Human Remains Proved That Machu Picchu Is Actually Older Than We Previously Thought | Travel News

Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca site in southern Peru, is significantly older than previously believed, according to research led by Yale University anthropologist Richard Burger.

In 2021, Burger and a team of researchers from several U.S.-based institutions utilized accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating to analyze the remains of 26 individuals recovered from four burial sites near Machu Picchu in the early 20th century.

The study revealed that the renowned mountain settlement dates back at least 20 years earlier than historical records suggested, placing its use between A.D. 1420 and A.D. 1530. This challenges prior understandings of Inca chronology. Historical accounts by Spanish conquistadors from the 1530s, which noted that Inca Emperor Pachacuti began his reign in A.D. 1438 and conquered the region containing Machu Picchu, led scholars to estimate the site's construction between 1440 and 1450.

However, Burger's research questioned the accuracy of relying solely on these texts. He stated, "Until now, estimates of Machu Picchu's antiquity and duration of use were based on conflicting historical records written after the Spanish conquest. This study provides the first scientifically-based timeline for the site's founding and occupation, offering a clearer understanding of its origins and history."

The remains used in the study likely belonged to "retainers," royal attendants who resided at Machu Picchu year-round, serving as artisans or religious figures. Accompanying funerary artifacts suggested their association with royalty. Analysis of the bones indicated minimal involvement in heavy labor, suggesting they lived during Machu Picchu's time as a royal retreat rather than its construction phase.

The remains were originally removed in 1912 by Hiram Bingham III, a Yale-affiliated explorer who uncovered Machu Picchu while searching for Vilcabamba, a legendary "lost city" of the Incas. Though Bingham is often credited with "discovering" Machu Picchu, local residents had long known of its existence.

Artifacts and human remains from Bingham's expedition were housed at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History until the mid-2000s, when Peru successfully campaigned for their repatriation. Today, these items are preserved in Cusco's Museo Machu Picchu.