Now we know the famous Inca city under the name ‘Machu Picchu’. But that may be based on a misunderstanding.

Today, the famed Inca city of Machu Picchu is one of the most recognized archaeological sites in the world. The city represents a lasting memory of the Inca Empire; the largest empire in pre-Colombiana America. Although the city is now one of the most visited attractions in Latin America, the ruins were a lot less known about 100 years ago. And that has probably led to us calling the city by the wrong name for a century now.

Rediscovery

In 911, American explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered the Peruvian Inca city and brought it to the attention of the world. At the time, as mentioned, the ancient ruins were little known; not even among those who lived in the Peruvian region of Cusco. The highest mountain next to the old city, Machu Picchu, was known. That name has subsequently stuck, which is why the old Inca city is still called that today.

More about the rediscovery of Machu Picchu
When the Incas were overrun by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, society fell apart and Machu Picchu was abandoned. Machu Picchu then fades into oblivion. Until Hiram Bingham of Yale University is brought to the city by some residents of Peru in 1911. From that moment on, Machu Picchu is again the center of attention. Unlike other Inca cities, Machu Picchu has not been destroyed, but is very well preserved. It is therefore the ultimate place to learn more about the Incas. Although: to date, the city has mainly raised questions. Because science may have discovered an entire city, but it doesn’t make us much wiser either.

However, it could well be that the name Machu Picchu is based on a misunderstanding. More than 110 years after Bingham’s first visit to the ruins, researchers Donato Amado Gonzales and Brian Bauer have delved into Bingham’s original field notes. They also studied early 20th-century maps of the region and ancient land documents from various archives. “We examined several maps and atlases that had been printed before Bingham visited the ruins,” Bauer said.

Huayna Picchu

It leads to a striking discovery. “There is significant data to suggest that the Inca city was actually called ‘Picchu’, or more likely, ‘Huayna Picchu’,” Bauer said. The researchers base this information, among other things, on a 1904 atlas that was published seven years before Bingham arrived in Peru. In that atlas the ruins of the Inca city Huayna Picchu are mentioned. Also, this name appears to be mentioned in records written by Spaniards relatively soon after the region came under their control towards the end of the 16th century.

All in all, it seems very likely that the ancient Incas originally called their city Huayna Picchu. But ah, what’s in a name…