The scientists of the University of Yale University found out that the ancient American city of Machu Picchu, located on the territory of modern Peru and is often referred to as the “lost city of Inca”, for several decades before it was believed. The disclosure of the mystery of the age of the historical complex is reported in an article published in the ATIQUITY journal.
Researchers used accelerative mass spectrometry (AMS) – the advanced form of radiocarbon dating – for the definition of the age of the remains of 26 people discovered at the beginning of the 20th century on the territory of the historic complex and the former suburban estate of the Emperor Inca Pachati, located on the eastern side of the Andean mountains.
It turned out that Machu Picchu was inhabited from 1420 to 1530 of our era, while the end of the period coincides with the times of Spanish conquest. The city itself is 20 years older than expected on the basis of well-known historical sources. According to them, Pachakty seized power in 1438 by our era and later won the lower part of the Urubamba Valley, where Machu Picchu is located. It was estimated that the city was built after the 1440-1450 of our era – depending on how much time the pachkuity was required to subordinate the region and build a stone palace.
The results of the new study suggest that the Pachaci, whose board marked the beginning of the development of the largest and powerful empire of Decolumbovy America, received power and began its conquest for decades earlier than the text sources indicate.