Inca Treasure -

Old Bookaroo

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Three hundred years have not sufficed to eradicate the notion that enormous treasures are concealed within the Fortress; nor have three hundred years of excavation, more or less constant, entirely discouraged the searchers for tapadas. In making our surveys of the work and of the Rodadero many were the eyes that watched us from behind rocks and stones, in full belief that the forasteros were there with some ancient itinerario obtained from Spain, to determine the limit of our day's survey, and as a guide for resumption of our work. Often have I been approached by individuals of highest local position, with knowing and confidential hints and suggestions as to where the treasures were–merely as friends, to save us trouble, and with perfect willingness to make a fair division of the spoils; their traditional knowledge to offset our practical skill in treasurehunting.

Inca Treasure Fortress.jpg

I doubt if, among all the people, high and low, whom I met in the Sierra, half a dozen could be found, when questioned apart, who would not testify to a belief that the investigation of ancient monuments was rather a clumsy pretext under which to carry on search for the chain of Huayna Capac or some other tapada of equal value, like the pexe grande of Chimu or the 10,000 llama loads of gold that were lost to the Spaniards by the premature execution of Atahualpa.

And, if closely pressed, I think there are not a few who would take a distinct oath that my rather precipitate retreat to the coast, when the rains began to fall, was the immediate consequence of having been successful in my search. And I think it not impossible that the stones that were rolled down on us in the defiles of Andahuaylas were intended to create a confusion, wherein the mules laden with supposed Inca treasure could be stampeded, and the strangers and heretics spoiled.

What a disappointment it would have been to the evil-minded assailants if they had succeeded in obtaining the coveted packages, only to find them filled with skulls and all uncleanness!

In a MS. in the British Museum, a copy of which is in my possession, I find recorded a curious story touching the supposed treasures of the Sacsahuaman, told by Felipe de Pomanes, who says:

“It is a well-known and acknowledged thing that in this Fortress of Cuzco there is a secret vault, in which is a vast treasure, since there were placed in it ail the statues of the lncas, wrought in gold. And there is living to-day a lady who has been in this vault, named Dona Maria de Esqnivel, wife of the last Inca, and whom I have heard describe how she came to go there, and what she saw there. It was thus: This lady had married Don Carlos Inca, who had not the means to keep up the state of the great personage that he really was, and the Dona Maria neglected him" [the chronicler says something worse], "because she had been deceived into marrying a poor Indian under the pretense that he was a great lord and Inca. And she so often repeated this reproach that Don Carlos one night said to her: ‘Do you wish to know if I am the miserable pauper and wretch you accuse me of being? Do you wish to know if I am poor or rich? If so, come with me, and you shall see that I possess more wealth than any lord or king in the universe.' And Dona Maria, overcome by curiosity, consented to have her eyes bandaged–so unlike a woman –and to follow her indignant lord, who led her a number of turns, and then took her hand and conducted her down into a room, when he removed the bandage from her eyes, and she saw herself surrounded by unbounded treasures. In niches in the walls were many statues of all the Incas, as large as youths of twelve years old, all of finest gold, besides numberless vases of gold and silver, and blocks of the same, and altogether a wealth that convinced the lady that here was the grandest treasure of the world."

Inca Treasure 2.jpg

How she behaved to her lord afterward the chronicler does not tell us; and whether she wheedled Don Carlos Inca out of a statue of his fathers, or a block of gold, we are unfortunately left in ignorance. But the chronicler does say that it is not to be presumed that an author of such judgment and character as Felipe de Pomanes would tell a story, even if it were possible that a lady of the character and known virtue of Dona Maria de Esquivel, could be guilty of such a thing.

All I can say is, that if the secret chamber that she entered has not yet been found and despoiled it has not been for default of digging, for I doubt if a foot of the soil of the Sacsahuaman has escaped being turned a dozen times over. Men were constantly busy there during the whole time of our stay. Perhaps our visit gave a new impulse to money-digging, or tapada-hunting, which, if called on to say, I should declare to be the principal occupation of the people of Peru. The time, labor, and money that have been spent in digging and dismantling ancient edifices, would have built a railway from one end of the country to the other–given wharves to the ports, and, what is far more needed, sewers to the cities!

~ Among the Andres of Peru and Bolivia, by E.G. Squier - The Harpers Monthly, August 1868

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo, CM
 

South Sea mariner

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Hello Bookaroo thank you for the interesting post. More please .:icon_thumright:

I actually visited Sacsahuaman with my wife and children several years ago on holiday. Funny as the name is spoken as "Sexywoman" Never got to explore underneath it. But there was the remains on the top of the fortress a big tower.

Mal
 

Real of Tayopa

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Gentlemen. Today in one of science literature groups it was posted "recent deforestry efforts in the Amazona, uncovered a series of mounds and what appear to be fortifications approx. over 2000 years old. some 200 of them". Food for thought.
 

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South Sea mariner

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Gentlemen. Today in one of science literature groups it was posted "recent deforestry efforts in the Amazona, uncovered a series of mounds and what appear to be fortifications approx. over 2000 years old. some 200 of them". Food for thought.

Hello Tayopa

Contrary to past popular thought at one time much of the amazon was once settled by thriving farming commodities until the spread of small pox and diseases from European first arrival. Where the local population was decimated that created a massive collapse of native societies in the Amazon Basin. The natives who survived resorted back to hunter and gatherer existence in isolation of themselves against outsiders and possible contamination to the tribes we see there today. Not just there but in central America also. A number of contributing factors combined led to destruction these native city states.

tapada-hunting has been going on since Pizarro's time. It is interesting to note The Church was very active with local parishioners confiscating this alleged unholy idoliltory.

Mal
 

Real of Tayopa

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Hola Mal, the church has always been the biggest suppresior and yet the most valuable lately of native religeous data, Up here in mexico, an indian camme to me with his story of antiquities. It seems that he was a tractro operator and in construction a new road he was ordered to go to thw front, and construct a loading area. He cleared the area, then as he was widening it his blade bounced, so out of curiosity he got down to examine 'why' more closely, he found that it was the cupola / dome of a church that was buried, so making a small hole he entered. Within he found everything normal, with the exception of one room which was filled with idols.cast everywhere. So with his eye set on antiquities ,he came looing for me. I told him it was a no-no, so he left after having a cup of caffee and fresh pan dulcie. Later he returned and told me that the buried church was in a valley, and had been lost because of a landslide.which buried it. No mention of a buried pries

The olden priests had a habit, one idol for one entry into Cathicism, i,e. convert.. I often wondered just what the chruch ever did with the now very valuable antiques.
 

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ethancampbell

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The research I did on this pointed to a few possible fates for the Amber Room. The most likely one is that it was destroyed in the allied bomb raid, but it's already been proven that pieces of the room, such as panels and furnishings, were taken by opportunistic Nazi grunts during transportation from Tsarkoye Selo to Koningsberg. A few of these dissertation help resurfaced in the 70's. Some other theories I didn't see mentioned here yet was that there was an old German art thief whose father was in the SS and stole artifacts from Hitler, who got busted in a tax investigation, which led to authorities discovering tons of priceless missing art in his apartment. Allegedly he may have known the whereabouts of an off-site art cache that may have had something to do with the amber room, but he died in 2014.
 

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Old Bookaroo

Old Bookaroo

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I just learned that the five Harper's articles by E.G. Squier have been collected into a book - Exploring the Andes and the Inca Ruins (2012). The change in title from the magazine articles made it a bit difficult to locate.

Students of the subject may also enjoy
his

Peru; incidents of travel and exploration in the land of the Incas : Squier, E. G. (Ephraim George), 1821-1888 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Peru Map - Squire.PNG

I haven't located a modern reprint of this work - and the originals are north of $500.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

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KANACKI

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I just learned that the five Harper's articles by E.G. Squier have been collected into a book - Exploring the Andes and the Inca Ruins (2012). The change in title from the magazine articles made it a bit difficult to locate.

Students of the subject may also enjoy
his

Peru; incidents of travel and exploration in the land of the Incas : Squier, E. G. (Ephraim George), 1821-1888 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


I haven't located a modern reprint of this work - and the originals are north of $500.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

Hola amigo thank you for the book link.

Kanacki
 

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