The Collapse of Machu Picchu

High above the Urubamba River in the Andes Mountains of Peru located in a valley between two sharp peaks lay the complex of Machu Picchu.

Standing near the Intihuatana (Hitching Post of the Sun) in the Main Plaza of the Machu Picchu compound was its ruler Tupac Amaru. Tupac had a lot on his mind today. He surveyed the terraces surrounding the village and delighted in the complex aqueduct system that kept his crops watered. Walkways and thousands of stone block steps were carved into the rock to allow access to the plants.

Tupac's workers were busy. "This is good," he grunted. All appeared normal for now, so Tupac meandered back to his Palace.

Everyone knew that Machu Picchu is not spoken of, not even by the nobility. If any class was found to have done so, they were punished severely. It was surrounded by steep cliffs with only a narrow entrance, enabling a small army to fight off any attack that might happen. There was a series of fortified sites, Tambos (traveler's barracks) and signal towers were situated along the Inca Foot Highway. They did not need to venture outside of the complex for water due to the aqueduct. All in all, they were safe, and yet?

The Spaniards were on Tupac's mind recently. They had a reputation of destroying and burning temples whenever they met resistance; thus the "no tell" policy. As further protection, the Incas destroyed all roads leading to it and hid as much evidence of the city they possibly could.

Tupac paced back and forth in the palace, "Send my advisors to me, I need to speak with them now," he ordered his servant.

The panel of Incas gathered around a large table. "Listen, word has come to me that the Spaniards have been closing in on our complex. I want you to prepare a full army to be on guard. We have to be vigilant day and night for we cannot allow them to enter. Furthermore, find out how our location was discovered, and bring me any person who has leaked that information. I will have them dealt with. I hope we do not have an informant in our midst."

The Incas all nodded in agreement and rushed off to obey Tupac's orders.

Rising above Sacred Rock (Temple of the Sun) is the Military Tower, a horse-shaped enclosure. Soldiers were sent there to watch any activity below and report back to Tupac's Commander. On the third day they spotted a line of men far below the complex and a funnel of smoke rising skyward.

"Send report back to Tupac," commanded the leader.

Tupac ran his hand around his chin and put his face in his hands. "They're coming, I feel it. We have to be alert, alert, alert. I will not lose everything we have worked for. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will deliver your message."

Slowly, slowly, day after day, the column of men came closer and closer. There was nothing more the Incas could do, they were as ready as they could be.

It was not easy to make progress, but the Spainards were persistent and gained more ground every day. The informant from Machu Picchu was now in their protection. He had provided details about the complex and what he could about their army under the delusion that he would receive massive amounts of gold once the complex was conquered. Now they were positioning themselves in all corners. The Western side, known as the Temple District or Acropolis, the Southern side where Sacred Rock or Temple of the Sun was located and of course above that they were focused on the Military Tower. They had men attempting to get to the Southwestern corner where The Temple of the Three Windows stood. A main focus, and one where they wanted to take captives, was The Princess's Palace. They were hoping that the Incas would neglect to cross the Inca Bridge, a rope structure that crosses the Urubamba River. It would greatly aide to their escape, so the Spainards wanted to make sure they got to it first. They believed their massive army would be too much for the Incas to overcome.

Now Tupac received news that the soldiers were almost within range of their weapons.

"Hold off as long as you can. We want to take them by surprise. Don't let any man strike before they are commanded to do so."

"Yes, I understand, we will stand ground," stated the Commander and he bowed to Tupac and left.

Closer, closer, closer, the Spainards were coming...from all directions. They had to abandon their sixty-pound steel armor half-way up the mountain as it was too heavy and impeded progress. They kept their steel headpiece and salade (steel mask) to protect their heads. Likewise, the crossbows and harquebus (muskets) would be ineffective weapons as they were cumbersome and slow to load. Their advantage was steel, and their steel swords were sharp on both sides.

Now the Incas were on the defensive. "When I give the command, start pushing the heavy boulders down on top of the Spainards. And so they did, cries of pain were heard as one by one the Spainards fell to their deaths almost 7,000' below. However, they kept coming and they were running low on boulders.

The Inca Commanders shouted, "When I give the command, use your arrows, javelins, slings, and bolas as fast as you can, we must stop them, we must stop them now." They made progress, many Spainards were killed or injured but still they came. Now they were face to face.

"Use your clubs (wood shaped like swords and double edged) and maces (star shaped heads made of copper or bronze), we must not let them get through, this is our last defense."

Below, word was sent to Tupac. "The Spainards are ready to break through, I advise the people to gather their belongs and escape over the Inca Bridge if they can. I do not think we can stop them."

And they could not. Most of the residents, taking their most valuable belongs retreated over the Inca Bridge, including their leader, Tupac. It was sheer luck that the soldiers had not come close to finding the bridge in time. When they were all over, they cut the bridge and destroyed all the trails behind them.

Such was the end of the mighty Machu Picchu.

"Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.".....George Santayana

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Notes ▼

Sources:
https:/www.britannica.com/place/macchu-Picu
https:/wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/macchu-pichu

Footnotes
1  Note that this article is a mixture of fact and fiction