Machu Picchu Maps show references to Machu Picchu as early as 1874. In 1911 American historian and explorer Hiram Bingham travelled the region looking for the old Inca capital and was led to Machu Picchu by a villager, Melchor Arteaga. Bingham found the name Agustín Lizárraga and the date 1902 written in charcoal on one of the walls. Though Bingham was not the first to visit the ruins, he was considered the scientific discoverer who brought Machu Picchu to international attention. Bingham organized another expedition in 1912 to undertake major clearing and excavation. In 1981, Peru declared an area of surrounding Machu
Machu Picchu was featured prominently in the film "The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004), a biopic based on the 1952 youthful travel memoir of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. The "NOVA" television documentary "Ghosts of Machu Picchu" presents an elaborate documentary on the mysteries of Machu Picchu. Contemporary multimedia artist Kimsooja used Macchu Picchu as the primary setting for the first episode of her film series "Thread Routes", shot in 2010. The song "Kilimanjaro", from the South Indian Tamil film "Enthiran" (2010), was filmed in Machu Picchu. The sanction for filming was granted only after direct intervention from the Indian government. Machu Picchu is visitable