New Research Suggests , Machu Picchu , Was Actually Named Huayna Picchu.
Peru's Machu Picchu, the famed Inca citadel that is over 600 years old,
continues to unfurl its mystery.
Just last year, researchers concluded
that the ancient city was 30 years older
than previously believed.
Researchers also discovered that
we may have been calling the
site by the wrong name.
A new report, published in 'Ñawpa Pacha:
Journal of the Institute of Andean Studies,'
refers to many historical sources, which call
the mysterious city by now-forgotten titles.
The report found that when Hiram Bingham,
an American explorer, first ascended the citadel in 1911,
he was told that the city was named Huayna Picchu.
But soon after, another source told Bingham that the city was named
Machu Picchu, which ended up sticking.
It's true that at
the time it was not so
well known to people, , Donato Amado Gonzalez, historian, via phone interview with NPR.
... but there is a lot of concrete evidence suggesting that those who did know it did not call it Machu Picchu. , Donato Amado Gonzalez, historian, via phone interview with NPR.
Researchers say, "there was an initial misunderstanding of the local toponyms at the time of Bingham's first visit, which has been uncritically repeated over the past century.".
Researchers say, "there was an initial misunderstanding of the local toponyms at the time of Bingham's first visit, which has been uncritically repeated over the past century.".
We also have a clear reference to 'the ancient
Inca town of Huayna Picchu'
from a 1715 document, , Study published in 'Ñawpa Pacha: Journal
of the Institute of Andean Studies,' via NPR.
... and we are told in a ...
1588 document that various inhabitants of the Vilcabamba
region wanted to return to the town of Huayna Picchu where they hoped to return to their own religion. , Study published in 'Ñawpa Pacha: Journal
of the Institute of Andean Studies,' via NPR