A mere couple of hundred Spaniards massacred the Inca army, captured their emperor, installed a puppet ruler and seized and melted down their gold treasures. Our little llama is a rare survivor.

The city, which researchers think was used as a royal resort, was occupied for only 50 years or so before 180 Spanish conquistadors, armed with rifles, wiped out the ferocious 40,000-man Inca army.

The gateway to Machu Picchu is the city of Cusco, which was the capital of the Inca Empire, and South America's oldest continuously inhabited city. In May 1536, an Inca army made one last effort ...

In 1532, Francisco de Pizarro defeated the great Inca emperor Atahualpa's army of 30,000 warriors with just 180 men. Who was this man who brought the powerful empire to its knees?