Archaeologists reveal Machu Picchu was called under the wrong name for over 100 years

Would you believe if you come to know that Machu Picchu, one of the most popular tourist sites in the world, has been known by the wrong name for more than 100 years? According to a report published in Nawpa Pacha: Journal of the Institute of Andean Studies, the Inca city was originally called Picchu or Huayna Picchu. Historian Donato Amado Gonzales from the Ministry of Culture of Peru (Cusco) and archaeologist Brian S Bauer from the University of Illinois Chicago analyzed three data sources including field notes of Hiram Bingham, toponyms on 19th-century maps and information recorded in 17th-century documents from which they reached the shocking revelation.

Machu Picchu originally known as Huayna Picchu

In their paper, published by Nawpa Pacha: Journal of Andean Archaeology, the researchers revealed that the Incas who built the city originally called it Huayna Picchu, according to CNN. The Incas used to call it Huayna Picchu for the rocky summit which lies closest to the site. The inhabitants of the region did not call it Machu Picchu, which is the name of the highest mountain near the ancient city, according to the press release released by the University of Illinois. Reportedly, the Incan settlement is believed to have been constructed around 1420 as an estate for royal Incas living in Cuzco.

According to the University of Illinois' press release, the researchers found that a 1904 atlas that was published seven years before Bingham arrived in Peru called the ruins Huayna Picchu. In addition, Bingham was told of ruins called Huayna Picchu alongside the Urubamba River in 1911 before he left Cusco to search for the remains. Later in 2012, the landowner's son told Bingham that the ruins were called Huayna Picchu. Brian S Bauer also revealed that the most definite connection they found with the original name of Insa city was in accounts written by Spaniards after the place came under their control. Brian S Bauer stressed that even though they now know the region's original name, however, the name will continue to remain Machu Picchu. He further added that they would not advise changing the name as Machu Pichhu is known by people around the world now. 

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