New Research Suggests , Machu Picchu , Was Actually Named Huayna Picchu.<br />Peru's Machu Picchu, the famed Inca citadel that is over 600 years old, <br />continues to unfurl its mystery.<br />Just last year, researchers concluded <br />that the ancient city was 30 years older <br />than previously believed.<br />Researchers also discovered that<br />we may have been calling the <br />site by the wrong name.<br />A new report, published in 'Ñawpa Pacha: <br />Journal of the Institute of Andean Studies,' <br />refers to many historical sources, which call <br />the mysterious city by now-forgotten titles.<br />The report found that when Hiram Bingham, <br />an American explorer, first ascended the citadel in 1911, <br />he was told that the city was named Huayna Picchu.<br />But soon after, another source told Bingham that the city was named <br />Machu Picchu, which ended up sticking.<br />It's true that at <br />the time it was not so <br />well known to people, , Donato Amado Gonzalez, historian, via phone interview with NPR.<br />... 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.<br />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.".<br />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.".<br />We also have a clear reference to 'the ancient <br />Inca town of Huayna Picchu' <br />from a 1715 document, , Study published in 'Ñawpa Pacha: Journal <br />of the Institute of Andean Studies,' via NPR.<br />... and we are told in a ...<br />1588 document that various inhabitants of the Vilcabamba <br />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 <br />of the Institute of Andean Studies,' via NPR
