Lost Inca cities

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Which the "last" cities and strongholds and which are the "lost" ones?

One can hear so often words like the "Last Refuge of the Incas", the "Lost City of the Incas", the "Last Capital of the Incas", the "Hidden City of the Incas" and so on...

We hear similar "titles", but which are not identical in meaning, attributed to almost any major Inca city.

We hear about Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba, Vitcos, Choquequirao and sometimes about Paititi. In either one or another way, the are all labeled to be "the last" or "the greatest", not to mention "hidden" or "lost".

Under this article we are trying to clear-up the myst around which is actually the last, the lost etc.

One thing we must all agree on is that the are or were all lost for a while until archaeologists found them. That's common in all the ruins.

Interesting is that most of the legendary cities haven't been found, but many others that are not so well known by the great public, have been uncovered from the dense jungle (Machu Picchu, Cota Coca, Corihuayrachina and Choquequirao are good examples).

Machu Picchu

Was never found by the Spaniards, as we know, due to its remote location.

Is often called the "Hidden City of the Incas" - because it was remote, hidden, unknown, perhaps even to other Incas.

Hiram Bingham, after his discovery, concluded that Machu Picchu was the so-called "Lost City of the Incas", but after observing carefully, it became clear to him that the citadel was never found by the Spaniards and is actually a new, unknown wonder that he came across.

Others confused Machu Picchu with Paititi, a legendary place where it is thought that the Incas have hidden their large amounts of gold.

Vilcabamba

It is officially recognized as the "Last Stronghold of the Incas" - it was the place where ruler Manco Cápac II has found his last refuge, until the Spaniards crushed them in 1572, killing Túpac Amaru, the ruler of the Incas at that time

The place is near the village of Espíritu Pampa and in ancient times it was often referred to by the Spaniards as "Vilcabamba Viejo".

Vilcabamba is a ruined city and a Valley, in which it can be found. Today, only a few stones have remained of this city, not an impressive attractions for tourists.

Vitcos

It is simply a complex of ruins in the Vilcabamba Valley, not too far from the remains of the Vilcabamba stronghold.

Vitcos is often confused with Vilcabamba. No, it is not the last stronghold held by the Incas, but it is one of the last cities ever held by them.

This one was crushed by the Spaniards before Vitcos was.

Choquequirao

This one is also often confused with the others and many think it was the last Inca refuge or stronghold, but it's wrong.

Choquequirao was another place where Manco Cápac II found refuge from the Spaniards, in 1535. Later, due to Spanish attack of the city, Manco Cápac II. (or Manco Inca Yupanqui) had to find another place to hide, therefore he founded Vilcabamba in 1539.

The city was sieged and raided by the conquistadores, but still remained relatively intact, no major battles took place at Choquequirao.

The place is called the "Last Refuge of the Sons of the Sun" or the "Last Stronghold of the Son's of the Sun". But it is not the last Inca stronghold (which was Vilcabamba).

Paititi

It is a mythical city, believed to hold many treasures that the Incas have hidden from the Spaniards.

It is called the "Hidden City of the Incas" or the "Lost City of the Incas". In a way similarly to Machu Picchu. Both can be considered hidden and lost.

Machu Picchu is real, Paititi not necessarily. It can sort of an "Emerald City" from the "Wizard of Oz" story or, perhaps it is real and is waiting to be found, just like Troy, ancient Greek city, believed to have been pure myth, but was detected by enthusiastic German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

Also, important to remark, that the Paititi myth is often confused with with the El Dorado myth, which is not a Peruvian Inca, but rather a myth of a Colombian Muisca origin. There is no connection whatsoever between Paititi and the El Dorado.

We hope that our article has cleared the confusion created words-of-mouth, rumours and superficial TV presentations intended to the masses.