Adventure In The 19th Century Essay

During the European era of exploration in the 16th Century, some of the most famous and successful conquests were those of Spain traveling through South America. The adventurous tales of these early conquistadors transcended generations in the form of mythical and historical retellings. As the 19th Century brought about industrialization, a renewed possibility of adventure emerged. Instead of physically conquering new lands, the unknown was explored for the sake of knowledge. The works of Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, and William H. Prescott revitalized South America in the imaginations of many. In South America itself, new developments were made to make transportation easier. In 1896, a pack trail was built along a Peruvian river that would later lead explorer Hiram Bingham to “discover” Machu Picchu in 1912 (Maxwell 147). This era bred a desire for a new kind of adventure that changed the face of tourism in Peru throughout the …show more content…
First, it capitalized on the public’s desire for adventure by being advertised as a mysterious site. It was actually the public’s response to Bingham’s comments on Machu Picchu that helped him decide to pursue that single location so heartedly. Second, Bingham was a photography enthusiast and wrote to George Eastman of the Kodak Company to donate folding pocket cameras for the expedition. With Kodak 3A Specials in hand, over 12,000 photographs were taken on the 1911 expedition, including some of Machu Picchu (Balm 9). These photographs allowed people back at home to see these mystic locations for themselves. After reading Bingham’s observations and viewing his photographs, National Geographic approached him to help fund future Machu Picchu expeditions (9). Because of their funding, Bingham continued to publish his expeditions in several National Geographic publications distributed to geography enthusiasts throughout the