When Manco Inca was finally defeated in 1536, he fled into the jungle with a small band of followers. They settled in the city of Vilcabamba situated in the furthest peaks of the Andes. Here they continued to live their traditional lifestyle, ruling a tiny mountain kingdom while the Spanish colonized their country and decimated their people.
In 1572, Manco Inca's son, Tupac Amaru, rebelled against the Spanish and tried to retake Cuzco. He was easily defeated and executed the same year in Cuzco's main square. Vilcabamba was then deserted. The jungle grew over it and the track leading up to it was covered and eventually lost and forgotten.
Vilcabamba became a legendary place, representing both the last stronghold of the [G 11 / Inca], and for the Indians, freedom from their oppressive Spanish overlords. It was Vilcabamba which Hiram Bingham was searching for in 1911. He discovered [P 001 / Machu Picchu], but Vilcabamba remained hidden for many more years.
