We have been referring to Machu Picchu by a misnomer for many years

(CNN) – There are bugs that are hard to remove, and one of them is called Machu Picchu.

For more than 100 years, Machu Picchu, one of the most famous archeological sites in the world, has been known by a false name. Report Published in the journal Ñawpa Pacha: Journal of the Institute of Andean Studies.

The report says that the Incas who built the ancient city may have called it Huina Pichu.

Huina translates as “new or young,” and “bitch” means “mountain peak” in the Quechua language, said Emily Dean, a professor of anthropology at the University of Southern Utah in Cedar. She was not involved in the complaint. Machu means “old”, so we called it the old mountain peak, he said.

Brian Boyer, professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, believes the Inca settlement was built in 1420 as a garden for the royal Incas who lived in Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire.

When the Spaniards later captured the Incas, the report states that Huina Pichu was abandoned. It was hidden deep in the Andes for centuries until American researcher Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911.

Translation error

In his field notes, Bingham decided to call the ancient city Machu Picchu, based on information provided by his mentor, Melcore Arteca, a farmer who lived in the area, Boer said.

During Bauer’s interrogation of Machu Picchu, he discovered evidence that its original name was something else. The author of the report, Donato Amado Gonzalez, a historian of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, independently discovered the same model, so they decided to work together to find out the real name.

Researchers began discussing Pingam’s notes, where he said he was not sure about the name of the ruins when he first visited them. From there, Bauer and Amado Gonzáles reviewed maps and atlas printed before and after Bingham’s arrival.

One of the most surprising documents was a report in 1588 that the tribes of the Wilkabamba area were thinking of returning to Huina Bichu, Bauer said.

Dean said the naming error was not surprising because non-Peruvian archaeologists made no attempt to research the place names and did not fully understand ketchup.

“In general, this discovery calls into question the popular account that Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu,” he said. The locals knew about the place even before Bingham arrived.

The name is unlikely to change

Although the area’s original name was discovered, it will continue to be known as Machu Picchu, Boer said.

“As Machu Picchu is known all over the world, we do not recommend changing the name,” he added.

In addition, Machu Picchu appears in thousands of books, articles, advertisements and legal documents, Dean said.

He noted that the Peruvian people and their government adopted the new name, so although it was an interesting addition to the site’s history, it did not change its modern name.