"No. 38 Did the Spaniards know of Machu Picchu? Hiram Bingham didn't think so. 'Yet so far as I have been able to discover, there is no reference in the Spanish chronicles to Machu Picchu. It is possible that not even the conquistadors ever saw this wonderful place.'"
The Los Angeles Times is doing a fact a day leading up to the anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu. While there are only 43 days left until the anniversary, you can read the facts that have already been posted here.