Find The Treasure Of 750 Tons Of Gold Of The Mysterious Inca Empire

Kane Khanh | Archeaology
July 30, 2023

 

The Inca was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America with its administrative, political and military center at Cusco in the highlands of present-day Peru.

Historical documents record that the Incas controlled much of western South America, centered in the Andes, through peaceful conquest and assimilation. In its heyday, this empire unified all of Peru, southwestern Ecuador, west and south-central Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, most of present-day Chile, and southwestern Colombia on par with other Eurasian empires.

The Incas economy used no money and no markets. They exchanged goods and services in reciprocal relationships between individuals, a community, a group of people, or Inca leaders. At the same time, the Inca inhabitants hoarded wealth in the form of gold, jewelry, and other precious minerals of the Earth.

An illustration of Francisco Pizarro González’s army capturing the Inca prince, Atahualpa. (Photo: History)

However, things gradually changed when Francisco Pizarro González , a Spanish colonial explorer and conqueror, moved south of Panama and penetrated Inca territory in 1526. After another expedition in 1529, Pizarro returned to Spain to ask for a conquest of the land and was approved by the royal family. This was also a time when the two sons of the Inca emperor Huayna Capac, Huáscar and Atahualpa, were competing for the throne, destabilizing society and weakening the empire.

At this time, Francisco Pizarro’s army captured Atahualpa in the palace of Cajamarca and forced the Incas to take a large amount of gold in exchange for the prince’s freedom. However, as soon as the gold was prepared, Atahualpa was executed by the Spaniards. The Inca general, Ruminahui, immediately hid the gold in a mysterious wilderness and continued to fight until his last breath.

The lost treasure of the Incas is still a mystery. (Photo: The Travel).

Many people will wonder why this gold so far has always attracted the public, the answer comes from the fact that according to many recorded documents, the amount of gold that the Incas at that time mobilized was up to 750 tons, about more than 37 billion USD at today’s prices.

A centuries-old treasure hunt

Over the years, explorers and archaeologists have embarked on a quest to find the treasures of a lifetime for the Incas. This search took place about 50 years after the gold was declared lost. Before that, a Spanish man living in South America married a native daughter. The news of the child’s fate caused the father of the newlywed bride, who had accidentally found a treasure in the deep forest, to reveal the location of the Inca gold to the Spanish son-in-law.

This secret was kept hidden for many years, but the Spanish bridegroom years before his last breath revealed the secret location of the Inca treasure to the King of Spain. With specific written instructions, a Spanish general named Friar set out to find this treasure. They finally found the treasure and sent the news to the king. However, then this general disappeared mysteriously.

Everyone who once claimed to know the location of the treasure mysteriously disappeared. (Photo: OC).

In 1860, an English explorer named Barth Blake also claimed to have found Inca treasures in a series of letters sent to his friends. Blake was the last person to find this treasure and his documents are considered to be the most detailed descriptions of the lost Incas gold known to the world today.

“There are thousands of pieces of gold and silver pre-Inca handicrafts. These are the most beautiful pieces of jewelry imaginable, life-size figures of people, birds, animals made of gold and silver everywhere…” Blake wrote in the letter .

Because he couldn’t bring all the gold back alone, Blake took a small amount and then returned but eventually mysteriously disappeared. More than a hundred years since Blake disappeared with information about the location of the lost gold, until now this treasure has not been found and the hunts continue.

Location of the treasure

The exact location of the treasure is an unanswered question. Although, the area believed to be where the Incas hid gold is in the Llanganates mountain , but with such vast mountainous terrain, finding gold is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Poetic scene in Llanganatis National Park in Ecuador. (Image: Wiki).

Mount Llanganates is located in present-day Ecuador and is protected within the Llanganatis National Park . In addition to hiding many mysteries of history, the landscape here is extremely beautiful, unspoiled and a great place for hiking that attracts many visitors. Besides, treasure hunters and explorers from all over the world today still gather here in the hope of finding huge treasure.

For many years, expeditions continued to search for treasures of the Incas. (Photo: History).

However, adventurers will have to endure the intense heat of South America and the dangers that arise along the way. Blades of tall grass, bumpy trails or insect attacks are the main causes of the deaths of the ill-fated adventurers.