Lowest Price Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu

This is a superb book which works wonderfully on multiple levels. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the Andes, the Incan Empire, contemporary Peru or the history of archeology, or to anyone who likes a good yarn.

As book on the history and politics of archeology it is unparalleled, giving readers a nuanced look at the ways that the past continually reshapes itself according to contemporary concerns. Heaney's journalistic training really helps him here, as he is able to give objective accounts of both the Peruvian perspective on its own antiquities and the complicated outlook of Bingham himself. Heaney skillfully paints a lucid picture of an extremely complicated situation, one which has interesting resonances with parallel repatriation campaigns taking place around the world, such as Greece's ongoing efforts to obtain the Elgin marbles from the British Museum.

On another level, the book is by far the best biography to date on the complex figure that was Hiram Bingham, and in fact the best biography of -any- early 20th century archeologist or 'explorer' that I have yet seen. Through much digging in the archives, Heaney was able to unearth a number of fascinating facts about Bingham -- from his childhood in turn of the century Hawaii to his stint as a flashy (and possibly corrupt) United States Senator who would land blimps on the Capitol steps. Throughout, Heaney's account of Bingham struck me as exceptionally well-balanced, noting Bingham's good points and paying respect to his memory while not shying away from his snobbishness, ambition and rather bluff attitude toward Peru's indigenous past.

My favorite part of the book, however, was its flashbacks to the last days of the Incan empire. Here Heaney's writing is at its best, and at times he creates passages of real brilliance -- vivid vignettes of a fallen emperor fleeing from foreign conquest. These passages are wonderfully moving and are worth the price of admission alone.

In short, 'Cradle of Gold' skillfully weaves multiple narrative threads to create a story that is both marvelously entertaining and extremely nuanced. I can't recommend this book highly enough.Get more detail about Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu.