World of Wonders - In the footsteps of the Conquistadors

Long after the Spanish had conquered the great Inca Empire, a group of rebels waged a guerrilla war from jungle hideouts where the Spanish believed they had hidden great treasure.

The exploits of these guerrillas have generated rumours of lost cities of gold and treasure in the mountains of Peru.

We westerners have dubbed it the “Inca Empire” but the Quechua people knew it as Tahuantinsuyo (four corners of the earth) for their control extended over a huge area that covered present-day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

The Spanish had conquered this great empire with ease, for it was still divided by civil war between two brothers, both claiming the title of Inca, or King.

Instead, by 1532 both brothers were dead and the Spanish conquistadors had installed Manco Inca as a ‘puppet’ king.

Within years Manco Inca had raised an army of over 100,000 men to send the white men home. Instead, the native army found themselves retreating through their Sacred Valley to the high jungle of the Amazon basin. From his remote jungle hideout Manco staged a successful guerrilla war against the Spanish, unable to fight in the tangled vegetation.

Successive Inca kings resisted the Spanish another 40 years – and when they were finally defeated, the Spanish were disappointed not to have discovered the lost city of gold. In fact, the region was relatively poor, and by the mid 17th century the jungle had covered any of the roads to the last city of the Inca empire, Vilcabamba.

Though heavy summer rains washed away my hopes of hiking to the ruins of the last city of the Incas, still a five-day trip into the jungle, I decide instead to explore the route that the Spanish conquistadors took before their final victory.

Clambering up a muddy hill, in difficult jungle terrain, I understand why it took the Spanish conquistadors 40 years to finally put down the army of indigenous Indians.

My Peruvian friends make their way up the steep slope like mountain goats and I realise that more than empathy for the greedy conquistadors I admire these hardy Andean peoples.

From the charming and unspoiled jungle town of Quillabamba we searched for transport into the deep jungle by waiting on the roadside. Locals know that all transport plying certain routes will stop by, seeing if anyone wants a lift.

After a five-hour wait on the curb, we were off in a boneshaker bus, climbing up through narrow jungle valleys, alongside cliff faces with sheer drops down into the river gorge far below.

The potholed track wound through dense jungle, across bridges spanning ravines so rugged and deep that it seemed impossible the Spanish conquistadors in their heavy armor could have crossed.

Now, coca and coffee make this a rich agricultural area with picturesque thatched houses dotting the hillsides, while trees laden with mangoes drop their fruit on the road. The roadside is splashed with the colour of impatiens and vinka plants.

Felix and Fredy Gonzales at Nusta hispana, the White Rock

Vitcos (partially reconstructed). It has more recently been practically rebuilt.

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The beautiful landscape at Felix's family farm, Quillabamba

Sacred Inca waterway at Nustahispana

Taking a break in the main street of Huancacalle.

Once we have arrived in a remote village, a friendly local points us in the direction of ruins of several Inca sites. He has pointed straight over a mountain, and we went upwards knowing that hiking is an achievement that fills your chest with pride while weary legs scream in agony.

Nustahispanan (also known as Yupac Rumi, White rock) looms up before us, a huge rock about eight metres high covered with mysterious notches. Desecrated by Augustininan priests, the purpose of this mysterious shrine has been lost through the centuries. All agree it holy, and my Peruvian friends theorize the stone had an important role for Inca virgins, whereby their purity was tested.

My friends are mestizos –they have the blood of the Spanish conquistadors running in their veins, but they are also descendants of the Incas, and their parents speak Quechua, the Inca language. Like many young Peruvians they don’t speak this language, though they do understand it.

In the conquest of the Inca Empire much important knowledge was lost, and these days young people seem detached from their heritage. Few venture into the jungle as we have on this day, simply because they don’t have the money or the time for tourism.

Close to Nustahispanan we stumble upon Inca agricultural terracing and waterways still in use. The craftsmanship of the Incas is extraordinary - their stonework precise, and durable yet also in harmony with nature.

The citadel of Vitcos (known nowadays as Rosaspatas) is situated up on a high bluff with outstanding views of the Vilcabamba River Valley, which the conquistadors followed to the last city of the Incas.

Vitcos has been reduced to several buildings, partially reconstructed using the original stones. Manco Inca met his end in this city, not on the field of battle but when playing quoits, betrayed by his guests, renegade Spaniards to whom he had given sanctuary.

Each of the great Inca cities were linked by trails and the tourist need only want to get off the beaten track to enjoy some awesome hiking experiences – from here we could walk to the last city of the Incas, or the better known Machu Picchu.

Unfortunately we aren’t hiking further and decide to hitch. With high probability that there would be no more vehicles that night we climbed in to a truck distributing Cristal beer, one of the more popular beverages.

A campesino (farmer) woman dressed in traditional voluminous skirts and her daughter join us in the back of the truck and darkness finds us surrounded by crates of bottles.

With insufficient space to sit we lay on our backs on crates of empty beer bottles. As the small truck forded rivers and navigated the jungle road, we flew into the air, landing on our backs on the bottles. My friends soundly slept, airborne much of the time but seemingly oblivious to the pain while the night dragged on.

Bruised by beer bottles, my back looked like it had been attacked by an octopus, but this hiking experience had transcended adventure. I had set out to learn more about the Inca people and their lost cities of gold, but really learnt more about life for the average Peruvian.

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