Bingham's theories about Machu Picchu proven incorrect. 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
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.
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
Related site: Machu Picchu — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The First Explorers of Machu Picchu: Megalithic City in the Clouds by Luke Caverns