The Spanish conquest of the Incas in 1532 was one of the world’s most astonishing military victories. Just 168 soldiers led by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro defeated an imperial Inca force of maybe 200,000 warriors, and an empire of some 12 million people. The conquest took decades to complete and led to further campaigns including the Amazon. It was one of history’s most cataclysmic events with momentous consequences for the indigenous peoples of South America. Against the odds, Pizarro captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa on 16 November 1532 at the Battle of Cajamarca, in what was really an urban ambush. A year later the Spanish won a convincing victory at the Battle of Vilcaconga, where their steel armour, swords, arquebus, cannon, and horses greatly advantaged them over Inca warriors armed with cotton clothing, bows, slings, and stone maces. Aided by indigenous allies, the Spanish successfully captured the Inca capital of Cusco in November 1533, fought off a 10-month siege by thousands of Inca warriors, stormed the nearby fortress of Sacsayhuaman, and were then defeated by the Inca Emperor Manco Inca at the Battle of Ollantaytambo in January 1537. Skirmishes and ambushes continued until the Battle of Vilcabamba, when the Spanish captured and beheaded the last Inca ruler Túpac Amaru on 24 September 1572.

The Inca Empire (1438-1533 CE) was the largest and most successful South American civilization, rivaling many of the Old World’s great imperial cultures. Known as Tawantinsuyu (‘Land of the Four Quarters’), the multi-lingual and multiethnic empire stretched some 4,000 km, from Ecuador south through Peru to Chile, and had 40,000 km of imperial roads. Like the Spanish, the Incas were great conquerors, with gold and silver being common denominators; but where Spanish desire was based on commercial wealth, the Incas (and their predecessors) regarded these metals with spiritual and cosmic reverence. The imperial capital of Cuzco contained the temple-home of the Sun God Inti and the royal family and imperial administration. In the valleys around were Inca towns, fortresses, and temples, including the lost citadel of Machu Picchu. Everything was achieved without the wheel or draft animals, with no writing system, no iron or steel, and no money or market system. Inca success was built in part on the extraordinary achievements of earlier cultures. By Lake Titicaca, the Tiwanaku civilization flourished between c. 200–700 CE, and the imperial Wari between 500–1000 CE. On the coast, vast temple-pyramids of mudbrick were built by the Moche (100-750 CE), Sicán (800-1375 CE) and Chimú (1200-1476 CE) – civilizations which have yielded some of the world’s most spectacular archaeological treasures.

The Cultural Experience tour is unique. No other journey blends the drama of the Spanish Conquest with the brilliance of Peru’s great pre-Columbian civilizations and the spectacular scenery of the Andes.

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