In the late 1800s, advances in transportation technology and the allure of undeveloped land led American and European explorers and archaeologists to forge deeper into Central and South America than they’d previously been able to. Expeditions by figures like Alfred Maudslay and Hiram Bingham III uncovered ancient ruins and civilizations that we are still fascinated by today.
These explorations into uncharted territory furthered our knowledge of history, as well as being highly influential in pop culture, possibly even inspiring Indiana Jones.
In an age where most of our world is mapped and thoroughly picked over, it’s thrilling to imagine journeying into unknown territory. Try to put yourself in an explorer’s mindset as you blaze a trail through these historic photos.
1
A precarious monolith in Quiriguá, Guatemala, 1894
2
Alfred Maudslay taking notes at Chichén Itzá, 1900
3
A German scientist posing with an Incan wall in Cusco, Peru, circa 1900
4
An expedition on the Santo Anastacio River, Brazil, 1895
5
Gorgonio Lopez, Alfred Maudslay’s guide, at the Mayan Palenque ruins, Mexico, circa 1891
6
Alfred Mauslay posing during the excavation of The Great Plaza at Copán, Honduras, 1885.
7
Market at Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, circa 1883. Just a few years after this photo was taken, the volcano in the background erupted, nearly destroying the town
8
An expedition to the Darien Gap isthmus in Panama, boasting a telegraph cable connected all the way to New York. 1870
9
A group of mountain climbers ascending Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico, circa 1870
10
The ruins of an ancient Incan inn in Bolivia or Peru, 1849. One of the earliest photos ever taken in Latin America.
11
A Peruvian farmer named Melchor Arteaga helping to guide Hiram Bingham III to Machu Picchu, 1911
12
People standing in the doorway of Casa de Monjas at Chichén Itzá, circa 1900
13
Alfred Maudslay riding a mule on one of his expeditions, circa 1880s-1890s
14
Ruins of the Mayan palace of Palenque, circa 1880s-1890s
15
Hiram Bingham III’s Peruvian bodyguard, military Sergeant Carrasco, 1911.
16
A tilting monolith, photographed by Alfred Maudslay in Copán, Honduras, circa 1880s
17
A monument dating back to the year 780 in Quiriguá, Guatemala, photographed circa 1880s
18
Hiram Bingham III, the first person to take photos of Machu Picchu. Possibly the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones
19
Canadian archaeologist George Gordon standing in a ruin in Copán, circa 1900
20
A photograph of Machu Picchu taken in 1912 during an expedition to Peru by Yale professor Hiram Bingham III
21
Alfred Maudslay’s expedition team stands by the palace at Palenque to demonstrate its size, circa 1880s-1890s
22
Anne Maudslay, wife of explorer Alfred Maudslay, in the ruins of Quiriguá, Guatemala, circa 1890s
23
A Honduran man standing next to an ancient monument in Copán, circa 1880s
24
The ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, circa 1880s-1890s
25
Chichén Itzá, reclaimed by the jungle, before excavations were made to restore it in the 19th century
