Experience Machu Picchu in National Geographic Explore VR on Oculus Quest

photo of Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR Level 2, Machu Picchu.Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR, Machu Picchu.photo of Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR Level 2, Machu Picchu.

Continuing its legacy of groundbreaking storytelling, a new location for National Geographic Explore VR on Oculus Quest is launching today. This new second location of the Oculus experience for the Quest headset is a VR experience that takes viewers on a dramatic adventure through Machu Picchu.

Following the success of Explore VR Antarctica, Machu Picchu will take viewers on an interactive expedition where they will discover the Inca citadel in the mountains of Peru, learn about the history and culture through digital reconstructions, witness mummy worship, inspect an Inca home, and raise a cup of sacred chicha.

National Geographic spoke with Project Archaeologist and Digital Media Manager at SEARCH, Matthew Piscitelli, about his role in helping to create the virtual Machu Picchu from an archaeology standpoint.

photo of Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR Level 2, Machu Picchu.Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR, Machu Picchu.

What’s been your reaction to the experience?

Matthew: Absolutely blown away! Traveling the world, traveling anywhere really, etches these images in your memory that get a bit harder to recall as you get older. VR today can bring those images to life in such an incredible way that those memories almost become tangible. Machu Picchu is such an iconic place because of its unique location nestled high in the Andes Mountains surrounded by a lush jungle environment. It embodies what most people think when they imagine a "lost city." Explorer VR captured that experience in such stunning detail that I felt as though I was transported across the globe and even back in time.

Was this your first experience with VR? Was there anything you found unexpected or particularly exciting?

Matthew: Although I am a Millennial, this was my first experience with VR. When I first put on my Oculus Quest, I gasped and put out my hands for support. I was so startled because I was beamed from the hallowed halls of National Geographic (well, a conference room on the second floor) to the edge of cliff overlooking Machu Picchu. The realism takes a bit of time to get used to, but it was so compelling that I spent the first 10 minutes in the experience just looking around noting the small details–the lizards crawling across the ground, the alpaca nibbling some grass, the textures on the stones.

As an archaeologist, can you tell us about how you and your team have used modern technology to help digitally reconstruct these sites?

Matthew: From LiDAR to ancient DNA, the technology used by archaeologists to decipher the past has gone from Stone Age to Space Age in a short amount of time. I’ve spent most of my career studying temples and pyramids. For the longest time, archaeologists interpreted "clean" floors and buildings as ceremonial spaces because they lacked the typical household waste of domestic structures. In other words, if they’re not covered in garbage then they most have held special significance for the ancient people who inhabited or used those structures. Unfortunately that assumption did little to explain the types of activities that occurred there.

In Peru, I’ve used a X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer to analyze 5,000-year-old floors and reconstruct the activities that took place on those surfaces. The technique uses x-rays to excite electrons in the ancient floor material in order to reveal their chemical signature. That signature can be compared to test signatures documented on modern surfaces to identify cooking or metallurgy, for example. Combining those XRF results with pollen analysis and a microscopic investigation of floors, I could detect that 5,000 years ago the people who used the spaces were conducting offering rituals similar to what contemporary shamans are performing in the region.

In this Machu Picchu location, audiences will discover the Inca citadel in the mountains of Peru, learn about the history and culture through digital reconstructions, witness mummy worship, inspect an Inca home, and raise a cup of sacred chicha. How do these activities represent a full Machu Picchu experience?

Matthew: I think these activities provide so much more than just a "full" Machu Picchu experience. The AR elements elevate the Machu Picchu experience into something akin to a time machine. When you visit the site today as a tourist, you rely on a knowledgeable guide to provide the historical and cultural context–and many do a great job at that. By incorporating the digital reconstructions, however, you can get a glimpse at Machu Picchu as if it were a living, breathing settlement. It is not easy for everyone to observe some stone walls, albeit magnificent ones, and envision what the site would have looked like when Inca elites and their servants wandered around. Explore VR is kind of like putting on your archaeologist goggles and seeing the ruins as we would see them. In addition, the educational and mission-driven aspects of the virtual site visit in some ways surpass what you can experience in person. The experience is more than a passive tour accompanied by a history lesson. It makes the past even more fun!

photo of Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR Level 2, Machu Picchu.Image taken from National Geographic Explore VR, Machu Picchu.

What do you think the greatest value is in bringing the past to life for audiences through VR?

Matthew: I think that VR is transformative for archaeology primarily in two ways. First, VR provides accessibility. Whether because of physical or economic reasons, we all can’t travel the globe to experience the ancient wonders of the world. VR literally brings those wonders home. Second, VR is a sustainable alternative that might actually save archaeological sites. Machu Picchu attracts millions of tourists per year. While the structures have stood the test of time because of Inca ingenuity as well as the amazing conservation efforts of Peru’s Ministry of Culture, all of that foot traffic takes a toll. VR might pique the interests of new audiences and attract more visitors, it might also evolve into a more sustainable tourism alternative.

You have led many expeditions, including to Peru, Bolivia, and Greece. How does VR exploring compare to the real deal?

Matthew: It’s my understanding that VR is becoming more and more realistic each year. However, there is something even more sensory about actually being somewhere else. For example, smelling a campfire or tasting the salt of the ocean while strolling along the beach can’t be replicated…yet. Until those VR goggles have nose and mouthpieces, I prefer the real deal.

What do you hope players take away from virtually visiting Machu Picchu?

Matthew: My biggest hope is that players take away a newfound appreciation for a culture and its history. The Inca were an amazing society whose descendants still live in the Andes. I wish that everyone who experiences Machu Picchu through Explore VR comes to understand why Peru means so much to me and my colleagues who’ve dedicated much of their professional lives to its study.

Now that Antarctica and Machu Picchu have both been used as locations, what location would you like to see next?

Matthew: As a terrible swimmer who works for the largest underwater archaeology company in the U.S., I’d love to see a shipwreck like a 16th century Spanish galleon. As an archaeologist I’ve touched objects that no one has seen in thousands of years, but shipwrecks are the closest thing we have to time capsules. They’d make for an amazing VR experience.

Click here to learn more, or explore Machu Picchu and Antarctica today with National Geographic Explore VR on Oculus Quest.