Peru: City of the King

On a narrow ledge of the high Andes, 75 miles northwest of the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, a handful of Peruvians and Americans met last week to dedicate a bronze plaque to U.S. Archaeologist Hiram Bingham and the mysterious lost city he discovered 50 years ago. Some experts believe that parts of the city, which Bingham named Machu Picchu (Old Peak), are 60 centuries old, which would make it 1,000 years older than ancient Babylon. More recently, if its ruins are interpreted correctly, it was at once an impregnable fortress and...