The fall of the Inca empire

Inca emperor Atahualpa

Ancient culture flourished in the Cajamarca region in the northern highlands of Peru from about four thousand years ago. It was an administrative center of Wari culture that flourished throughout Peru about 600-1100 AD. The Inca conquered the area in 1460, and it became a major city on the road between Quito and Cuzco.

Gardens at Baños del Inca

When the Inca emperor Atahualpa was en route from Quito to Cuzco in 1532 he stopped over in Cajamarca to rest with his troops, estimated at around 40,000 to 80,000 men. They were camped at a place now called the Inca Baths (Baños del Inca). 

These steaming pools are fed by very hot thermal water from volcanic sources nearby. A public pool is nearby and is very popular with the locals.

This was the emperor's private bathing pool, located probably within his sumptuous quarters.

 The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived on November 16, 1532. This was the first encounter between the Spanish and Peruvian forces, and was the beginning of the end of the mighty Inca empire based in Cuzco. 

Though the Spanish had only 168 men and horses and guns, the thousands of Inca troops were overwhelmed by the tactics of the Spanish. Atahualpa was imprisoned and held for ransom. The emperor agreed to have gold and silver objects brought from distant locations. He was to be freed after filling a room full of the precious metal. The room in which he was held for a year is the only surviving Inca building in Cajamarca.

Cuarto de Rescate, Cajamarca

Pizarro did not keep his word, and when they had collected their fill of gold and silver Atahualpa was executed. I recently visited the Cathedral of  Córdoba, Spain, located in the middle of the Mezquita, an ancient Moslim mosque, where there is a permanent exhibit of gold and silver objects fashioned from the melted Inca objects. It was a chilling experience knowing that the church had accumulated tons of Inca gold and silver to serve their purposes in Spain.

Not far from the main Plaza in Cajamarca is the Belén complex, consisting of a church and hospital built on the site of ancient Inca buildings that were destroyed. It was constructed between 1627 and 1774, using local volcanic rock.

My guidebook states that on the façade of the Belén church is a statue of a woman with four breasts, an affliction of women in a nearby village.