NGM JUNE 2026
THE LAST FORTRESS OF THE INCA
 
For centuries, researchers have sought the location of a lost Inca temple called Ancocagua. Archaeologists think they’ve identified the site of this lost mountain fortress: an archaeological dig just five miles south of Cusco called T’qrachullo. Now halfway through their dig, a team led by Peruvian excavator Emerson Pereira has uncovered over 600 buildings, religious monuments, and a wealth of priceless trinkets. T’qrachullo is four times the size of Machu Picchu, and its discoveries have already begun to outshine those of Peru’s famed tourist destination. Much of the site still lies untouched and may hold vast fortunes and even mummified remains. These discoveries could be the key to proving once and for all that T’qrachullo is the famed temple historians have long been searching for. Other features in this issue include:

• How the Sagrada Familia Reached for Heaven: A century after the death of its visionary architect, Antoni Gaudi, the world’s tallest church is at least nearing completion in Barcelona.

•The Last Lions of Gir: The protection of the world’s only remaining Asiatic lions, in western India, is a conservation success story. But what happens when big cats outgrow a small sanctuary?

•The Okavango Gives Up Its Secrets: For more than a decade, researchers have been honing new techniques to explore and study one of Africa’s greatest river systems. The full scope of what they’ve found is only now coming into view.