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[Narrator] The Incas,

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an extraordinary civilization.

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The Incas left behind
monumental and intricate traces

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of their genius.

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But the story
of these great people

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from their epic rise
to sudden fall

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remains shrouded in mystery.

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[Expert 1, dubbed]
The fall of the Inca Empire

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is a brutal collapse that
is surprising and unexpected.

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[Narrator] What traces
of the Spanish conquest

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are still visible
in Peru today?

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[Expert 2, dubbed] And just
as he falls, like that,

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he's looking up at the sky,

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and a projectile
pierces his skull.

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[Expert 3, dubbed]
The Andean population fell

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from 10 million
to 1 to 1.5 million.

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It was a huge massacre.

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[Narrator]
Thanks to scientific advances

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and ultra-realistic,
computer-generated images,

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we’re going to bring this
lost civilization back to life.

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[Expert 1] Advances in
archaeology have truly

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revolutionized our understanding
of Inca history.

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[Narrator] This is
the extraordinary story

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of the fall
of the Empire of the Sun.

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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At the start of
the 16th century,

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the Inca Empire
was at its height.

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A powerful administration
run by Emperor Huayna Cápac.

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This all-powerful emperor
governed

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his 12 million subjects
with formidable efficiency,

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utilizing a system
of compulsory labor.

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The capital, Cusco, was
a dynamic and prosperous city

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organized around palaces,
a large plaza,

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and its Coricancha temple.

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Here the wealth
of the empire amassed.

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Wild landscapes were tamed
by colossal stone walls.

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Natural resources
were exploited

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and countless llama farms,
agricultural terraces,

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and intelligent
irrigation systems

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allowed food to grow
in abundance.

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But just 30 years later,
in a matter of months,

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the entire empire collapsed.

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[Nino del Solar Velarde, dubbed]
It's impressive the Inca Empire

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collapsed or disappeared
in such a short time.

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[Narrator] To understand
this sudden fall,

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we need to look at the legacy
of the last great Inca emperor.

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In the first part
of the 16th century

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before the arrival
of the conquistadors,

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Huayna Cápac reigned
ruthlessly,

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expanding his territory,

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and imposing an authoritarian
regime on his people.

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Local rebellions
were suppressed

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with extreme violence
and even cruelty.

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This reign of terror,

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which marked the last
decades of the empire,

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would culminate
in the biggest crisis

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the Incas had ever faced.

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[César Itier, dubbed]
The Spanish arrived at a time

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of widespread internal conflict,

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without which they probably
wouldn't have gained

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a foothold in the country.

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Perhaps if they'd arrived 10
years later or 20 years earlier,

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the conquest wouldn't
have taken place

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or would have taken place
much later.

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Who knows?

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[Narrator] For it to be such
an opportune moment

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for the Spanish, there must
have been a major conflict

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agitating the empire.

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[Itier] The Spanish arrived
in Peru at a time

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when a very, very serious
succession crisis had erupted.

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[Narrator] When the previous

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emperor died,

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he left many sons,

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two of which,

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Huáscar and Atahualpa,

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were at war with each other

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in a fight for power.

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[Itier] Every time a king dies,

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the question
of succession arises.

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Because in this system,
there is no right of succession

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that goes directly
to the eldest.

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All the Inca sons are
capable of taking power,

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provided they can demonstrate
their capacity as warriors,

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their strategic
and political capacity,

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and their ability
to retain power.

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[Guillermo Cock Carrasco,
dubbed] And the war between

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Huáscar and Atahualpa was not
a war between two brothers,

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it was a war between
two positions

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that had different
visions and policies

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on how to run the empire.

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[Narrator] The fraternal war
took on the appearance

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of a civil war.

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Each brother had fighters
who were at war

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in different parts
of the country.

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In 1532, the tensions
reached a peak.

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Atahualpa took the throne

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from his brother.

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[Itier] Atahualpa had known
about the Spanish

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for several years.

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The first Spanish voyage
to Peru was in 1527.

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There was a second, and it
wasn't until the third voyage

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in 1532 that the conquest
took place.

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Peruvians knew they existed,
but they didn't know exactly

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where they came from
or what they wanted.

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[Narrator] What they wanted was
revealed a few months later

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in Cajamarca,

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a small mountain town
in northern Peru,

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where the Incas faced one of
the most crucial confrontations

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in human history.

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[Sandra Cerna Merino, dubbed]
The Plaza de Armas,

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which has existed
for several centuries,

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witnessed one of the most
important events

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in Peruvian, American,
and even world history.

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[Narrator] In this square,
in the autumn of 1532,

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came the unlikely
meeting of two worlds.

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On one side, Pizarro,

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the leader of 200
Spanish conquistadors.

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On the other,
Emperor Atahualpa,

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accompanied by thousands of
nobles in traditional dress.

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A clash between an emissary
of Christianized Europe

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hungry for conquest and gold,

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and an Inca chief perceived as
a demigod of the Andean people.

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[Itier] This was
the pivotal moment

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in the European colonization
of South America.

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[Narrator] When Pizarro's army
summoned the Inca emperor

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to meet him, Atahualpa did not
know what to expect.

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It had been five years

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since the small group
of conquistadors

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had disembarked in the Andes,

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and began pillaging the
populations in search of gold.

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He was relaxing in
the hot baths outside the city

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when the invitation arrived,

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and he was intrigued.

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[Itier] Atahualpa was curious,

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but he was aware
of the acts of violence

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committed by the Spanish
against Inca officials

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and the local population.

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His idea was probably
to impress them, to scare them,

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and then perhaps massacre them
to get rid of them.

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[Narrator] A meeting
was scheduled

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for the following morning,
in this square in Cajamarca.

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[José Bello Espinoza, dubbed]
When Pizarro arrived,

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he didn’t find many people
in Cajamarca.

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[Itier] The city, like other
administrative centers,

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was almost empty
for most of the year.

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There were only
a few civil servants

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who worked there all the time.

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[Espinoza] The Incas are
intrigued by these visitors.

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They're tall, white and bearded,

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and they’re curious
to know who they are.

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[Merino] The Inca emperor
shows up without a soldier,

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without his general, but he is
accompanied by a whole entourage

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of dancers amid
flowers, feathers.

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[Espinoza] When Atahualpa
arrived, with all his people,

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all his entourage,

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he saw there weren’t many
people in the square.

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In fact,
the Spanish were hiding.

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[Merino] A few were waiting
for him in the square,

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but most were hidden
with their cannons.

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[Narrator] The Incas were
caught off guard.

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[Espinoza] Atahualpa thought
he could easily overwhelm them.

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But what he didn't realize
was that they were there

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with a very specific intention,

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with their advanced technology,
firearms and animals,

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which were also
used as weapons.

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[Narrator] The stalemate
took a turn

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when the priest accompanying
the conquistadors

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handed a bible
to the Inca emperor.

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[Merino] Let's not forget that
the Inca couldn't read

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and didn’t know what writing
was, let alone books.

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[Itier] Atahualpa took it,
glanced at it quickly,

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and returned it with contempt,

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perhaps throwing it
to the ground.

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[Merino] And that,
for the Spanish, is heresy!

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In the name of the church,
the kings, and the conquest,

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everyone comes out of hiding
and an ambush breaks out

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against the Inca
and everyone around him.

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[Espinoza] The population
was frightened

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and started running in panic.

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[Narrator] The ambush turned
into a massacre;

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a bloodbath that killed
thousands of Inca.

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On the Spanish side,

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the conquistadors didn’t
lose a single man.

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But the historic takeaway
of the battle is how it ended,

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with the capture of the emperor
of the Sons of the Sun.

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[speaking Spanish]

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[Espinoza] This is a crucial
moment for the empire,

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because Atahualpa
is the Son of the Sun,

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and so is one of the gods.

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He is the representation
of God on Earth.

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If God falls, no one will be
able to protect the people.

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So, the very moment
he's captured,

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the Incas are already witnessing
the fall of their empire.

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[Narrator] It’s a spectacular
reversal of power.

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[Narrator] A few hundred meters
from the square,

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researchers and
the local municipality

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00:11:01,601 --> 00:11:04,667
are carrying out excavations

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00:11:04,801 --> 00:11:09,734
at an intriguing site buried
beneath modern buildings.

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[Merino] When the Spanish
captured Atahualpa,

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this is where they
kept him prisoner.

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[Narrator] During Inca time,

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this place was part
of a large structure

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that is still hiding
secrets to this day.

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00:11:28,334 --> 00:11:29,868
[Espinoza] We want to know
if this is part of a larger

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building, like a house
or a religious structure.

208
00:11:34,133 --> 00:11:35,834
Why was this space
originally built?

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What function did it have
within the Inca Empire?

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And why was it chosen
as a place of detention?

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[Narrator] Although he was
held as a prisoner,

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the emperor was permitted
to move around the building.

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00:11:50,667 --> 00:11:53,234
[Merino] During this period,

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he learnt to live
with the Spanish.

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He also retained some power,

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because he wore
his ceremonial clothes

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00:12:00,167 --> 00:12:03,200
and kept his wives
in this captive space.

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He also learned to play chess,

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and thought of a thousand ways
to buy his freedom.

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[Narrator] It's in this
small rectangular room,

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preserved for 500 years, where
one of the most romantic tales

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00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,400
of the fall of the Inca Empire
takes place.

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At the emperor's request,

224
00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:27,601
the room is filled
with gold and silver

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00:12:27,734 --> 00:12:30,300
flowing in from
across the land;

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a treasure intended to be
the ransom for his release.

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00:12:36,968 --> 00:12:40,133
[Merino] Atahualpa realizes
the greed of the Spanish

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00:12:40,267 --> 00:12:43,033
and knows that the only way
to obtain his freedom

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00:12:43,167 --> 00:12:48,434
is to pay for it with what
they worship: gold and silver.

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00:12:49,601 --> 00:12:51,834
For the Incas, gold has
a special meaning,

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00:12:51,968 --> 00:12:53,567
it has a sacred significance,

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00:12:53,701 --> 00:12:57,033
whereas for the Spanish,
it has a monetary value.

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[Narrator] In this room,
known as the Ransom Room,

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00:13:02,234 --> 00:13:05,968
a trace remains
of this transaction.

235
00:13:06,100 --> 00:13:08,167
[Espinoza] The emperor raised
his hand and indicated

236
00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:10,734
that the proposed reward
for his release

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00:13:10,868 --> 00:13:12,434
would go as high as that,

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00:13:12,567 --> 00:13:15,234
and you can see that
mark on the wall.

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00:13:17,434 --> 00:13:19,300
[Narrator] The treasures
offered by the emperor

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00:13:19,434 --> 00:13:23,467
would have reached
the height of this mark.

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00:13:23,601 --> 00:13:26,267
But his release would
never happen.

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In spite of the deal made
with the Spanish,

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00:13:29,234 --> 00:13:31,534
Atahualpa was executed,

244
00:13:31,667 --> 00:13:34,501
having accepted a conversion
to Christianity

245
00:13:34,634 --> 00:13:37,634
to avoid being burnt
at the stake.

246
00:13:40,701 --> 00:13:42,634
[Itier]
After Atahualpa's execution,

247
00:13:42,767 --> 00:13:45,367
the Spanish quickly
left Cajamarca,

248
00:13:45,501 --> 00:13:48,033
because Atahualpa’s armies
were threatening them nearby.

249
00:13:48,167 --> 00:13:50,133
They left for Cusco.

250
00:13:50,267 --> 00:13:53,868
♪ ♪

251
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,868
[Narrator] How did the Spanish
travel so easily?

252
00:13:59,667 --> 00:14:02,434
Why weren't they slowed down
by the Inca defense lines

253
00:14:02,567 --> 00:14:04,868
built across the empire?

254
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,067
♪ ♪

255
00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,200
In the Atacama Desert,

256
00:14:13,334 --> 00:14:14,400
200 meters down

257
00:14:14,534 --> 00:14:16,767
in the heart of the gorge,

258
00:14:16,901 --> 00:14:21,167
lies a defensive site
of the Sons of the Sun.

259
00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:24,334
But the ruins appear as
a residential structure

260
00:14:24,467 --> 00:14:26,868
rather than a military one.

261
00:14:28,767 --> 00:14:30,300
[Marcela Sepulveda, dubbed] It's
a large village that was built

262
00:14:30,434 --> 00:14:32,868
on a strategic high point.

263
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,300
On the one hand, it is naturally
protected by the river canyon,

264
00:14:36,434 --> 00:14:38,400
and on the other,
it has a defensive wall

265
00:14:38,534 --> 00:14:42,601
that protects and
closes off the site.

266
00:14:42,734 --> 00:14:46,734
[Narrator] These kinds of sites,
called Pukara, were designed

267
00:14:46,868 --> 00:14:50,200
to counter rebellions
from local communities.

268
00:14:50,334 --> 00:14:52,868
They served primarily
as a refuge

269
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,868
for threatened populations.

270
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,868
Far from imagining they would
one day be at the mercy

271
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,367
of armed combatants, the Inca's
military defense strategy

272
00:15:02,501 --> 00:15:06,601
fell a long way short
of Europe’s at the time.

273
00:15:06,734 --> 00:15:08,300
[Sepulveda] And so it's not
a fortified site

274
00:15:08,434 --> 00:15:10,601
like you might imagine
a medieval fortress to be,

275
00:15:10,734 --> 00:15:12,100
for example.

276
00:15:12,234 --> 00:15:17,234
♪ ♪

277
00:15:17,367 --> 00:15:19,801
[Narrator] These fortified
villages gave the Incas

278
00:15:19,934 --> 00:15:22,400
no chance against
Pizarro and his army

279
00:15:22,534 --> 00:15:25,567
who easily bypassed them.

280
00:15:25,701 --> 00:15:28,400
The Sons of the Sun had
neither the tactics

281
00:15:28,534 --> 00:15:31,767
nor the infrastructure
to halt the rapid advance

282
00:15:31,901 --> 00:15:34,667
of the Spanish on horseback.

283
00:15:34,801 --> 00:15:39,067
But even in the face of a
non-existent defense strategy,

284
00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:42,300
how could 200
Spanish warriors win

285
00:15:42,434 --> 00:15:47,234
against an army of tens
of thousands of Inca soldiers?

286
00:15:48,467 --> 00:15:50,133
A strength
of the Empire of the Sun

287
00:15:50,267 --> 00:15:52,734
was its impressive army.

288
00:15:55,567 --> 00:15:58,434
[Itier] Among the services
conquered peoples owed

289
00:15:58,567 --> 00:16:02,200
the Inca state
was military service.

290
00:16:02,334 --> 00:16:04,467
It could last 10 years or more.

291
00:16:04,601 --> 00:16:06,167
And so, each small
local community

292
00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:08,300
would provide the Inca army
with people

293
00:16:08,434 --> 00:16:12,334
that would make it grow in
a very, very significant way.

294
00:16:13,801 --> 00:16:15,601
[Narrator] The Incas' army
was large,

295
00:16:15,734 --> 00:16:19,667
but with only
rudimentary equipment.

296
00:16:19,801 --> 00:16:22,834
For weapons, the Inca
used slingshots,

297
00:16:22,968 --> 00:16:26,367
arrows, and large axes.

298
00:16:26,501 --> 00:16:30,567
No match for the Spanish arms.

299
00:16:30,701 --> 00:16:33,334
[speaking Spanish]

300
00:16:33,467 --> 00:16:35,267
[Alex Usca Baca, dubbed]
The Spanish arrived

301
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,334
with a great mastery of weapons.

302
00:16:38,467 --> 00:16:42,434
They had horses
and long guns with them.

303
00:16:42,567 --> 00:16:45,267
A whole military strategy.

304
00:16:47,534 --> 00:16:49,300
[Itier] They had weapons that
would play a crucial role

305
00:16:49,434 --> 00:16:53,467
in battles with Indigenous
troops and armies.

306
00:16:53,601 --> 00:16:56,901
[Baca] And the local people
knew nothing about it.

307
00:16:58,767 --> 00:17:00,434
[Narrator] The Spanish have
a strategic

308
00:17:00,567 --> 00:17:04,666
and military advantage,
but that’s not all.

309
00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:10,501
They also benefited from strong
divisions within the empire.

310
00:17:10,634 --> 00:17:13,233
Some local communities that
were conquered by the Incas

311
00:17:13,367 --> 00:17:16,767
rebelled and joined
the conquistadors.

312
00:17:19,634 --> 00:17:24,567
[Baca] Many ethnic groups saw
the Spanish as saviors.

313
00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,300
[speaking French]

314
00:17:27,434 --> 00:17:28,367
[Sepulveda]
The local populations,

315
00:17:28,501 --> 00:17:30,501
who were subjected
to control by the Incas,

316
00:17:30,634 --> 00:17:32,934
to paying tributes
and to being displaced,

317
00:17:33,067 --> 00:17:34,667
sometimes thousands
of kilometers,

318
00:17:34,801 --> 00:17:37,767
also chose to stop supporting
the Inca in some places,

319
00:17:37,901 --> 00:17:41,400
because the Inca regime
was too much to bear.

320
00:17:43,267 --> 00:17:46,334
[Baca] This internal struggle

321
00:17:46,467 --> 00:17:49,701
was an opportunity
for the Spanish.

322
00:17:49,834 --> 00:17:52,868
They took advantage
of the social unrest

323
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,934
to conquer the Inca state
as quickly as possible.

324
00:17:58,968 --> 00:18:03,234
[Narrator] It was in this period
of collapse in November 1533

325
00:18:03,367 --> 00:18:07,567
that the Spanish reached
the imperial capital of Cusco.

326
00:18:07,701 --> 00:18:11,100
♪ ♪

327
00:18:11,234 --> 00:18:13,367
They were stunned.

328
00:18:13,501 --> 00:18:17,634
[Baca] When the Spanish arrived
in the city of Cusco,

329
00:18:17,767 --> 00:18:20,968
they were not only impressed
by the Inca architecture,

330
00:18:21,133 --> 00:18:23,267
they were also amazed
by the roads

331
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,334
that exist in the Cusco valley.

332
00:18:28,033 --> 00:18:28,968
[Itier] The Spanish
were impressed

333
00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:31,000
by the Inca Empire’s prosperity.

334
00:18:31,133 --> 00:18:34,033
On the one hand, by the Incas'
concentrated population

335
00:18:34,167 --> 00:18:36,200
in order to intensify
agriculture,

336
00:18:36,334 --> 00:18:39,834
build agricultural terraces
and irrigation canals,

337
00:18:39,968 --> 00:18:41,167
and on the other hand,

338
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:43,267
because something that
impressed the Spanish greatly

339
00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,567
amassed in Cusco--
gold and silver,

340
00:18:46,701 --> 00:18:49,400
the precious metals that were
almost a monopoly of the Incas

341
00:18:49,534 --> 00:18:52,701
and the capital, where there
were temples full of goblets,

342
00:18:52,834 --> 00:18:57,000
gold statues, and all kinds
of golden objects.

343
00:18:59,334 --> 00:19:01,634
[Narrator] The Coricancha temple
with its statues

344
00:19:01,767 --> 00:19:04,901
and gold ornaments was
quickly desecrated

345
00:19:05,033 --> 00:19:07,534
and stripped by the Spanish.

346
00:19:10,701 --> 00:19:14,200
But a new turning point
was brewing elsewhere.

347
00:19:15,501 --> 00:19:19,834
In 1533, the conquistadors
placed an Inca

348
00:19:19,968 --> 00:19:22,901
as the new head of the empire,

349
00:19:23,033 --> 00:19:26,901
Manco Cápac II.

350
00:19:27,033 --> 00:19:28,300
He was the half-brother

351
00:19:28,434 --> 00:19:30,767
of Huáscar and Atahualpa,

352
00:19:30,901 --> 00:19:33,167
both now deceased.

353
00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:34,267
But he was not

354
00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,901
a natural born leader.

355
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,100
[Baca] Manco Cápac II was
used by the Spanish

356
00:19:43,234 --> 00:19:45,767
as a puppet Inca emperor.

357
00:19:45,901 --> 00:19:48,033
That way, once he was appointed,

358
00:19:48,167 --> 00:19:50,267
the Indigenous people
had to obey him.

359
00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,000
But this was a Spanish strategy.

360
00:19:54,133 --> 00:19:56,367
[Itier] It wasn't until the
middle of 1534 that the Incas

361
00:19:56,501 --> 00:19:59,734
understood that the Spanish
hadn't just come for gold,

362
00:19:59,868 --> 00:20:02,834
but they’d come to stay.

363
00:20:02,968 --> 00:20:06,300
[Baca] Manco Cápac II realizes
that he is being used

364
00:20:06,434 --> 00:20:08,200
by the Spanish.

365
00:20:08,334 --> 00:20:11,267
And he decides to revolt
against them.

366
00:20:14,567 --> 00:20:18,434
[Alexei Vranich] So one day,
he was able to escape on a ruse.

367
00:20:18,567 --> 00:20:23,133
[Narrator] In 1536,
Manco Cápac II freed himself

368
00:20:23,267 --> 00:20:24,634
from the Spanish.

369
00:20:24,767 --> 00:20:27,834
[Vranich]
And he raised a huge army.

370
00:20:27,968 --> 00:20:30,367
[Narrator] He gathered
more than 30,000 men

371
00:20:30,501 --> 00:20:35,601
who occupied the Cusco hills
and the site of Sacsayhuaman,

372
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:40,701
the most imposing Inca site
with its big zig-zagging walls.

373
00:20:41,934 --> 00:20:45,334
A recent 3D reconstruction
of Sacsayhuaman

374
00:20:45,467 --> 00:20:49,834
shows a large rectangular
building, likely to be housing,

375
00:20:49,968 --> 00:20:53,033
next to another with
much smaller rooms,

376
00:20:53,167 --> 00:20:55,968
probably for weapons storage.

377
00:20:58,167 --> 00:20:59,434
[Vranich]
Took over Sacsayhuaman,

378
00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:03,567
fortified it, and put
the entire city under siege.

379
00:21:03,701 --> 00:21:06,968
[Narrator]
The siege of Cusco began.

380
00:21:08,734 --> 00:21:10,934
[Baca] They encircled
the whole city

381
00:21:11,067 --> 00:21:13,434
and the whole valley of Cusco.

382
00:21:13,567 --> 00:21:17,801
And they start burning all the
buildings, all of the houses.

383
00:21:17,934 --> 00:21:21,701
[Vranich] And all the Spanish
were down in the city.

384
00:21:21,834 --> 00:21:25,467
[Baca] And that's why in 1536,
totally frightened,

385
00:21:25,601 --> 00:21:28,801
the Spanish thought they
were going to be defeated.

386
00:21:35,033 --> 00:21:38,667
[Narrator] Despite its symbol
of power and impressive size,

387
00:21:38,801 --> 00:21:42,067
Sacsayhuaman was not
suitable for combat.

388
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,634
♪ ♪

389
00:21:45,767 --> 00:21:48,300
In 1537, the siege

390
00:21:48,434 --> 00:21:50,934
created by Manco Cápac II

391
00:21:51,067 --> 00:21:52,133
to fight back against

392
00:21:52,267 --> 00:21:55,734
the Spanish failed.

393
00:21:55,868 --> 00:21:57,601
After a year of fighting,

394
00:21:57,734 --> 00:22:01,334
Cusco was handed over
to the Spanish.

395
00:22:01,467 --> 00:22:04,400
[Itier]
The siege of Cusco failed

396
00:22:04,534 --> 00:22:06,200
because it lasted too long.

397
00:22:06,334 --> 00:22:08,801
And these Inca warriors
were basically farmers

398
00:22:08,934 --> 00:22:12,067
who had to return to their
productive activities.

399
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:13,467
They had a family to feed,

400
00:22:13,601 --> 00:22:18,234
and they gradually abandoned the
siege, which was lifted in 1537.

401
00:22:22,634 --> 00:22:24,968
[Narrator] The Incas didn't have
the best fighters

402
00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:28,033
to defend the city of Cusco.

403
00:22:28,167 --> 00:22:29,701
But this wasn't the only factor

404
00:22:29,834 --> 00:22:32,968
that led to the empire’s
abrupt fall.

405
00:22:35,968 --> 00:22:39,868
On the outskirts
of Peru's capital, Lima,

406
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,901
the hills of this town are home
to an archaeological treasure.

407
00:22:47,334 --> 00:22:48,801
In the year 2000,

408
00:22:48,934 --> 00:22:53,834
thousands of mummies
were unearthed for study.

409
00:22:53,968 --> 00:22:56,834
Guillermo Cock is
the archaeologist who led

410
00:22:56,968 --> 00:23:01,901
the excavations, which revealed
a crucial piece of information

411
00:23:02,033 --> 00:23:06,701
about the Spanish conquest
that had long been overlooked.

412
00:23:08,334 --> 00:23:09,901
[Carrasco] This cemetery
surprised us,

413
00:23:10,033 --> 00:23:12,200
because it was intact.

414
00:23:14,868 --> 00:23:17,434
[Narrator] These bones belong
to Inca warriors

415
00:23:17,567 --> 00:23:23,534
who died battling conquistadors
for the city of Lima in 1536.

416
00:23:25,067 --> 00:23:27,667
[speaking Spanish]

417
00:23:27,801 --> 00:23:30,634
[Carrasco] We can see from this
sample that most of these bones

418
00:23:30,767 --> 00:23:34,000
have fractures caused
by masses of stone.

419
00:23:34,133 --> 00:23:37,767
More than three quarters,
probably 80% of the skeletons,

420
00:23:37,901 --> 00:23:43,300
have injuries caused by local
weapons, not European weapons.

421
00:23:45,501 --> 00:23:48,501
[Narrator] Forensic examinations
have determined that there were

422
00:23:48,634 --> 00:23:53,501
very few injuries caused
by sharp weapons or guns.

423
00:23:53,634 --> 00:23:57,501
Most were caused by blows
from stone clubs,

424
00:23:57,634 --> 00:24:01,701
which are weapons used
by the people of the Andes.

425
00:24:01,834 --> 00:24:03,334
[Carrasco] This is how we came
to the conclusion

426
00:24:03,467 --> 00:24:05,234
that the conquest was
not the Spanish

427
00:24:05,367 --> 00:24:07,434
against Indigenous populations.

428
00:24:07,567 --> 00:24:09,968
It was the Spanish
with Indigenous people

429
00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:12,567
against other Indigenous people.

430
00:24:14,634 --> 00:24:17,334
[Baca] Although 200 Spanish
initially succeeded

431
00:24:17,467 --> 00:24:21,000
in conquering a large number
of Indigenous people,

432
00:24:21,133 --> 00:24:23,434
these 200 Spanish
were soon joined

433
00:24:23,567 --> 00:24:25,367
by other Indigenous peoples

434
00:24:25,501 --> 00:24:28,868
who were in total disagreement
with the Inca state.

435
00:24:31,467 --> 00:24:35,267
[Narrator] Pizarro, the leader
of the conquistadors,

436
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:40,067
didn't just rally Indigenous
people to his cause,

437
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,734
he made them fight for him.

438
00:24:42,868 --> 00:24:46,667
The myth of the Spanish, who
managed to bring down an empire

439
00:24:46,801 --> 00:24:51,834
with 200 men,
is beginning to crumble.

440
00:24:54,133 --> 00:24:57,701
During battles, when the Incas
faced the Spanish warriors

441
00:24:57,834 --> 00:25:03,300
and their European weapons,
they were helpless.

442
00:25:03,434 --> 00:25:05,434
[Carrasco] There was
a surprise factor, obviously,

443
00:25:05,567 --> 00:25:07,234
because certain weapons
were unknown

444
00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:09,367
to the local populations.

445
00:25:09,501 --> 00:25:12,634
They didn't know that a sword
could cut off a leg or an arm

446
00:25:12,767 --> 00:25:14,400
with a single blow.

447
00:25:14,534 --> 00:25:17,234
That didn't exist, any more than
there was a projectile

448
00:25:17,367 --> 00:25:20,801
capable of blowing
someone’s head off.

449
00:25:22,767 --> 00:25:25,968
[Narrator] Yet this is what
happened to this warrior.

450
00:25:27,934 --> 00:25:33,133
[Carrasco] This individual dies
in a doubly tragic way.

451
00:25:33,267 --> 00:25:36,567
The mandible is
broken into pieces,

452
00:25:36,701 --> 00:25:40,334
both the upper and lower jaw.

453
00:25:41,601 --> 00:25:44,734
Our reconstruction tells us
that this person received

454
00:25:44,868 --> 00:25:50,234
a blow to the face and
probably died as a result.

455
00:25:50,367 --> 00:25:52,834
[speaking Spanish]

456
00:25:52,968 --> 00:25:56,434
And just as he falls, like that,

457
00:25:56,567 --> 00:25:59,567
he's looking up at the sky,

458
00:25:59,701 --> 00:26:03,534
and a projectile
pierces his skull.

459
00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:06,934
We should have found
the projectile inside.

460
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,000
[Narrator] Surprisingly,
the bullet was not found,

461
00:26:13,133 --> 00:26:16,567
although the skull
has no exit wound.

462
00:26:16,701 --> 00:26:20,767
The explanation is worth
its weight in gold.

463
00:26:23,033 --> 00:26:24,334
[Carrasco]
The likely explanation

464
00:26:24,467 --> 00:26:27,234
is that the projectile
was recovered.

465
00:26:27,367 --> 00:26:30,133
They extracted the bullet.

466
00:26:30,267 --> 00:26:31,434
But why?

467
00:26:31,567 --> 00:26:34,968
Because in 1536, there was
more gold than iron.

468
00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:37,801
Iron was extremely scarce.

469
00:26:40,334 --> 00:26:42,567
[Narrator] When
the conquistadors arrived,

470
00:26:42,701 --> 00:26:46,501
the Inca were not only
killed by bullets.

471
00:26:46,634 --> 00:26:49,968
Another deadly scourge
hit the population.

472
00:26:56,501 --> 00:27:00,901
[Carrasco] The conquest led
to a demographic collapse,

473
00:27:01,033 --> 00:27:04,934
a rapid decline
in the population.

474
00:27:05,067 --> 00:27:09,434
It reduces from 65%, 70%

475
00:27:09,567 --> 00:27:11,334
to 85%, 90%

476
00:27:11,467 --> 00:27:13,968
over a period of 40 years.

477
00:27:14,100 --> 00:27:18,801
The Europeans do not have the
military or numerical capacity.

478
00:27:18,934 --> 00:27:19,801
They don't have enough soldiers

479
00:27:19,934 --> 00:27:24,200
to wipe out local populations
in this way.

480
00:27:24,334 --> 00:27:27,234
So how can this be explained?

481
00:27:29,367 --> 00:27:31,300
[Narrator]
In addition to weapons,

482
00:27:31,434 --> 00:27:35,467
the conquistadors brought
viruses from Europe,

483
00:27:35,601 --> 00:27:40,133
which decimated
the Inca populations.

484
00:27:40,267 --> 00:27:41,434
[Itier]
The Indigenous Americans,

485
00:27:41,567 --> 00:27:43,501
isolated from
the rest of the world,

486
00:27:43,634 --> 00:27:45,501
hadn't developed a defense
against diseases

487
00:27:45,634 --> 00:27:49,033
such as measles,
smallpox and many others

488
00:27:49,167 --> 00:27:50,868
that the Spanish
unintentionally introduced

489
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,234
with devastating effects.

490
00:27:55,901 --> 00:27:58,000
[Sepulveda] Quickly,
the Andean population dropped

491
00:27:58,133 --> 00:28:01,200
from 10 million
to 1 to 1.5 million.

492
00:28:01,334 --> 00:28:04,534
It was a huge massacre.

493
00:28:04,667 --> 00:28:09,067
♪ ♪

494
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,400
[Narrator] Despite
a dwindling population

495
00:28:11,534 --> 00:28:16,834
due to war and disease,
the Inca resistance continued.

496
00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:22,968
In 1537, after the failed
siege of Cusco,

497
00:28:23,100 --> 00:28:26,601
Manco Cápac II did not give up.

498
00:28:28,067 --> 00:28:30,701
He headed to Ollantaytambo,

499
00:28:30,834 --> 00:28:34,667
a city 60 kilometers
northwest of Cusco.

500
00:28:37,033 --> 00:28:39,467
[Vranich] When Manco came down
here not only to prepare this

501
00:28:39,601 --> 00:28:41,267
as a fortress,
but he took advantage

502
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,334
of all the agricultural
terracing

503
00:28:43,467 --> 00:28:45,434
that had been created
here by the Inca.

504
00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:48,200
This was an ideal place
to settle down

505
00:28:48,334 --> 00:28:50,634
and to transform this
into the new headquarters

506
00:28:50,767 --> 00:28:53,834
for his army and
for all his followers.

507
00:28:55,968 --> 00:28:59,234
[Narrator] These fortresses
allow us to unravel

508
00:28:59,367 --> 00:29:01,734
the mysteries
of Inca construction,

509
00:29:01,868 --> 00:29:06,400
with their perfect assembly
of giant monolithic blocks.

510
00:29:06,534 --> 00:29:08,367
[Vranich] I think Ollantaytambo
is probably one of the more

511
00:29:08,501 --> 00:29:11,934
megalithic sites that
you can find in the Andes.

512
00:29:12,067 --> 00:29:15,734
And here they ended up using
a lot of polygonal forms,

513
00:29:15,868 --> 00:29:19,968
but also some other forms that
are a little bit more geometric.

514
00:29:21,701 --> 00:29:26,033
[Narrator] These walls, like
those in Sacsayhuaman or Cusco,

515
00:29:26,167 --> 00:29:29,100
captivate visitors.

516
00:29:29,234 --> 00:29:32,033
Some have even proposed
bizarre theories,

517
00:29:32,167 --> 00:29:34,434
such as alien involvement,

518
00:29:34,567 --> 00:29:39,000
to explain how a civilization
without wheels or metal tools

519
00:29:39,133 --> 00:29:41,267
could have constructed them.

520
00:29:42,634 --> 00:29:46,667
The first mystery
is transportation.

521
00:29:46,801 --> 00:29:50,968
These stones come from a quarry
several kilometers from here,

522
00:29:51,100 --> 00:29:54,601
on the other side of a river.

523
00:29:54,734 --> 00:29:55,801
[Vranich]
When it gets to the river,

524
00:29:55,934 --> 00:29:59,167
we don’t know how they got them
across the river.

525
00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:00,467
All the way from the quarry,

526
00:30:00,601 --> 00:30:02,801
they were dragged
up to this location.

527
00:30:02,934 --> 00:30:06,701
We have specially prepared ropes
that they could have dragged

528
00:30:06,834 --> 00:30:11,467
these stones down using ropes,
a lot of people, and so on.

529
00:30:11,601 --> 00:30:14,267
[Narrator] As well as ropes,
wooden logs could have

530
00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,400
been used to drag
the stone blocks over.

531
00:30:18,534 --> 00:30:22,167
But above all, the task
would require power.

532
00:30:22,300 --> 00:30:25,868
Up to 20,000 laborers
would have been needed.

533
00:30:29,934 --> 00:30:32,601
Once the stones arrived,
how could the blocks

534
00:30:32,734 --> 00:30:36,934
have been so precisely carved
without iron tools?

535
00:30:37,067 --> 00:30:40,367
♪ ♪

536
00:30:40,501 --> 00:30:42,501
[Vranich] The Inca were
incredible stonemasons,

537
00:30:42,634 --> 00:30:45,000
and they used stones
of different sizes

538
00:30:45,133 --> 00:30:46,634
to reduce these blocks.

539
00:30:46,767 --> 00:30:50,100
You can see that here it was
used with large hammer stones

540
00:30:50,234 --> 00:30:51,300
to reduce it.

541
00:30:51,434 --> 00:30:53,100
Smaller here, more accurate.

542
00:30:53,234 --> 00:30:55,234
But what's special here
at Ollantaytambo

543
00:30:55,367 --> 00:30:57,200
is the precision of the joints.

544
00:30:57,334 --> 00:31:02,234
Right here.
The smoothness is, is unique.

545
00:31:02,367 --> 00:31:04,701
[Narrator] These joints,
which are assembled

546
00:31:04,834 --> 00:31:09,367
with millimeter precision,
still amaze today.

547
00:31:11,133 --> 00:31:15,534
How would this be technically
possible for the Inca?

548
00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:17,701
[Vranich] There were mentions,
both by chroniclers

549
00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:21,334
and later people, of the Inca
using some type of mortar

550
00:31:21,467 --> 00:31:23,400
that would have been
used to grind down,

551
00:31:23,534 --> 00:31:25,133
some sort of fine sand,

552
00:31:25,267 --> 00:31:28,467
perhaps mixed with some
other organic materials.

553
00:31:28,601 --> 00:31:30,267
Some claim that this mortar

554
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,067
would have disappeared
afterwards.

555
00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,534
This has been almost
the stuff of legend,

556
00:31:34,667 --> 00:31:37,167
but more recent studies are
looking to see if, in fact,

557
00:31:37,300 --> 00:31:38,534
certain types of mortars

558
00:31:38,667 --> 00:31:41,968
and certain types of organic
materials can soften slightly

559
00:31:42,100 --> 00:31:47,000
the surface of the stone
to allow this type of polish.

560
00:31:47,133 --> 00:31:49,834
[Narrator] The abrasive nature
of the mortar would allow

561
00:31:49,968 --> 00:31:53,767
the stones to fit together
like jigsaw pieces.

562
00:31:56,567 --> 00:32:00,367
Despite their ingenuity,
the walls of Ollantaytambo

563
00:32:00,501 --> 00:32:05,234
wouldn’t be enough to keep the
fighting Sons of the Sun safe.

564
00:32:10,334 --> 00:32:13,734
[Narrator] In 1537,
after months of siege,

565
00:32:13,868 --> 00:32:15,634
Manco Cápac II,

566
00:32:15,767 --> 00:32:17,234
the last Inca chief,

567
00:32:17,367 --> 00:32:19,267
was once again forced to flee

568
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:23,200
in the face of Spanish attacks.

569
00:32:23,334 --> 00:32:24,801
[Baca] After his defeat,

570
00:32:24,934 --> 00:32:27,200
Manco Cápac II had no choice

571
00:32:27,334 --> 00:32:28,467
but to take refuge

572
00:32:28,601 --> 00:32:30,934
in the Vilcabamba jungle.

573
00:32:32,934 --> 00:32:37,434
[Narrator] In the jungle,
Manco Cápac II

574
00:32:37,567 --> 00:32:39,534
is joined by the Inca elites

575
00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:43,000
who are resisting
the Spanish colonizers,

576
00:32:43,133 --> 00:32:44,434
including those who occupied

577
00:32:44,567 --> 00:32:48,234
the majestic site
of Machu Picchu.

578
00:32:48,367 --> 00:32:49,834
[Dominika Sieczkowska]
Thanks to radiocarbon dating,

579
00:32:49,968 --> 00:32:53,000
we will be able to establish
that possibly the site

580
00:32:53,133 --> 00:32:57,634
was abandoned after the Spanish
arrived to, to this zone

581
00:32:57,767 --> 00:33:01,267
and the people moved
somewhere else.

582
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:08,667
[Narrator] The mountaintop city,
perched 2,430 meters high,

583
00:33:08,801 --> 00:33:12,968
had avoided the attacks that
shook Peru during the conquest.

584
00:33:14,534 --> 00:33:18,334
Built by the great-grandfather
of Manco Cápac II,

585
00:33:18,467 --> 00:33:20,734
the megalithic treasure
of the Andes

586
00:33:20,868 --> 00:33:24,767
was not designed
as a military site.

587
00:33:24,901 --> 00:33:29,868
For a century, it served as a
second home for the Inca elite,

588
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,467
an agricultural site,

589
00:33:31,601 --> 00:33:36,167
an astronomical observatory,
and a sanctuary.

590
00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:39,868
Perhaps the Spanish never
knew of its existence.

591
00:33:42,767 --> 00:33:45,934
[Alicia Fernández Flórez]
Fortunately, the topography

592
00:33:46,067 --> 00:33:50,033
of the area prevented them
from reaching Machu Picchu

593
00:33:50,167 --> 00:33:53,601
and subjecting it
to the same fate as Cusco,

594
00:33:53,734 --> 00:33:57,033
where the layout was
completely different.

595
00:33:59,734 --> 00:34:02,234
[Narrator] At the start
of the conquest,

596
00:34:02,367 --> 00:34:05,901
the Spanish came in search
of a mythical city

597
00:34:06,033 --> 00:34:08,634
of gold and riches.

598
00:34:09,967 --> 00:34:12,667
[Denise Pozzi-Escot, dubbed] It
is said that the Spanish arrived

599
00:34:12,801 --> 00:34:16,400
in search of El Dorado, but once
they arrived in America,

600
00:34:16,534 --> 00:34:19,634
they discovered that not
all the gold they dreamed of

601
00:34:19,766 --> 00:34:21,467
existed there.

602
00:34:23,766 --> 00:34:27,667
[Narrator] The conquistadors
mainly found gold in mines.

603
00:34:27,801 --> 00:34:30,467
Beyond Cusco,
there was no other city

604
00:34:30,601 --> 00:34:35,234
where gold and wealth were
ostentatiously displayed.

605
00:34:35,367 --> 00:34:39,766
In 1533, when the Spanish
arrived in Pachácamac,

606
00:34:39,900 --> 00:34:42,900
they set about searching
for treasures.

607
00:34:44,868 --> 00:34:50,833
[Pozzi-Escot] They stay here
for six months looting the site,

608
00:34:50,967 --> 00:34:52,833
which is why it’s full of holes.

609
00:34:52,967 --> 00:34:55,434
They're destroying the temples
in search of gold

610
00:34:55,567 --> 00:34:59,701
that didn’t exist in the
quantities they were hoping for.

611
00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:05,634
[Narrator] And here,
the Spanish didn't just loot

612
00:35:05,767 --> 00:35:07,667
material goods.

613
00:35:07,801 --> 00:35:12,701
In 2016, archaeologist
Rocio Villar Astigueta

614
00:35:12,834 --> 00:35:16,667
discovered the scars of the
abuses of the conquistadors,

615
00:35:16,801 --> 00:35:20,434
etched into the ground.

616
00:35:20,567 --> 00:35:23,734
[Rocio Villar Astigueta, dubbed]
On the surface of the ground,

617
00:35:23,868 --> 00:35:28,033
we can see an accumulation
of ash and burnt earth.

618
00:35:28,167 --> 00:35:30,701
There are even
fragments of coal.

619
00:35:33,033 --> 00:35:35,801
[Narrator] These are the organic
remains of a fire

620
00:35:35,934 --> 00:35:39,934
that burnt 500 years ago.

621
00:35:40,067 --> 00:35:45,033
[Astigueta] The red earth tells
us where the fires occurred.

622
00:35:45,167 --> 00:35:50,734
It’s the clay that, when burnt,
takes on this reddish color.

623
00:35:50,868 --> 00:35:53,701
So the ashes tell us about
the nature of the materials

624
00:35:53,834 --> 00:35:57,334
that were burnt.

625
00:35:57,467 --> 00:35:59,834
[Narrator] As archaeologists
excavated the zone

626
00:35:59,968 --> 00:36:04,334
around the fire, they made
an astonishing discovery--

627
00:36:04,467 --> 00:36:08,534
thousands of human bones.

628
00:36:08,667 --> 00:36:10,400
[Sarita Fuentes Villalobos,
dubbed] We recovered 10,000

629
00:36:10,534 --> 00:36:14,667
bones in various states.

630
00:36:14,801 --> 00:36:17,534
Complete bones,
like this tibia, for example,

631
00:36:17,667 --> 00:36:20,434
or fragments like these,
from ribs.

632
00:36:22,467 --> 00:36:25,133
[Narrator] The degree
of carbonization and the color

633
00:36:25,267 --> 00:36:28,334
of some of these bones
indicate that the bodies

634
00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:32,667
were already dead and buried
at the time of the fire.

635
00:36:32,801 --> 00:36:35,467
[Villalobos]
Here the combustion is high,

636
00:36:35,601 --> 00:36:37,167
because the material has changed

637
00:36:37,300 --> 00:36:41,634
more than 50%
from gray to white.

638
00:36:41,767 --> 00:36:43,667
[Narrator] To understand,
an investigation

639
00:36:43,801 --> 00:36:47,567
combining archaeology
and forensic medicine begins.

640
00:36:47,701 --> 00:36:51,434
[Villalobos] While excavating,
we identify three fire cores.

641
00:36:51,567 --> 00:36:53,534
[Narrator] Archaeologists wanted
to understand

642
00:36:53,667 --> 00:36:57,734
what these sporadic fires
corresponded to.

643
00:36:59,534 --> 00:37:02,467
[Astigueta] We started to
excavate, and we realized

644
00:37:02,601 --> 00:37:06,667
that there were very
well-defined areas of burning.

645
00:37:09,067 --> 00:37:10,567
And the remains of human bones

646
00:37:10,701 --> 00:37:14,100
were precisely where
the fires had taken place.

647
00:37:14,234 --> 00:37:17,501
[speaking Spanish]

648
00:37:17,634 --> 00:37:22,334
This enabled us to understand
that this mass grave, this fire,

649
00:37:22,467 --> 00:37:25,033
had been maintained
with the specific aim

650
00:37:25,167 --> 00:37:30,400
of burning the bones of people
who had already been buried.

651
00:37:32,501 --> 00:37:36,234
[Narrator] Around 1533,
in one of the most sacred

652
00:37:36,367 --> 00:37:40,200
Inca temples,
thousands of dead bodies

653
00:37:40,334 --> 00:37:44,400
were deliberately exhumed
and set alight.

654
00:37:44,534 --> 00:37:46,601
Manuscripts discovered
near the fires,

655
00:37:46,734 --> 00:37:50,901
written in Spanish,
leave no doubt.

656
00:37:51,033 --> 00:37:52,300
It was the conquistadors

657
00:37:52,434 --> 00:37:55,467
who were responsible
for this massacre.

658
00:37:57,868 --> 00:37:59,701
[Astigueta] This demonstrates
the intention

659
00:37:59,834 --> 00:38:02,534
to destroy sacred beliefs.

660
00:38:02,667 --> 00:38:04,801
I don't know if
the Spanish were aware

661
00:38:04,934 --> 00:38:07,400
of the magnitude of these acts,

662
00:38:07,534 --> 00:38:10,834
because one of the greatest
fears of the Andean people

663
00:38:10,968 --> 00:38:14,667
was that their bodies would
be burnt after they died.

664
00:38:14,801 --> 00:38:18,601
And that’s precisely
what they did.

665
00:38:22,434 --> 00:38:24,400
[Pozzi-Escot]
To plunder the dead

666
00:38:24,534 --> 00:38:27,534
is to violate
an entire religion.

667
00:38:27,667 --> 00:38:30,767
It’s attacking
all their rituals.

668
00:38:30,901 --> 00:38:36,000
These foreigners arrive
and destroy everything.

669
00:38:38,767 --> 00:38:41,968
[Narrator] The conquistadors
sought to destroy Inca beliefs

670
00:38:42,100 --> 00:38:46,834
and impose their vision
of the world on the region.

671
00:38:46,968 --> 00:38:48,200
A new calendar.

672
00:38:48,334 --> 00:38:49,801
A new language.

673
00:38:49,934 --> 00:38:51,567
New rituals.

674
00:38:51,701 --> 00:38:54,501
Even a new god.

675
00:38:54,634 --> 00:38:56,367
[Baca] There have been
many changes

676
00:38:56,501 --> 00:38:58,534
imposed by the Spanish Crown.

677
00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:02,033
Religion, Catholicism,
Evangelization.

678
00:39:02,167 --> 00:39:06,400
And this has greatly, greatly
diminished Indigenous society.

679
00:39:08,334 --> 00:39:09,534
[Narrator]
The fall of the Inca state

680
00:39:09,667 --> 00:39:12,367
spanned more than
three decades,

681
00:39:12,501 --> 00:39:16,367
from the reign
of Manco Cápac II in 1536,

682
00:39:16,501 --> 00:39:20,901
until the fall of the last
resistance fighters.

683
00:39:21,033 --> 00:39:23,634
By 1572, nothing remained

684
00:39:23,767 --> 00:39:27,400
of the administration
of the Sons of the Sun.

685
00:39:28,100 --> 00:39:30,734
[speaking Spanish]

686
00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:32,767
[Baca] When the Spanish
succeeded in capturing

687
00:39:32,901 --> 00:39:38,400
the last Inca emperor,
a new chapter in history began.

688
00:39:38,534 --> 00:39:42,501
The Spanish began to reorganize
Cusco in their own way,

689
00:39:42,634 --> 00:39:46,901
with Spanish decor,
with Western architecture.

690
00:39:49,934 --> 00:39:53,300
[Narrator] The conquistadors set
about methodically destroying

691
00:39:53,434 --> 00:39:57,434
everything that represented
Inca identity.

692
00:39:57,567 --> 00:39:59,968
To achieve this,
they dismantled

693
00:40:00,100 --> 00:40:02,300
the most symbolic monuments,

694
00:40:02,467 --> 00:40:06,801
like the imposing site
of Sacsayhuaman in Cuzco.

695
00:40:06,934 --> 00:40:08,534
[Vranich] They took
the most impressive stone

696
00:40:08,667 --> 00:40:10,534
from Sacsayhuaman
and brought it down

697
00:40:10,667 --> 00:40:12,601
to make doorways and lintels.

698
00:40:12,734 --> 00:40:16,234
And as they continued to build,
this became an open quarry,

699
00:40:16,367 --> 00:40:18,367
and the colonial city
that we see today

700
00:40:18,501 --> 00:40:21,968
is mostly built with the stones
from Sacsayhuaman.

701
00:40:23,534 --> 00:40:25,200
[Narrator]
The Spanish built churches

702
00:40:25,334 --> 00:40:28,234
in almost all Inca cities.

703
00:40:28,367 --> 00:40:32,968
But even when crushed,
Indigenous culture lives on.

704
00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:38,033
♪ ♪

705
00:40:38,167 --> 00:40:41,701
In Cajamarca,
a church demonstrates

706
00:40:41,834 --> 00:40:46,567
how Indigenous and Christian
architecture fused.

707
00:40:46,701 --> 00:40:51,434
♪ ♪

708
00:40:51,567 --> 00:40:54,234
[Merino] When these churches
were being built,

709
00:40:54,367 --> 00:40:55,968
Indigenous peoples were used,

710
00:40:56,100 --> 00:41:00,934
and they began to develop
this European architecture.

711
00:41:02,567 --> 00:41:06,133
And we know there were
no photos, there were no models.

712
00:41:06,267 --> 00:41:09,234
And so their inspiration
for sculpting these faces,

713
00:41:09,367 --> 00:41:11,934
these cherubs that
make up the façade,

714
00:41:12,067 --> 00:41:13,667
as well as these flowers,

715
00:41:13,801 --> 00:41:18,567
came from the flora of Cajamarca
and the Indigenous faces.

716
00:41:22,501 --> 00:41:27,000
[Narrator] Representations
adapted, as did beliefs.

717
00:41:27,133 --> 00:41:28,734
The Feast of the Sun God,

718
00:41:28,868 --> 00:41:32,267
devoutly celebrated
throughout the Inca Empire,

719
00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:35,334
was postponed by the Spanish
for three days

720
00:41:35,467 --> 00:41:38,968
to coincide with the Christian
festival of Saint John.

721
00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:40,734
The Inca religion lived on

722
00:41:40,868 --> 00:41:44,334
by adorning itself
with Christianity.

723
00:41:45,868 --> 00:41:47,634
[Itier] The religion
of the mountains,

724
00:41:47,767 --> 00:41:50,033
which in the Andes is
thousands of years old,

725
00:41:50,167 --> 00:41:53,400
continues to exist alongside
the religion of the saints,

726
00:41:53,534 --> 00:41:56,601
the Virgin Mary and Christ.

727
00:41:56,734 --> 00:42:00,667
[Velarde] These two aspects
have blended harmoniously

728
00:42:00,801 --> 00:42:05,534
to create what Peru is today,
a Peru of mixed origins,

729
00:42:05,667 --> 00:42:08,868
a Peru that owes as much
to its Andean past

730
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,367
as to its Spanish past.

731
00:42:13,334 --> 00:42:15,234
[Narrator]
The Inca Empire itself,

732
00:42:15,367 --> 00:42:17,901
even before
the Spanish conquest,

733
00:42:18,033 --> 00:42:21,601
the legacy of centuries
of different cultures.

734
00:42:24,067 --> 00:42:28,033
[Baca] These pre-Inca cultures
were conquered by the Incas.

735
00:42:28,167 --> 00:42:32,501
We can describe the Inca culture
as the cultural synthesis

736
00:42:32,634 --> 00:42:37,267
of all the advances that
took place across ancient Peru.

737
00:42:39,534 --> 00:42:40,934
[Velarde] The different
societies of Peru

738
00:42:41,067 --> 00:42:45,467
are in many social, economic,
cultural, political,

739
00:42:45,601 --> 00:42:48,634
and religious aspects
founded on the foundations

740
00:42:48,767 --> 00:42:51,801
of pre-Hispanic
religions and customs.

741
00:42:51,934 --> 00:42:54,567
In this sense, it isn't
possible to talk about

742
00:42:54,701 --> 00:42:58,300
the disappearance
of the Inca imprint.

743
00:42:58,434 --> 00:43:00,234
[Narrator] Not only has Peru's
ancient culture

744
00:43:00,367 --> 00:43:02,400
not disappeared, it has become

745
00:43:02,534 --> 00:43:04,968
much more visible
in recent years.

746
00:43:05,100 --> 00:43:07,000
Because the Inca civilization,

747
00:43:07,133 --> 00:43:08,734
known mainly
through the writings

748
00:43:08,868 --> 00:43:10,400
of those who annihilated it,

749
00:43:10,534 --> 00:43:12,868
is now revealing
itself unfiltered,

750
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,701
thanks to technological
advances in modern archaeology.

751
00:43:16,834 --> 00:43:19,367
The mysterious history
of the Inca Empire

752
00:43:19,501 --> 00:43:22,434
is even more captivating.

753
00:43:22,567 --> 00:43:25,467
[Sepulveda] With all
the knowledge we have today,

754
00:43:25,601 --> 00:43:28,434
we can truly consider the Incas
as one of the great,

755
00:43:28,567 --> 00:43:31,534
if not the greatest
civilization of the Andes.

756
00:43:31,667 --> 00:43:34,033
They knew how to innovate
by reappropriating

757
00:43:34,167 --> 00:43:38,234
numerous technologies based on
traditional ancestral knowledge

758
00:43:38,367 --> 00:43:41,801
dating back thousands of years.

759
00:43:41,934 --> 00:43:43,534
[Narrator] Half a millennium
after the fall

760
00:43:43,667 --> 00:43:48,734
of the Empire of the Sun,
its legacy endures.

761
00:43:48,868 --> 00:43:52,434
In certain stones,
in certain gestures,

762
00:43:52,567 --> 00:43:56,133
the mystical breath
of the Inca still lives.

763
00:43:56,267 --> 00:43:58,434
A spiritual imprint.

764
00:43:58,567 --> 00:44:01,567
A monumental imprint.