then you've got the different altitudes of all the terraces
00:44:17And their different relationship with the sun and the wind
00:44:21It means you get different temperatures
00:44:23As much as 12 degrees from top to bottom
00:44:26So you can grow food from all over the empire
00:44:29In lots of different microclimates
00:44:30Here the Inca could grow quinoa, potatoes, tomatoes and pumpkins
00:44:37Crops that wouldn't naturally survive in the harsher regions of their empire
00:44:43And this incredible technology wasn't only a great source of food
00:44:49It was also a powerful tool they used to expand their empire
00:44:52The Inca conquered hundreds of tribes in the space just a couple of generations
00:45:00But they didn't just do that through brute force and violence
00:45:05They also used diplomacy and sites like this were vital
00:45:10Because they could grow lots of food in places like this
00:45:13And that was then stored in huge warehouses
00:45:16And distributed throughout the empire
00:45:18That meant the deal was pretty simple
00:45:21If you worked in the role you were given by the Inca
00:45:24You were then supplied with beer, with food
00:45:28You might even get some land and a house
00:45:31But just in case
00:45:33The Inca maintained a large standing arm
00:45:37It was a clever tactic that allowed them to expand their territory at incredible speed
00:45:42I want to get a taste of what life might have been like for the people living at Machu Picchu
00:45:56So I've come to a nearby town
00:45:58To try an Inca speciality that we know would have been eaten in the city 600 years ago
00:46:04Freeze-dried potato soup
00:46:06Hello
00:46:08Sounds intriguing
00:46:10How are you?
00:46:12Very tall, very tall
00:46:14Right, we're going to do some cooking
00:46:16My expert teacher is Inca descendant Elena
00:46:20And this is very traditional, this food
00:46:23Is this the same recipe that's been going for hundreds of years up here?
00:46:27This is the Incas
00:46:29Incas? This is what the Incas ate?
00:46:31Yes, chuño
00:46:32So that's why the Incas are so strong
00:46:35Testing my chopping skills
00:46:37There's all sorts of ingredients going into this soup
00:46:40Carrots, beans, herbs, meat
00:46:43And of course, the star ingredient
00:46:47Okay, here we go, here's the freeze-dried
00:46:50But now these are soft
00:46:52So these have been all night in water
00:46:55These ones have been rehydrated
00:46:57But a typical freeze-dried potato is as solid as a rock
00:47:02They're traditionally made in winter
00:47:05All you have to do is leave your potatoes out overnight to freeze
00:47:09And then dry them in the winter sun
00:47:12And hey presto, a freeze-dried potato, Inca style
00:47:17So how long does this last? I mean
00:47:20Un año, dos años
00:47:22One or two years?
00:47:24Great, that's good
00:47:25And you can just take a bunch of those in your backpack
00:47:27And the army can, it's got rations for a long march
00:47:30It's so funny because we're so used to potatoes all over the world
00:47:33But they originally came from here
00:47:35So before Christopher Columbus hit the Americas
00:47:38No European had ever tasted potato
00:47:40Si
00:47:42So those are the Quechua names for potatoes
00:47:45Do you still speak Quechua up in the mountains?
00:47:48And you talk to your family, your neighbours in Quechua
00:47:51And that's the same language that Inca spoke
00:47:53Si, desde los Incas
00:47:54So you eat the same food as the Inca
00:47:56You speak the same language
00:47:57Are you Inca?
00:47:59Si
00:48:01Claro, si
00:48:03You are
00:48:05While the freeze-dried potato soup cooks
00:48:07There's another Inca delicacy I'm itching to try
00:48:10Chicha beer
00:48:12What? Is this Chicha?
00:48:15Chicha
00:48:16Wow
00:48:18Can I hold that?
00:48:20And this is made from?
00:48:23De maiz
00:48:25This is made from maize
00:48:27There's a good head on that
00:48:29For Pachatera, for Mother Earth
00:48:31Pachamama
00:48:33Okay, that's for you, thank you Mother Earth
00:48:35Salud
00:48:37Salud
00:48:38The Inca loved their beer
00:48:41It's made from fermented corn
00:48:43And would have been drunk every day in Machu Picchu
00:48:46As well as given as gifts
00:48:48Used in ceremonies
00:48:50And consumed in huge quantities at festivals
00:48:53Es natural, nada de azúcar
00:48:56Natural es
00:48:58Yeah, very natural
00:49:00Yeah, no sugar
00:49:01Now, time for the main event
00:49:06Freeze-dried potato soup
00:49:09This is the big moment
00:49:11Thank you very much
00:49:13Oh, that looks amazing
00:49:15Let's eat it
00:49:21It's just so clever that the Incas had freeze-dried potatoes
00:49:24You dehydrate it, you rehydrate it
00:49:27And then you got it, it's like an Inca pot noodle
00:49:30Delicious
00:49:34Rico
00:49:36Rico
00:49:38It's wonderful to imagine the people of Machu Picchu
00:49:41Eating the same food as I've enjoyed today
00:49:44And it's made me think about the place
00:49:48A little differently
00:49:50When you're looking at the Inca
00:49:52It's very easy to get distracted by what's going on with the rich and powerful
00:49:56Those wonderful temples and palaces, all that gold
00:49:59But what I really learned from hanging out with Elena and her family
00:50:02Was what life was like for the millions of normal people who lived under the Incas rule
00:50:06And that's possible because up here in the Andes, there are still so many people like Elena
00:50:17Who speak the language of the Inca
00:50:19They still cook using those wonderful ingredients that the Inca would have used
00:50:24They still follow some of those Inca traditions
00:50:27Even though we're separated by 500 years
00:50:31It still feels like the Inca are pretty close at hand
00:50:34We now know that the people who lived and worked in Machu Picchu came from all over the Empire
00:50:47And that despite the difficulty of growing food, they would have been well fed
00:50:52And maybe even given a house like this one on the outskirts of the city
00:50:55This one has been reconstructed and you can see just how effective this thatch is
00:51:04Even on a rainy day like this, the water is hitting the outer layer of thatch
00:51:07And it's running off, dripping down to the ground below
00:51:10Inside here, it's warm and dry
00:51:12The walls of these dwellings would have been plastered
00:51:16Beautiful colours, there would have been textiles hanging from them
00:51:18And on the floor, there would have been cosy beds made from llama skins
00:51:24It's just an important reminder that whilst we see this as a wonder of the world
00:51:30For these people, it was home
00:51:33But there's a question that remained unanswered
00:51:37Who on earth could have built this incredible city?
00:51:41For centuries, it remained a mystery
00:51:45Partly because the Inca had no written records
00:51:49But then, 70 years after its discovery
00:51:54Hidden in ancient Spanish documents
00:51:57An astonishing find would change the story of Machu Picchu
00:52:03Forever
00:52:05It's really exciting
00:52:07It's all there
00:52:11It's all there
00:52:15Machu Picchu is a miraculous Inca masterpiece
00:52:19In its heyday, it was home to people from all over the Empire
00:52:24Before being abandoned and left to the jungle
00:52:28Decades after its rediscovery
00:52:31The mystery of who built this astonishing city remained unsolved
00:52:36But that was about to change
00:52:39I've come to the regional archives of Cusco
00:52:44Where there are some real treasures
00:52:46Including a document that was only rediscovered in the 1980s
00:52:49Having been hidden for centuries
00:52:52In it, there are some fascinating revelations
00:52:56About Machu Picchu
00:52:57There are thousands upon thousands of ancient Spanish papers here
00:53:08Archivist Javier looks after these incredible documents
00:53:13Some dating back to just a few years after the last of the Inca left Machu Picchu
00:53:19500 years ago
00:53:20With no written records from the Inca themselves
00:53:31These Spanish texts are the closest thing that we have to a contemporary account
00:53:36But deciphering them isn't easy
00:53:38I'm glad you're reading this, I could not read that, okay
00:53:42This stunning manuscript is actually an ancient survey
00:53:47Taken just 30 years after the Spanish invasion
00:53:51In it, the new Spanish governor of Peru is trying to find out
00:53:54Who owns the land along the Urubamba River
00:53:59Including Machu Picchu
00:54:03So what does he discover? Let's find out
00:54:08Here we have the mention of
00:54:11Picchu
00:54:13Right here
00:54:14So we call it Machu Picchu now
00:54:19But in this document it appears as that's Picchu there, is it?
00:54:23And do we think, is that the first time we see the name written down in a Spanish source?
00:54:29For now, we can say that yes
00:54:34The governor's investigators interrogate the local people
00:54:38Who tell them Machu Picchu now lies empty and abandoned
00:54:42But the documents contain some even more important information
00:54:48The locals know which emperor Machu Picchu once belonged to
00:54:57We can find the name of Inca Yupanqui or Pachacute
00:55:03And that's Pachacuti
00:55:06The land belongs to Pachacuti
00:55:10Really? That's what they discovered?
00:55:11Yeah
00:55:13This astonishing document reveals that Machu Picchu
00:55:17Was owned and probably built by the great founder of the Inca Empire
00:55:22When Pachacuti died, it was left to his family
00:55:26Before being abandoned altogether
00:55:29So here we've got the Spanish recording
00:55:32That the land all around Machu Picchu was taken, was owned by Pachacuti and his successors
00:55:38That's very special
00:55:39Yeah, yeah
00:55:41According to the local people that live there, it's their testimony
00:55:44That is amazing
00:55:46It's all there
00:55:47The discovery that Machu Picchu was a royal mountaintop residence for Pachacuti was a major breakthrough
00:55:59It's now believed that this extraordinary city was the emperor's winter retreat
00:56:07A secluded centre of Inca power from where Pachacuti could oversee his empire
00:56:12And kick back with his royal entourage
00:56:17Hunting deer, feasting on alpaca and roasted guinea pig
00:56:22And savoring the spectacular surroundings
00:56:26Local expert Melbourne can fill me in on how the emperor enjoyed Machu Picchu
00:56:31What was life here under Pachacuti?
00:56:35His palace was in Costco, the capital
00:56:38But this place was like his favourite royal residence
00:56:43He used to run away from the cold weather
00:56:46Machu Picchu is like the rainforest
00:56:48So the weather, even if it gets cloudy, is always nice
00:56:52And when he arrived here, would there be festivities and celebrations out here?
00:56:56Definitely, the kings were gods and they were treated like that
00:57:00Even though he's in this remote setting, is he still able to command and control his empire?
00:57:06Definitely
00:57:08There were at least nine roads leading to Machu Picchu
00:57:13Which not only carried food, goods and people
00:57:17But also messages brought by specially trained runners travelling up to 30 miles a day
00:57:23Allowing Pachacuti to govern his growing empire
00:57:28Even from all the way up here in the mountains
00:57:31But there was a challenge
00:57:34The Inca hadn't invented writing
00:57:37But there was no alphabet, so there was no written language
00:57:41So it must have been quite hard to relay messages
00:57:43Actually, they had a formal writing called quipus
00:57:47Is that the quipu there?
00:57:49Yes, it is
00:57:50Take a look
00:57:54I've heard about these, I've never seen them
00:57:56Wow
00:57:58The quipus could be big like this
00:58:00Small, they could be colourful
00:58:03They could be plain colours
00:58:05Differing knots, string lengths and colours
00:58:09Were used to record lists and records
00:58:12Births and deaths or harvests
00:58:14They were so complex, they could only be understood by specially trained quipu readers
00:58:20The different colours, different lengths, knots at different points
00:58:24It's like a huge spreadsheet
00:58:26And it was more than just a counting system
00:58:29People believed that they were able to put in these quipus songs, poetry, history
00:58:34History
00:58:36That is some clever ancient technology right there
00:58:40It's extraordinary to think of Pachacuti masterminding the expansion of his vast empire
00:58:46From up here in the clouds
00:58:47He chose this place because of its spectacular location at the centre of four sacred peaks
00:59:00And perched perfectly between the earth and sky
00:59:02It seems a fitting refuge for an emperor
00:59:06Who was regarded as the direct descendant of the sun itself
00:59:12But even an all-powerful living god
00:59:15Needs somewhere to lay his head
00:59:17Further investigation has now revealed where Pachacuti probably ate, slept
00:59:24And kept himself squeaky clean
00:59:27Including a luxury bathroom
00:59:29Suitable for the number one Inca
00:59:32This could well have been Pachacuti's toilet
00:59:36We now know the magical Inca city of Machu Picchu
00:59:48Was created for emperor Pachacuti high in the Andes mountains
00:59:53And in the heart of the city lies an aqueduct channelling water to the most important buildings
01:00:01It's a clue
01:00:03That this was once the home of the emperor himself
01:00:07There are many residential buildings here in Machu Picchu
01:00:12But this one feels particularly special
01:00:15It's right next door to the temple of the sun
01:00:18It's got its own entrance right here quite narrow
01:00:21And inside it's got a very particular feature
01:00:23It's the only residential structure which is connected to the aqueduct
01:00:28It's got fresh water running through it
01:00:29You can see the channels here running through this courtyard
01:00:33And in here it's got a feature that we believe is unique
01:00:37It's got its own private supply of water and a toilet
01:00:44And here it is
01:00:48The water from the aqueduct forms a pool here
01:00:52And then takes any waste products down in a drain that runs under this floor
01:00:57Now, if this is the only house in Machu Picchu with its own private water supply
01:01:05It strongly suggests the person living here was a VIP
01:01:09Perhaps even the emperor himself
01:01:12This could well have been Pachacuti's toilet
01:01:15Access to this exclusive residence would have been highly restricted
01:01:23The emperor was considered so holy
01:01:26Anything he touched would be burnt
01:01:29And the ashes thrown into the air
01:01:31There's even an account that women in the emperor's entourage
01:01:35Were required to catch his spit so he didn't fall on the ground
01:01:38Just shows how much they believed in this idea that he was indeed a living god
01:01:44So clearly his personal hygiene and cleanliness was very important
01:01:48And that's why when archaeologists found this house
01:01:51The only one with lovely channels of water like this running through it
01:01:55They assumed it must belong to the emperor
01:01:57Here was a place which was intimate, private
01:02:01And he could carry out his daily rituals
01:02:04With little bits of royal dignity
01:02:09For Pachacuti, the decision to build here
01:02:11Was about more than the unique mountain location
01:02:15It was also about water and total cleanliness
01:02:23In recent years researchers have explored the deep valley below Machu Picchu
01:02:29And a mysterious site right beside the banks of the river
01:02:33There's just so much water here
01:02:37Not only does it rain more than nearly anywhere else in North or South America
01:02:42But these hills are alive with freshwater springs
01:02:45And in the bottom of the valley here you have the Urubamba river coursing through
01:02:48In 2021, a Polish research team used new technology to analyse a strange group of buildings
01:02:58That lie right on the main route into Machu Picchu
01:03:02And they discovered something fascinating
01:03:06The data shows this was a place with a special purpose
01:03:09For making sure visitors to the site are suitably prepared to be received by the emperor
01:03:19Archaeologists have noticed these little channels seemingly bringing down water from the mountains
01:03:24But recent research done the last few years using cutting edge lidar technology
01:03:29Has demonstrated that in fact these channels are connected to a vast network of hydraulic engineering up there
01:03:36Making sure that water can be regulated and delivered down here on demand
01:03:42That could only mean one thing
01:03:45Experts now believe that these were bathtubs
01:03:49There were 14 of them
01:03:51And they were for ritual cleansing
01:03:54Elite visitors to Machu Picchu would stop here
01:03:58Be washed by the waters from the mountain for continuing their journey up
01:04:02Only having been here and having been purified, cleaned, would they be ready to be received by Pachacuti
01:04:12Pachacuti was showing how he could control nature
01:04:16By constructing this elaborate bathing station
01:04:20And making sure visitors coming to see him in Machu Picchu were clean
01:04:25Before they got anywhere near
01:04:26Anywhere near
01:04:32Machu Picchu is a world of mountains
01:04:36And water
01:04:38There are up to 85 structures around here designed to control its flow
01:04:43Through the buildings and down the slopes
01:04:46It's yet another reason why Pachacuti chose this dazzling landscape
01:04:53Full of natural springs
01:04:56To build his wonder of the world
01:04:59Pachacuti was a great emperor
01:05:02He managed to conquer a vast swathe of South America
01:05:05With a clever combination of persuasion and force
01:05:08It's little wonder that his perfect mountain top city has come to represent the pinnacle of Inca achievement
01:05:15It's an engineering marvel
01:05:18That both celebrates the natural world
01:05:21And thrives in it
01:05:25Coming here
01:05:27You can see why the Inca believed nature created this perfect setting for them to build their masterpiece
01:05:35The astonishing preservation of Machu Picchu
01:05:38Has revealed so much about the Inca people and their empire
01:05:44From what they ate
01:05:46To how they lived with their gods
01:05:49Amongst the mountains
01:05:51It's wonderful that we now know so much about this magical, incredible place
01:05:55And the people who built it
01:05:57To come here is to go on a journey
01:06:00Right into the heart of the Inca world
01:06:02For more of Dan Snow's historical adventures from Pompeii to the Colosseum, stream now on 5
01:06:25Next Thursday, one of the capital's most famous luxury hotels with an incredible history
01:06:31Discover the story of the Savoy great hotels through time, brand new at 9
01:06:36Next tonight, A&E After Dark
01:06:37A&E After Dark
01:06:38A&E After Dark
Comments