Drones Over Machu Picchu: An Inca Mystery

The Inca appeared on the world scene early in the thirteenth century and, poof, some two hundred years later abruptly vanished. During this time they were blessed with a great leader —Pachacuti—who ruled for eighty-eight years and was known as the Saba Inca. He expanded the Inca empire, some three thousand miles. Pachacuti’s crowning achievement was Machu Picchu, now acclaimed the seventh wonder of the world. However, his place of burial remains a mystery, despite many attempts to locate his remains. The Smithsonian and its archaeological crew, spearheaded by the intrepid Ryan Keshaw, now enter the picture with one goal in mind: find Pachacuti’s remains and the Inca artifacts, which were, no doubt, interred with him. Little did they anticipate the dangers, the near-death experiences, the heartaches, and the hair-raising circumstances they would encounter while embracing the archaeological wave of the future—drones! This adventure begins in Georgetown with stops in between of Chichicastenango, Lima, and Ollantaytambo and ends with a brief glimpse of the future.