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Peru in South America is a fascinating country. Geographically, Peru encompasses an arid coastal desert, the rugged snow-capped peaks of the Andes, and steamy rainforests that form part of the vast Amazon basin. Historically, the region has seen the development of cultures such as the
Inca whose legacies remain to mystify travelers and archaeologists to this day. The Inca culture was the last to arise in Peru before the arrival of adventurers and plunderers from overseas... |
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Rise and fall of the Incas
In the fifteenth century, the Inca state began to expand under the rule of the emperor Pachacutec. Other cultures were conquered and assimilated to create the most powerful empire in the New World. At its peak the Inca empire stretched for 5500 kilometers from what is now
southern Colombia down through Peru to central Chile.
Many descendants of the Incas still live in the Peru highlands. |
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The Incas built the staggering citadel of Machu Picchu in a dramatic mountain setting. Machu Picchu survives as the most famous legacy of the fated Inca empire.
More pictures... MACHU PICCHU |
But the Inca state was doomed. From the time of its expansion the emperors who were revered as sons of the sun ruled their remarkable empire for only around one century. The violent destruction of Inca society came at the hands and weapons of Spanish conquistadors. |
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Cuzco, the Inca Navel of the World
The powerful capital of the Inca empire was Cuzco - their 'Navel of the World'. The city was built in the shape of a sacred Puma with the megalithic fortress of Sacsayhuaman at the head. Driven by a greed for gold, Francisco Pizarro led his Spanish conquistadors into Cuzco in
1533 and found a stunning city of great stone buildings, lavish palaces and temples, and the humble homes of ordinary people. The richest temple was Koricancha, dedicated to sun worship and lavishly decorated with gold and silver.
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The Incas built the walls of their principal buildings from finely cut and tightly fitting masonry.
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A colonial church sits on the walls of the sacred Inca temple Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun. |
The Church of La Compañía was built over foundations of the palace of Inca ruler Huayna Capac. |
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The plundering of Inca treasures and desecration of Inca temples began immediately. The conquistadors melted down precious gold and silver artwork. Although most Inca buildings were demolished, some stonework survived as foundations and walls of new colonial buildings and churches. |
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The Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman
The Incas built the huge fortress and religious site of Sacsayhuaman on a hill above Cuzco. When the Incas built Sacsayhuaman, they shaped massive rocks with great precision. The construction of sites like Sacsayhuaman is a remarkable achievement for a society that did not
have the wheel or iron tools.
In 1536, Sacsayhuaman became the scene of a bloody battle in which vastly outnumbered Spanish conquistadors defeated an Inca army and effectively crushed the Inca empire for ever. Sacsayhuaman is still an impressive site despite widespread destruction by the European conquerors. |
Remains of huge zigzag defensive walls at Sacsayhuaman.
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The Incas were master stonemasons whose achievements still confound archaeologists. Although built without mortar, their walls were virtually earthquake-proof. |
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Inca heritage
The heritage of the Inca empire can be seen in Peru today not just in the surviving stones of Inca buildings. It endures in the living descendants of the Incas who still work the land and speak the Inca language Quechua. Despite conquistadors, religious pressures and the westernized
society in many Peruvian towns, the memories of the Incas are kept alive in Andean culture.
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