Bingham believed Machu Picchu was Vilcabamba, the last Inca capital, or perhaps the birthplace of the first Inca Emperor, Manco Capac. In 1964, eight years after Bingham's death, American explorer Gene Savoy discovered the actual Vilcabamba in the Espiritu Pampa region—a lost city matching Spanish records of approximately 300 buildings. Machu Picchu's original name was never written down. When the Inca abandoned it, they never spoke its name again.
Bingham's theories about Machu Picchu proven incorrect
PeruTheory
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Key facts
- Bingham believed Machu Picchu was Vilcabamba, the last Inca capital
- Bingham also theorized it could be the birthplace of the first Inca Emperor. Manco the Great
- Bingham thought the architecture predated Cusco and inspired the temples there
- In 1964, eight years after Bingham's death, Gene Savo discovered the actual Vilcabamba
- Savo found a lost city in Espiritu Pomba region with 300 buildings matching Spanish descriptions
- Machu Picchu's original name was never recorded in Spanish accounts
- When the Inca abandoned Machu Picchu, they never uttered its name again
- The city remains a true lost city with its original name unknown
Sources
The discovery of Machu Picchu | History Todayhistorytoday.com
In 1911 he led a small expedition to Peru in search of the 'lost city' of Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the Inca Manco Capac II, who fought ...
Hiram Bingham, Machu Picchu, Lost City of the Incas, Travel Peruliterarytraveler.com
Hiram Bingham, an American explorer, discovered the ancient Inca city Machu Picchu at the turn of the 20th Century.
[PDF] Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incaspeabody.yale.edu
River Valley, where he thought the last refuge of the Incas might be located. ... Wiracocha Inca: The first Inca emperor who expanded Inca control beyond the ...
100 facts for 100 years of Machu Picchu: Fact 98 - Los Angeles Timeslatimes.com
Hiram Bingham thought he had found Vilcabamba, the true “Lost City of the Incas,” which was said to be where the Incas took refuge from the ...
Machu Picchu - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Bingham, Hiram (1912). Vitcos, the last Inca capital (PDF). Worcester: American Antiquarian Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2023.
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