Machu Picchu is still considered an authentic archaeological enigma, with plenty left to be discovered about this ancient Inca citadel. History is typically written by the conquerors, and up until now historians have mainly used Spanish historical accounts for dates and data. Based on this information, Machu Picchu had been reported to be built after 1440, maybe even 1450. However, a new scientific study by a team of researchers led by Richard Burger, a professor of anthropology at Yale University, has proven what many of us already suspected: Machu Picchu is much older than we thought! If you’ve been on a in person tour, or virtual tour of Machu Picchu with our founder Mike, that’s not so much of a surprise as that has been his theory all along.
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The new evidence, using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon-dating, proves that Machu Picchu was occupied from around 1420-1532 AD, which is two decades earlier than suggested by the Spanish documentation that associates the site with Emperor Pachacutec’s rise to power in 1438 AD. The team used several samples of bone and teeth of human remains found buried during excavations in 1912 in caves at four cemeteries around Machu Picchu. The bodies were recovered from under boulders, overhanging cliffs, and shallow caves, sealed with masonry walls and some buried with ceramics and bronze and silver shawl pins.
One of the very first historical photos of Machu Picchu covered in vegetation in 1911 - credit to Hiram Bingham, Yale University, and National Geographic
The on 4th August 2021 newly published study in Antiquity contains the first large set of AMS data to date for Machu Picchu, and it could have major implications for the wider understanding of Inca chronology. It helps to explain how the Inca culture could become the largest and most powerful in pre-Columbian America with Pachacutec’s early conquests taking place much earlier. There are some limitations to radiocarbon dating, however it is much more accurate than simply relying on documentary evidence. Hopefully, it opens the door for more scientific studies to get a more accurate picture of the Inca culture, its history, and other Inca archaeological sites.
"This is the first study based on scientific evidence to provide an estimate for the founding of Machu Picchu and the length of its occupation," Burger said in the news release.
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Source: Burger, R., Salazar, L., Nesbitt, J., Washburn, E., & Fehren-Schmitz, L. (2021). New AMS dates for Machu Picchu: Results and implications. Antiquity, 1-15. doi:10.15184/aqy.2021.99