The Inca Empire was the largest empire in the Americas during the pre-Columbian era, with its administrative, political, and military center located in Cusco, in what is now the highlands of Peru.
Historical records indicate that the Inca people controlled much of the western part of South America, concentrated in the Andes mountains, through conquests and peaceful assimilation. At its peak, this empire unified all of Peru, southwestern Ecuador, western and southern central Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, most of present-day Chile, and southwestern Colombia, rivaling other Eurasian empires.
The economy of the Inca did not use money and lacked a market system. They exchanged goods and services based on reciprocal relationships among individuals, communities, groups, or Inca leaders. At the same time, Inca residents hoarded wealth in the form of gold, jewelry, and other precious minerals from the earth.
An illustration of Francisco Pizarro González’s troops capturing the Inca prince, Atahualpa. (Photo: History)
However, everything began to change when Francisco Pizarro González, a Spanish explorer and conquistador, descended from Panama and infiltrated Inca territory in 1526. After another expedition in 1529, Pizarro returned to Spain to seek permission from the crown to conquer the region, which was granted. During this time, the two sons of Inca Emperor Huayna Capac, Huáscar and Atahualpa, were engaged in a power struggle that destabilized the empire.
At this point, Pizarro’s forces captured Atahualpa in the Cajamarca palace and demanded a large ransom of gold for the prince’s freedom. However, once the gold was prepared, Atahualpa was executed by the Spanish. The Inca general, Ruminahui, immediately hid the gold in a mysterious wilderness and continued to fight until his last breath.
The lost treasure of the Inca remains a mystery to this day. (Photo: The Travel).
Many wonder why this gold continues to attract public interest; the answer lies in historical accounts indicating that the amount of gold the Incas amassed reached up to 750 tons, equivalent to over $37 billion at today’s gold prices.
A Century-Long Treasure Hunt
For many years, explorers and archaeologists have relentlessly embarked on a quest to find the legendary Inca treasure. This search began about 50 years after the gold was declared lost. Prior to this, a Spanish man living in South America married an indigenous girl. The belief in this union led the bride’s father, who had accidentally found the treasure in the deep forest, to reveal the location of the Inca gold to his son-in-law.
This secret was kept hidden for many years, but the Spanish son-in-law, before passing away, disclosed the secret location of the Inca treasure to the King of Spain. With specific written guidance, a Spanish general named Friar set out to find this treasure. They eventually found it and sent word back to the king. However, this general later mysteriously disappeared.
All those who claimed to know the treasure’s location mysteriously vanished. (Photo: OC).
By 1860, an English explorer named Barth Blake also claimed to have found the Inca treasure in a series of letters to his friends. Blake is considered the last person to have located this treasure, and his documentation is regarded as the most detailed description of the lost Inca gold known today.
“There are thousands of pieces of handcrafted gold and silver from pre-Inca times. These are the most exquisite goldsmith works imaginable, depicting human figures, birds, and animals in lifelike sizes made from gold and silver scattered everywhere…”, Blake wrote in his letters.
Unable to carry all the gold back alone, Blake took a small amount and returned, but he too vanished mysteriously. Over a hundred years since Blake disappeared with information about the location of the lost gold, the treasure remains unfound, and the search continues.
The Location of the Treasure
The exact location of the treasure remains an unanswered question. Although the area believed to be where the Incas hid their gold is located in the Llanganates Mountains, searching for gold in such vast mountainous terrain is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
A picturesque scene in Llanganates National Park, Ecuador. (Photo: Wiki).
The Llanganates Mountains are located in present-day Ecuador and are protected within the Llanganates National Park. Besides harboring many historical mysteries, the landscape here is incredibly beautiful, pristine, and an excellent hiking destination attracting many tourists. Furthermore, treasure hunters and explorers from around the world continue to gather here, hoping to find the enormous treasure.
For many years, expedition teams have tirelessly searched for the Inca treasure. (Photo: History).
However, explorers face the extreme heat of the South American terrain and the dangers that arise along the way. Tall grasses like razor blades, rugged trails, and insect attacks are the leading causes of death for unfortunate explorers.
