Making Machu Picchu: The Politics of Tourism in Twentieth-Century Peru

by Mark Rice

Speaking at a 1913 National Geographic Society gala, Hiram Bingham III, the American explorer celebrated for finding the lost city of the Andes two years earlier, suggested that Machu Picchu is an awful name, but it is well worth remembering. Millions of travelers have since followed Bingham's advice. When Bingham first encountered Machu Picchu, the site was an obscure ruin. Now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu is the focus of Peru's tourism economy. Mark Rice's history of Machu Picchu in the twentieth century--from its discovery to today's travel boom--reveals how Machu Picchu was transformed into both a global travel destination and a powerful symbol of the Peruvian nation.

Rice shows how the growth of tourism at Machu Picchu swayed Peruvian leaders to celebrate Andean culture as compatible with their vision of a modernizing nation. Encompassing debates about nationalism, Indigenous peoples' experiences, and cultural policy--as well as development and globalization--the book explores the contradictions and ironies of Machu Picchu's transformation. On a broader level, it calls attention to the importance of tourism in the creation of national identity in Peru and Latin America as a whole.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Read For School

252 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of Mark Rice’s former students, I am happy to say that I have finally read his book during a time of my life where I can truly appreciate our world’s wonders. It’s easy for one to think about the history of ancient sites, but Rice makes you wonder about why specific sites overshadow others. He outright highlights that other sites in Peru, let alone Cusco, are far more archaeologically important than Machu Picchu. Even Göbleki Tepe, an incredibly important archaeological site, is relatively unknown.
Although the very beginning of his work starts a bit slow and his prose is a bit too academic, his writing style flourishes as he goes into fascinating detail on Machu Picchu. Stories like the lead up to the quadricentennial captured my attention despite being such a niche event from so long ago. His attention to detail, surprisingly, is not too overwhelming. What I loved most is how the timeline of events is not vague, with a year and/or month brought up regularly. Moreover, his rare mentions of personal experiences in Cusco provides a sense of relatability and reminds me that the site is still changing, that it isn’t set in stone.
That being said, there was an issue I had near the midpoint of the book: what were the injustices and hardships that the Peruvian indigenous people faced? It is mentioned several times that they suffered despite the nationalistic rhetoric and indigenismo movement speaking for them, but what specifically did they suffer from? One can assume economic, political, societal hardships, but what specifically?
Overall, I found Making Machu Picchu a fascinating experience that explores a different perspective on how and why sites becomes famous. Such thinking can be applied to other wonders in the world. I would 100% recommend the book to enthusiasts of Latin America, history, and travel. I look forward to Rice’s next book on Peru.

9/10
🇵🇪⛰️

[John Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew very little about Machu Picchu before reading this book. I had heard it talked about, and had met people who visited it, but that was the extend of my knowledge. This book certainly changed that. I had not realized that Machu Picchu was not a highly significant ruin of the Incas, nor that it was not really "discovered" by Hiram Bingham. But it has become THE symbol of Inca life in Peru, and a widely visited historical site. The details of how Peru, by fits and starts, eventually embraced Machu Picchu as an important tourist destination is fascinating. In particular, I was amazed by how often the government changed, and the approach to Machu Picchu varied with each new government. Mark Rice is an academic who has studied Machu Picchu for many years, and he provides a wealth of details. The lay reader may have trouble remembering all the acronyms of the organizations charged with developing tourism and Machu Picchu, but the gist of the story is clear. I would have liked a little more discussion of the Inca Trail. After reading this book, I may have to put Machu Picchu on my bucket list.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ironically, it was exactly the lack of interest of national elites in developing tourism that opened a window of opportunity for cusquenos to promote their region as the nation's primary travel attraction. Tourism, especially when backed by alliances between cusquenos and transnational forces, helped promote Machu Picchu and signs of Cusco's history as the 'true' Peru instead of Lima." (158)

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In between the “discovery” of Machu Picchu and now, the site developed into a variety of meanings, explored ably and in-depth by Rice. If you’re a tourist going to MP who wants to know why you’re going to MP and how it got that way, this is an excellent resource.