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New AMS dates for Machu Picchu: results and implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2021

Richard L. Burger ,
Lucy C. Salazar ,
Jason Nesbitt ,
Eden Washburn  and
Lars Fehren-Schmitz Open the ORCID record for Lars Fehren-Schmitz [Opens in a new window]
Richard L. Burger*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Yale University, USA
Lucy C. Salazar
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Yale University, USA
Jason Nesbitt
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, USA
Eden Washburn
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
Lars Fehren-Schmitz
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department and UCSC Paleogenomics Lab, University of California, USA
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ [email protected]
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Abstract

Machu Picchu, in Cuzco, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in South America. The precise dating of the monumental complex, however, relies largely on documentary sources. Samples of bone and teeth from individuals buried in caves at four cemeteries around Machu Picchu form the basis for a new programme of AMS radiocarbon-dating. The results show that the site was occupied from c. AD 1420–1532, with activity beginning two decades earlier than suggested by the textual sources that associate the site with Emperor Pachacuti's rise to power in AD 1438. The new AMS dates—the first large set published for Machu Picchu—therefore have implications for the wider understanding of Inca chronology.

Keywords

PeruMachu PicchuInca periodAMS radiocarbon-datingburialboneteeth
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 95 , Issue 383 , October 2021 , pp. 1265 - 1279
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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