Vilcabamba – Last Inca Stronghold

In 1911, after discovering Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham traveled down the Urubamba River to Chaullay, then went up through the Vilcabamba Valley to the town of Pukyura, where he would find evidence of the Inca ruins of Vitcos.

Located on the high hill overlooking an important headwater of the Vilcabamba River, Bingham “discovered” Vitcos, known locally as Rosaspata, less than two weeks after finding Machu Picchu.

It was a relatively small complex, but clearly palatial, built around a trapezoidal plaza spread across a flat-topped spur. Further below Rosaspata, Bingham was shown a spring that flowed beneath a large white granite rock, intricately carved in typical Inca style and surrounded by the remains of an impressive Inca temple.

This white rock, “Huaca Chuquipalta”, measuring 15 meters long and 8 meters high, was proof that he had truly found Vitcos. It was clearly the great Inca Oracle, where blood sacrifices and other “pagan” rituals, according to chronicles, had so angered two Spanish priests — guests in the refuge of the rebel Incas — that they exorcised the rock and set fire to the temple sanctuary.

Important: Discover the mysteries of the last Inca stronghold. Walk along the trails of the last inhabitants of the Inca Empire and enjoy the incredible landscape of the Vilcabamba Valley.