“Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time,” by Mark Adams

This fascinating and entertaining book is one part travelogue, one part Peruvian and Incan history, and one part biography of Hiram Bingham III, the first Western explorer to “discover” the ancient mountain city of Machu Picchu.  Adams travels the same paths that Bingham did 100 years earlier, on foot, and tells his story with a lot of insight and a healthy dose of humor; and his genuine passion for the subject matter, combined with his first-hand experience of the amazing terrain of the Andes, makes for a compelling and exciting read.  So much so that I did something while reading this book that I very rarely do.  I dragged it out.  I forced myself to stop at the end of the chapter, meting out smaller portions of the book than I’d really have liked to, because part of me wanted to stay up there in the Andes Mountains, surrounded by those amazing stone ruins and an equally amazing landscape for just a little while longer.  I really didn’t want the experience to end.

Adams’ talent for describing the breathtaking scenery is worth the read all by itself.  The sights, sounds and smells of the mountains, deserts, rivers, animals and jungle, to say nothing of the descriptions of the artifacts, architecture and truly mind-boggling engineering of the city of Machu Picchu itself are simply fantastic.  I literally found myself stopping, closing my eyes, and envisioning the majestic vistas, inhaling the wild sage, rosemary and other intoxicating aromas of the forests, and hearing the birds, the rushing water and the cadence of the languages of the native peoples.  There aren’t a lot of people who can make even such a singularly remarkable place come to full color, 3D life via the written word alone, but Adams is one who can.  As I read, I lamented the lack of glossy, panoramic photographs, but only for a few short chapters.  They actually might have detracted from the words, and I decided that they made the right decision by not trying to turn the work into a picture book. 

But these sensual scenes and the long, difficult and dangerous journey to the top of the highest mountain in the range, to the marvel of engineering and architecture that Machu Picchu is, are only part of the story.  There are Incan kings, princesses and warriors, Spanish conquistadors and missionaries, and engrossing tales of their clashes and the inevitable downfall of one whole, enormously advanced civilization at the hands of another.  There are also daring raids, jealous rivalries, and heartbreaking deceptions and cruelties that abound right through the time of Bingham’s expeditions of the early 20^th century that ultimately come face to face with the changing political climates of our own contemporary world.   Indeed, just a few days after finishing this book I noticed a news stories about the Peabody Museum’s decision to finally return most of the artifacts that Bingham himself had brought back to Harvard after his several expeditions to Peru. 

Adams has managed to infect me with his enthusiasm and I’m already half-way through another book about the Andes, although I’m finding the new book not nearly as exciting and readable as “Turn Right…” is.  I may just have to go back and read it again.