The Spanish may have been the first Europeans to conquer South America but radiocarbon dating of Machu Picchu reveals the perils of trusting their records.
Scanning of human remains at the Inca site has revealed that it was created decades earlier than the Spanish conquistadors claimed. New research indicates that the elite of Inca society had been using the “pleasure palace” from the early years of the 15th century.
Professor Richard Burger, from Yale University, who led the study, said that “modern radiocarbon methods provide a better foundation for understanding Inca chronology than the contradictory historical records”.
Construction of Machu Picchu under the Inca Emperor Pachacuti is now thought to have started in about 1420, rather than 1440-50 as indicated in Spanish records, which state — now thought wrongly — that Pachacuti rose to power in 1438. The Spanish conquest of Inca territories is generally assumed to have begun with the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532 — about the time the Inca occupation of Machu Picchu is now thought to have ended.
While Machu Picchu, a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1983, has long fascinated archaeologists, there have been relatively few scientific studies of the site. A radiocarbon study in the 1980s produced what have been described as “problematic” results.
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The palace is thought to have been used by the Inca rulers in the winter to escape the freezing temperature of the capital, Cuzco. There they could engage in hunting, banqueting and gambling, as well as religious activities.
The latest study carried out accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating of 26 human remains in burial caves. The AMS radiocarbon dating uses smaller amounts of organic material than earlier techniques, allowing a greater number of individuals to be tested.
Professor Burger said it was the “first study based on scientific evidence to provide an estimate for the founding of Machu Picchu and the length of its occupation”. The study is to be published in the journal Antiquity.
