To the Last City of the Incas

Available for over a year

Hugh Thomson and Benedict Allen, along with their trusty mule Washington, continue their exploration of Peru's Inca past as they journey from the high Andes, deep down into the steamy Amazon jungle, searching for Espíritu Pampa, the extraordinary Last City of the Incas. Espiritu Pampa means 'the Pampa of Ghosts' and this romantic and evocative site has been a magnet for every explorer in this part of Peru since Hiram Bingham, with its enormous plaza so overgrown that it is impossible to see from side to side, its towering ceiba trees and jungle birds like the oropendula with their long, looping calls. This is where the Incas escaped when on the run from the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th Century, and where the very last Inca emperor, Tupac Amaru, was finally captured and brought back to be executed in the main square of Cuzco. Produced by Ruth Evans A Ruth Evans production for BBC Radio 4.