Soon after the Spanish invasion of Peru (AD 1531) the ruling Inca, Manco Inca, fled into a mountainous region called Vilcabamba, some 120 miles to the northwest of Cuzco. He first established a government-in-exile in the town of Vitcos and enlarged the local shrine called Yurak Rumi. From there he built a new capital city called Vilcabamba, in an even more inaccessible and inhospitable area, with many temples and shrines. From this remote political and religious stronghold, the Manco Inca and his sons waged a 40 year war of resistance against the growing power and influence of Spaniards. During this prolonged period of cultural contact and conflict, the Incas continued to worship their deities yet they also allowed Christian missionaries into the Vilcabamba region as part of peace negotiations with the King of Spain. Indigenous resistance to the Spanish Crown ended in 1572, after a massive Spanish raid into region, the burning of Vilcabamba and its shrine complexes, and the capture and execution of the last royal Inca.
As last frontier of Inca rule, the Vilcabamba region is critically important in understanding the religious and political institutions of the Inca and how they were affected by European contact. Nevertheless, there have been few archaeological projects to focus on its major cities (Vitcos and Vilcabamba) and its regional shrine complex (Yurak Rumi and the Vilcabamba shrines). Current knowledge of the religious and political activities that occurred in the region is based almost exclusively on the 16th century writings of Early Colonial priests and soldiers, many of whom were personally involved in fighting against the indigenous peoples and religions. Since these individuals were more intent on destroying than on recording, their accounts record only limited information about how the cities were organized and the shrines functioned.
This project, conducted under the direction of Brian S. Bauer and supported by the National Science Foundation, represents the first large scale, US supported project in the Vilcabamba region. The research team will be composed of American and Peruvian archaeologists as well as post-graduate students. The research will include two field seasons of archaeological work in the Vilcabamba region and extensive historic research with documents collected from Peru and Spain. The archaeological field work (2010 and 2011) will include the mapping of important sites and shrines as well as excavations within structures, selected open spaces, and trash middens. It will also include architectural studies of the standing ruins and laboratory analysis of the artifacts recovered. The project will yield insights into the political and religious activities that occurred in the region during the final years of the Inca empire. Furthermore, since the region was occupied well into the Early Colonial Period the project will also provide information on the nature of European-American relations during this time of cultural transformation.
