who, tracing their descent not only
from the Spanish soldiers of the Conquest, but also from the blood
of the race which was conquered, take pride in the achievements of
the Incas and are endeavoring to preserve the remains of the wonderful
civilization of their native ancestors. Until quite recently Vilcabamba
was an unknown land to most of the Peruvians, even those who live in
the city of Cuzco. Had the capital of the last four Incas been in a
region whose climate appealed to Europeans, whose natural resources
were sufficient to support a large population, and whose roads made
transportation no more difficult than in most parts of the Andes,
it would have been occupied from the days of Captain Garcia to the
present by Spanish-speaking mestizos, who might have been interested
in preserving the name of the ancient Inca capital and the traditions
connected with it.

After the mines which attracted Ocampo and his friends "petered
out," or else, with the primitive tools of the sixteenth century,
ceased to yield adequate returns, the Spaniards lost interest in that
remote region. The rude trails which connected Pucyura with Cuzco and
civilization were at best dangerous and difficult. They were veritably
impassable during a large part of the year even to people accustomed
to Andean "roads."

The possibility of raising sugar cane and coca between Huadquina and
Santa Ana attracted a few Spanish-speaking people to live in the lower
Urubamba Valley, notwithstanding the difficult transportation over
the passes near Mts. Salcantay and Veronica; but there was nothing
to lead any one to visit the upper Vilcabamba Valley or to desire
to make it a place of residence. And until Senor Pancorbo opened
the road to Lucma, Pucyura was extremely difficult of access. Nine
generations of Indians lived and died in the province of Uilcapampa
between the time of Tupac Amaru and the arrival of the first modern
explorers. The great stone buildings constructed on the "Hill of
Roses" in the days of Manco and his sons were allowed to fall into
ruin. Their roofs decayed and disappeared. The names of those who
once lived here were known to fewer and fewer of the natives. The
Indians themselves had no desire to relate the story of the various
forts and palaces to their Spanish landlords, nor had the latter any
interest in hearing such tales. It was not until the renaissance of
historical and geographical curiosity, in the nineteenth century, that
it o