To say that Machu Picchu was “discovered” on July 24, 1911, is to forget that ruins cannot truly be found for the first time, since someone had to build them first. Still, when Yale historian Hiram Bingham ascended to the ancient site on that day—led by a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, and a young boy named Pablito—many reacted as if Machu Picchu had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The ruins Bingham saw that day—and he saw only a fraction of them, as so many were obscured by centuries of lush overgrowth—had been there since the 15th century, when the Incas built a city for purposes still debated today. Many believe it was a royal retreat for the emperor Pachacuti and his entourage, while others maintain it was a temple honoring the divine landscape on which it sits.
Whatever Machu Picchu’s origins, Bingham’s announcement of its existence to the world brought with it mixed outcomes: On the one hand, fascinating history and breathtaking scenery for generations to discover. On the other, that very attention—to the tune of more than 1 million visitors a year—has posed to a grave danger its existence.
When LIFE’s Frank Scherschel trained his lens on Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas in 1945, the erosion and degradation that tourism has brought to the site were still decades away. The photographs he made are quiet and majestic, devoid of people and imbued with a sense of awe at the remains of a once magnificent city.
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
The Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Square pegs along inside of roof of Machu Picchu temple were possibly used to tie on the roof beams.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. The village pictured above was discovered in 1941 and given the name Winay Wayna, the name of a local red flower meaning Eternal Youth. Near the ruins of Machu Picchu along the Urubamba River, it housed 500 people of the supervising class, in two living levels (left and upper right) between which were about 20 terraces on which potatoes were grown.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Magnificent cave entrance into the so-called "Princess Tower" is fitted with highly polished masonry. Fine workmanship indicates it was for royalty.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Bath at Machu Picchu is at lower left. The "tub" is about a foot deep. The water ran down shallow channel which can be seen cutting under wall at extreme lower left.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTrapezoidal entry doors at Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Princess tower at right looks straight down on the Urubamba River. The stairway at left is cut into the solid rock, all hard granite. This is at town of Machu Picchu.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe staircase leading up the Machu Picchu, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Intihwatana or "sun-fixing place," is a sundial. Mountaintop (upper right) shows faint remains of village.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA view showing the temple with the altar. Partway up the hill is the sundial.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA view showing the Temple construction at Machu Picchu, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe train arriving in the village of Machu Picchu, where the railroad ends, 1945.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
