A quick 4 mile ride from Banos del Inca and I was in the capital city of this region, Cajamarca (pop. 217,000), a city famous for its cheeses and where the Inca empire came to an end. During the Battle of Cajamarca, the Spanish ambushed Atahualpa, the emperor of the Inca, by inviting him to the city under the guise of peaceful discussions. After he refused to accept Catholicism the Spanish took him prisoner and proceeded to massacre Atahualpa’s 6000 unarmed men using guns, cannons and cavalry (the Inca had never seen guns or even horses prior to this). It took about 40 more years but eventually the Inca empire fell.
There are some museums and some other things from the Inca days. The plaza where Atahualpa was captured and later killed is a few blocks from my hotel. The prison where Atahualpa was held, is the only Inca building still standing.
I’ll hang out here for 2 more nights before moving on.
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