'The Lost City' Marks 100 Years: Big Pic
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June 24, 2011 -- Peruvians have been celebrating all month Machu Picchu's 100th anniversary of the discovery of the archaeological wonder.
This 15th-century Inca city of carved stone structures, built on an Andean mountain range, was introduced to the world by American explorer Hiram Bingham.
SEE ALSO: Rain, Mudslides at Machu Picchu Strand Tourists
Bingham, who inspired the "Indiana Jones" character, arrived on the site July 24, 1911. His findings about this "lost city of the Incas" appeared in the National Geographic journal.
Historians and archeologists still don't agree on Machu Picchu's function. Some believe the site was a sacred location while others say it was a resort town for an Inca emperor. Up to 1,000 people are believed to have lived at the site.
The site, surrounded by tropical forests, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
SEE ALSO: Machu Picchu Described as Pilgrimage Site
Photo credit: Getty Images
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