(Spotlight4851)The Lost City 21 November, 2011
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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Mike Procter. Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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A young boy leads a man up a mountain path. They are high in the mountains of Peru. They walk through the thick trees and plants. The man is searching for something. When they reach the top of the mountain, he sees what he has been looking for. Ancient stone walls cover the mountain side. Large plants grow over these walls. There are many stone steps and terraces. Long ago, people made these level areas of earth that look like large steps. On the terraces are many connected rooms. Trees grow in the middle of some of the rooms. And many of the walls are falling down. The man and boy are looking over the ancient remains of a city. Today's Spotlight is on this ancient city called Machu Picchu. Voice 2
The man searching for this city was Hiram Bingham. He was a history teacher from Yale University in the United States. In the early 1900's, he heard stories about a great city in the mountains of Peru. Many people called this city the “Lost city of the Incas”.
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The Inca was the people who lived in the mountains of Peru long ago. The Inca Empire was large and powerful. They built many cities, temples and roads. In the 1500s, Spanish forces from Europe arrived in Peru. They attacked and defeated the Inca Empire. They took most of the land, gold, and cities of the Incas.
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However, local people told Bingham about this ‘Lost city of the Incas' - a city that the Spanish never found. Bingham was excited by the stories. He believed that if he found this city, it would be in its original condition. Bingham devoted himself to finding this ancient city.
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In 1911, Bingham began searching for the ‘Lost city. ' He spoke with native farmers in the mountains of Peru. He asked them if they knew where the lost city was. The farmers sent Bingham with a young guide. The young boy was native to these mountains and he knew how to find the city.
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When Bingham arrived at Machu Picchu, he was amazed. There was so much to study. There are a total of 140 structures in the city. The Incas cut their building stones to be flat on the sides. Each stone fit perfectly against the next one. The Incas built Machu Picchu to be very strong. They made the walls wider at the bottom than at the top. They also made the tops of doors rounded instead of square.
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Bingham returned to Machu Picchu many times. He and other experts from Yale discovered many ancient objects - like pottery containers, gold, and human bodies. They took these things back to Yale to study them. In the United States Bingham was a hero. People said he discovered Machu Picchu.
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But many people believe Machu Picchu was never lost! In fact, native Peruvians have lived in and around Machu Picchu for many years. When Bingham first came to Machu Picchu, there were a few Peruvian families living on the mountain top. Some families were even growing vegetables on the terraces.
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However, not many people outside that area knew about Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is in the Urubamba Valley in central Peru. This valley is in a hidden area of the jungle. The Incas built the city on top of a very high mountain. Machu Picchu is 2,430 meters above sea level. At the edge of the city, the edge of the mountains drops quickly. At the bottom, the Urubamba River flows through the valley. Machu Picchu is also far from present day roads and cities. All these things make Machu Picchu difficult to get to.
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Experts believe that Machu Picchu had a particular purpose. But they do not know what it was. They wonder why a city was built so high in the mountains. Some people believe Machu Picchu was a military city. Others believe it was a religious or government centre.
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No one knows what happened to the Inca people that lived in Machu Picchu. Some experts believe they left. Others believe they died. But no one knows why. When Bingham found the city, there was an area with many extra stones. Experts believe the Incas had not even finished building their city.
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Today, Machu Picchu is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. You may rememberan earlier Spotlight programabout these wonders. People from around the world voted for these wonders. And they had many reasons to choose Machu Picchu - the beautiful mountains, the amazing buildings, and it mysterious history.
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Machu Picchu is also famous because of the city's “Inca Trail.” Experts believe Incas used this path to transport food and supplies to and from the city. This trail connected Machu Picchu to the rest of the Inca Empire. On this trail, an Incan man would run as fast as he could for a short time. Then he would meet another man and hand goods to him. The second man then ran to a third man and gave the goods to him. Experts believe they would transport goods this way for many kilometers.
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Today, people still hike this Inca Trail. It takes five days to reach Machu Picchu from the nearest city. Hikers must bring food, water, and supplies. And many need a guide. The hike is very difficult. The trail is high. The air has less oxygen and this makes it difficult to breathe. After five long days, hikers reach the end of the Inca Trail. They climb over the final hill and see Machu Picchu. They see clearly the stone walls. The terraces are green with grass and plants. The morning sun shines through the windows and doors of ancient rooms. All their hard work is worth it. Hikers look over the same beautiful city that the Incas looked over thousands of years ago.
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2011 is the 100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham's discovery of Machu Picchu. There are celebrations all year long in Peru to remember this event. People will enjoy traditional ceremonies and great meals at Machu Picchu. Every year, thousands of people visit Machu Picchu. But this year, even more people will enjoy and explore this beautiful “lost city.”
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The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet athttp://www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘The Lost City'. Voice 1
You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio @ radioenglish . net. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
