Join us as we ascend 2,430 meters into the Peruvian Andes to explore the iconic citadel of Machu Picchu. Often romanticized as the "Lost City of the Incas," recent research suggests its builders likely called it "Huayna Picchu," a seasonal royal estate constructed for the Emperor Pachacuti around 1450.

In this episode, we peel back the layers of history to uncover:

• The Myth of Discovery: We dismantle the narrative of Hiram Bingham’s 1911 "scientific discovery" by highlighting Agustín Lizárraga, a local explorer who left his signature on the Temple of the Three Windows nearly a decade earlier.
• A Melting Pot in the Clouds: Skeletal analysis reveals that the site’s 750 inhabitants were not just local Incas, but a diverse workforce of immigrants ( yanaconas ) from across the Andes an ...