All language subtitles for Incas.The.Rise.and.Fall.S01E03.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

[Narrator] The Incas,

an extraordinary civilization.

In just over 100 years,

from the 15th
to the 16th century,

three all-powerful emperors

built an astonishing empire,

the biggest the Americas
had ever seen.

[Expert 1, translated]
The Inca state had a population

of 9 to 12 million people.

[Expert 2, translated] They
were highly developed people.

[Narrator]
The Incas left behind

monumental and intricate
traces of their genius.

But the story
of these great people

remains shrouded in mystery.

Where did the Incas' wealth
come from?

[Expert 3] They found
a lot of gold in temples.

[Expert 4, translated]
What we see here are the marks

made by tools
used to extract the ore.

[Narrator] How did the empire
reach its climax?

[Expert 5, translated] The Inca
era was an age of architects,

engineers, and great minds,
who helped forge the empire.

[Narrator] Thanks
to scientific advances

and ultra-realistic
computer-generated images,

we're going to bring this
lost civilization back to life.

[Expert 1] These
archaeological remains

are proof of the majesty
of the Inca state.

[Narrator] From its mysterious
origins to its brutal fall,

this is the incredible story
of the Empire of the Sun.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

In a valley in the heart of the
Peruvian mountains is Cusco,

a city with thousands
of years of rich history

still scattered
throughout its streets.

At its peak
in the early 16th century,

this metropolis was home
to over 40,000 people.

It was the nerve center
of a powerful state,

founded and ruled by the Incas,

known as Tahuantinsuyu,
the Empire of Four Parts.

[Alex Usca Baca, translated]
Cusco was the political,

administrative, religious,
and economic capital

of the whole of Tahuantinsuyu.

[Narrator] 500 years ago,
the Incas created

the largest state
on the South American continent

in just over a century.

From Cusco, three emperors
ruled a territory

that stretched from
the equatorial rain forests

to the deserts of Chile,

controlled thanks
to a vast road network

of over 40,000 kilometers.

In the imperial capital,

daily life was organized
around the main plaza,

where ritual ceremonies,
festivals,

and trade took place.

♪ ♪

[César Itier, translated]
Cusco was the central hub

where delicacies and goods
from throughout the Inca empire

were gathered.

It served as a place
of reception

where valuable items
were consolidated

and also as a center
for their redistribution.

[Narrator] Temples and palaces

overflowed
with gold and silver.

And the legendary fortune
of the Incas

spread beyond their borders.

[Ulla Holmquist Pachas]
The legend of El Dorado,

it comes from rumors of a
kingdom where gold was abundant.

[Dominika Sieczkowska]
At this time,

when the Spaniards
learned about the El Dorado,

they were told that there was
a very wealthy country

with a lot of gold
somewhere hidden in the jungle.

They wanted to find it.

[Narrator] This myth
of El Dorado enticed

the Spanish conquerors
to invade ancient Peru.

When they arrived in 1533,
the chronicles recounted

their amazement at the wealth
accumulated in Cusco.

The Spaniards were amazed
by the Coricancha,

the main temple,

with its gardens dotted
with golden statues

of maize and llamas,
walls clad in gold plates,

and rooms filled
with precious minerals.

They also discovered the
finest textiles and ceramics

on the American continent.

But the only wealth they were
interested in was Inca gold.

[Pachas] When we talk
about the gold of the Incas,

we are referring to the gold
of the Andean region.

[Narrator]
Since the dawn of time,

Andean people have mastered
the art of casting, molding,

and alloying precious metals.

[Francisco Garrido, translated]
This is made of gold on the top

and silver on the bottom
and has a soldered seam.

This is just one example of how
the Incas mastered metallurgy

and influenced a long practiced
Andean art across their empire.

[Narrator] How in a few decades
did the empire become

one of the richest
in the world?

[Baca] During the last Inca
government led by Huayna Cápac,

the empire reached
its peak splendor.

[Narrator] Huayna Cápac was

in power for over 30 years.

His father was the greatest

Inca conqueror, Tupac Yupanqui.

And his grandfather

was Pachacutec.

[Baca] They expanded into
regions that now make up

much of the countries
of South America.

[Sieczkowska] When the new king
was making the power,

he had to conquer new areas,
both for his family,

but also to show
how strong he is.

[Narrator] Huayna Cápac
was no exception

to this warrior tradition.

He began his reign and led
campaigns in the north,

extending the borders
of his empire.

♪ ♪

Conquered populations
were forced to devote

part of their time
to working for the empire,

constructing buildings,
roads, and bridges,

or working in the fields.

This labor tax made
the elites of Cusco rich,

but how was it made compulsory?

How could all these people
be forced to work

for Huayna Cápac?

[Itier] There wasn't a police
force or an omnipresent army.

It was a state
that was fairly weak

and that needed to convince,
beg, demand, and offer payment

in exchange for this work.

[Narrator] From the beginning,

the Inca Empire was based
on a social pact.

In exchange for labor,

the state would feed
the entire population.

On inheriting
the immense kingdom,

Huayna Cápac's first challenge
was to honor this social pact

over his expanded territory.

But between rugged valleys
over 3,000 meters high,

jungle-covered mountains,
and endless deserts,

living conditions were extreme.

[Feren Castillo Luján,
translated] Since 4000 B.C.,

we know that all societies
on the northern coast

have been affected
by climate-related phenomena

such as El Niño and also
by seismic phenomena

such as earthquakes.

Peru is a very seismic country.

[Narrator] On the Pacific
coast is Chan Chan,

the former capital
of a great kingdom

that was conquered
by Huayna Cápac's father.

Here, the Chimú people
were severely impacted

by the El Niño
climate phenomenon,

which brought heavy rains
and catastrophic flooding.

[Luján] Between 1250 and 1450,

the Chimú faced
a constant climatic crisis

caused by
the El Niño phenomenon.

It is very likely that the
biggest event occurred in 1450

when torrential rains and
mudslides flooded the palaces.

It destroyed the canals
and created a food crisis.

[Narrator] Devastated
by the torrential rains,

Chan Chan was later
invaded by the Incas

and never regained
its stronghold.

In the Andes,
nature can wreak havoc.

[Luján] One of the greatest
attributes of the Incas

is that, through conquest,
they were able to adapt

to different environments, from
the dry coast to the deserts,

from the high mountains
to the salt flats.

This engineering ability
made the Incas a great society.

[Narrator] How did the Incas
tame these hostile landscapes

and feed
over 10 million people?

♪ ♪

[Narrator] North of Cusco,

in the sacred valley
of the Urubamba River,

a pivotal development
was under way--

new farming techniques.

[Itier]
While the various peoples

of the other Andean lands
were immersed

in local conflicts during
the 13th and 14th centuries,

the Incas in the Cusco region

developed
irrigation agriculture,

learning to build terraces,
irrigation canals,

and infrastructures that enabled
them to intensify production.

They accumulated knowledge
in this area.

[Narrator] On the heights
of the Sacred Valley,

steep slopes are sculpted
by thousands of parallel lines.

These are the Andean terraces,
a spectacular demonstration

of the skills
of the Inca builders.

The most majestic platforms

are those on the slopes
of Machu Picchu.

Built early in the 15th century
by Huayna Cápac's grandfather,

this complex of 700 terraces
was an administrative hub,

a religious site, and
a dynamic production center,

with a whole district
dedicated to agriculture.

[Julio Córdova Valer,
translated] The construction

of agricultural land
is very different

from urban land with housing.

The stones here
are native to the area.

They are granite,
which is pretty hard.

But between the stones
are permanent gaps

so that heat, wind,
and water can circulate.

None of this was sealed.

[Narrator] To overcome
the uneven terrain,

the builders dug
into the mountain

and erected two-to-four-meter-
high rows of stone walls.

Between the walls, cavities
are filled with coarse pebbles,

a mixture of sand and rubble,

and a layer of fresh earth
to help drain water.

To ensure the stability
of buildings above,

the walls are compact, but
pierced with drainage holes.

In the agricultural terraces,

the stones in the walls
are spaced out

to allow the water to run off

and irrigate
the lower platform.

In a volatile region,

these foundations
can withstand landslides.

[Valer] We're in the jungle,
and it rains a lot here.

The function of the agricultural
terraces is to allow the water

to filter through
and not settle.

The water flows constantly,
and if there's a lot of it,

it comes out through
the gaps in the stones.

[Narrator] Thanks
to these terraces,

the Incas created
almost five hectares

of arable land
on the cliff side.

[Valer] It's a technique
that the Incas perfected,

but it already existed
in the Andean world.

[Narrator] Agricultural
engineering was a key skill

for the Incas, but it
was not their only one.

They were outstanding farmers.

The local diet
was rich and varied,

evident through the various
pre-Hispanic potteries

found throughout Peru.

The staple foods were quinoa
and, above all, maize.

[Pachas] This product
is used to produce

a drink called chicha...

[speaking Spanish]

...which is a corn beer

used as a liquid food

and which was offered
to build bonds.

In the Inca era,
at every ceremony and meeting,

there was always an exchange
or delivery of chicha

by the heads of the authorities.

[Narrator] As well
as seeds and grains,

Andean farmers also grew
vegetables and tropical fruit.

[Pachas] The wide variety
of crops grown

and the way in which they
supplemented food supplies

shows that they had a great
deal of technical knowledge.

[Narrator] To cultivate
this diversity of foods

throughout the empire,

the Incas perfected
their techniques,

treating the varied land
as a laboratory.

Between Cusco and Machu Picchu,

at an altitude of 3,500 meters

the Moray terraces are unique.

Concentric rings form
three huge amphitheaters.

With this funnel-shaped layout,
the soil on the lowest level,

protected from wind, is warmer
than that on the highest level.

Each offers
a different microclimate.

♪ ♪

Thanks to these terraces,

the Incas were able
to cultivate plant species

from across South America,
even without plow animals.

Drawings from
the early 17th century

show their rudimentary
but effective tools.

[Itier] They even
invented a new tool,

the foot spade,
which, when plowing,

enabled earth to be
lifted more efficiently.

This tool played a key role
in the intensification

and agricultural success
of the Incas.

[Narrator] With their new
techniques and knowledge,

the Incas revolutionized
agriculture

throughout the empire.

[Itier] Traditionally
in the Andes,

there was a lunar calendar.

But the Incas invented
a solar calendar,

which had the advantage
of being more accurate

for agriculture
and easier to use.

[Narrator] This division
of the year is similar

to our modern solar calendar.

But how did they manage to
pinpoint the changing months?

♪ ♪

[Sieczkowska] The Incas had
very precise astronomical tools.

We suspect that
in different Inca cities,

there were
several observatories,

but we don't have traces of it.

So those astronomical tools that
we have here in the Machu Picchu

are the best preserved
and well-studied.

[Narrator] The structures
of Machu Picchu

are built according to the sky.

In many buildings,
the doors and windows

are precisely oriented
towards the moon, Venus,

and most importantly, the sun.

In the Temple of the Sun,

two windows marked
the major seasonal changes,

at the solstices
in June and December.

Of all the buildings dedicated
to astronomical observation,

the most fascinating
and mysterious is Intihuatana.

[Alicia Fernández Flórez,
translated] The Intihuatana

was used to observe
the movement of the stars,

particularly the sun,

to determine the winter
and summer solstices.

It measured the movement of
the sun and the shadows it cast.

♪ ♪

[Narrator] On the promontory
overlooking the whole city,

in the center of the plaza,
sits the Intihuatana,

a sculpted rock

with a carefully carved
block on top.

This carved stone
is at the center

of a colossal solar calendar,

where the surrounding peaks
served as reference points

for Inca scholars
to track the sun

and the time of the year.

[Flórez] The Incas' entourage
was made up of priests

and various members
of the elites.

They were specialists
dedicated to this type

of astronomical observation.

They weren't just anybody,

as this required
a level of training.

[Narrator] Some researchers
suspect a temple

in the lower part
of Machu Picchu

housed a research
and training center

for the astronomers
in charge of the calendar.

[Sieczkowska] They were able
to follow the calendar

both for agricultural,
ritual aspect.

Everything that they had
accomplished during the year

was thanks to
the astronomical observations.

[Narrator] Emperor Huayna Cápac
was the master of the harvest,

but he also controlled
another essential element

of agriculture and daily life.

[Alexei Vranich]
In an environment as volatile

as the Andes, water
is both life and death.

You need it to grow things.

But also there's periods of,
of El Niño, for example,

where water
can destroy everything.

If you can control water,

if you can show people
you control water,

you control the universe.

[Narrator] How did
the Incas manage to become

masters of water, too?

♪ ♪

[Sieczkowska] There are water
fountains, water channels.

There are terraces.

There are many structures
that are not visible.

They are under the vegetation.

[Narrator] Archaeologist
Dominika Sieczkowska recently

explored the Chachabamba site,

where only a few buildings
have been excavated.

[Sieczkowska] Chachabamba
is a very special place

because it was a stopping point
between Cusco and Machu Picchu.

The pilgrims that were going
to Machu Picchu itself

had to stop here and take role
in ritual ablutions

related to the water.

[Narrator] These Inca
buildings are surrounded

by two stretches of grass
that descend in terraces.

The ground is hollowed out
by interconnected canals

that form 14 channels.

[Sieczkowska] The water was
coming from the upper part,

through the tunnel system,

and was flowing through here
to this small pool.

And the Incas
were taking possibly

their ritual bath here,
downstairs.

[Narrator] To better see
the overgrown complex,

scientists scanned the site

with a drone equipped
with lidar

to peer beneath the vegetation.

[Sieczkowska]
Thanks to lidar images,

I will have a digital model
of the terrain,

and I will find some terraces,

some remains
of the Inca presence

in the different sectors
under the vegetation.

And then after processing and
filtering the 3D point cloud,

we can look
for the remains itself.

[Narrator]
This analysis provides

a three-dimensional image
of each Inca building,

enabling us to map
the hydraulic system.

The water flows from the river
via a main canal,

then is diverted
into six secondary channels.

They pass through six fountains

before flowing on
to eight basins.

This sophisticated network
was calibrated to maintain

a low, constant flow
for sacred bathing.

[Sieczkowska] The Incas adapt
the terrain, the channels,

and everything what they
found in Chachabamba,

to the exact amount of water
and what they wanted.

It means they wanted originally
to have very limited water flow,

and they planned
and control it perfectly.

[Narrator] To control water
and supply unique sites

such as Machu Picchu,

engineers designed
tailor-made hydraulic networks.

[Flórez] In the initial planning

for the constructions of
the Inca city of Machu Picchu,

one of the most important
considerations

was providing fresh water.

They did this by means
of the collection canal,

which can be seen here.

[Narrator]
Drinking water was drawn

from an upstream spring
in the mountains

and flowed down this
700-meter-long channel.

[Flórez] It has an average
width of 15 centimeters

and a depth of 20 centimeters,

and water is channeled through
it to the urban Inca city.

♪ ♪

[Narrator]
In the Sacred Valley,

each Inca settlement has its
own water management system,

some of which are still
in operation today.

Despite its isolated position,

it was at Machu Picchu
that the Incas perfected

agriculture, astronomy,
and hydraulics.

[Narrator] The Inca Empire
brought its knowledge

to the conquered peoples

in exchange
for their collective labor.

In this way, the empire
respected its social pact.

But this fundamental system of
reciprocity did not stop there.

[Vranich] When they
came into an area,

they completely redesigned it,
they terraformed it.

Now, part of that was to teach
this method to other people.

But, of course,
they want to make it

much more productive
for their own.

[Marcela Sepulveda, translated]
The Inca conquest was really

a great system that was put
in place to take possession

of everything desirable
and useful to the empire.

[Narrator] But how did
the Incas get their hands

on the most strategic
and inaccessible resources?

This 3,000-meter-high plateau

dotted with vegetation
and wildlife

is the Turi oasis.

[Sepulveda] One of
the unique features

of this microenvironment
in the middle of the desert

is the potential for underground
water to rise to the surface.

[Narrator] Thanks
to desert springs,

the Turi oasis
has been occupied

for thousands of years.

Ruins of 600
scattered buildings

are the remains of a village

built long before
the arrival of the Incas.

[Sepulveda]
The Incas settled here

and took control
by accepting gifts

of whatever the local
population could provide.

[Narrator] The imperial
officials first desired

camelids,
the llamas and alpacas

that fed on
the high-altitude pastures.

[Sepulveda] During Inca times,

there were around
10,000 to 20,000 animals

living in this area.

In the Andean region,
there were no plows, no wheels,

no domesticated animals,
so camelids were

the most important species
to carry resources.

[Narrator] These herds
are essential for transport,

as well as for wool,
meat, and fertilizer.

But they are not the only
source of wealth in the area.

[Garrido] The Incas
took over the process

of extracting mineral deposits

and transformed them.

They introduced
their own engineering

and in many cases
increased production.

[Narrator] The Atacama Desert
is abundant in minerals.

Huayna Cápac benefited from
deposits of gold and silver,

as well as copper,
a strategic mineral

used to make jewelry,
tools, and weapons.

♪ ♪

In the vastness of the desert,

traces of these former mining
operations are hard to spot.

But not far from Turi,
above a deep canyon,

archaeologist Marcela Sepulveda
has just identified a site

that reveals Inca methods.

[Sepulveda] Here we find
a slightly semicircular shape,

and we can see straightaway
that this group of stones

was part of a wall that has,
in fact, completely collapsed.

[Narrator]
These piles of stones,

almost invisible
to the untrained eye,

are the remains of eight
small, rudimentary houses.

[Sepulveda] We were able to
excavate, and in one structure

we found that the floor
was actually much lower.

The walls are no higher
than 40 to 50 centimeters,

so the people
lived in the basement

and probably had roofing
made of skins

or other perishable elements,
as no other remains were found.

[Narrator] The excavations
also unearthed

numerous fragments of pottery.

[Sepulveda] This fragment
corresponds to a piece of bowl,

a piece of ceramic.

It's a characteristic
plate and shape

linked to Inca expansion
in the region.

This shape isn't found
among local populations.

[Narrator] Dating
of these remains indicates

a human presence here
more than 1,000 years

before the arrival
of the Incas.

But this site was not
a permanent settlement.

[Sepulveda]
There isn't a graveyard.

There isn't much water.

You have to travel 400 meters
down to fetch water.

So this site is linked to a
temporary activity or practice,

and only a small number
of people lived here,

and they came
for very specific tasks.

[Narrator] What resources
were the Incas looking for

in such a hostile place?

[Narrator] The ground still
bears mysterious red marks,

a clue that leads
to the base of the ravine,

to a human-carved hole
in the rock.

[Sepulveda] We don't know
the extent of the interior,

but we can see
from the cliff base

that there are other openings

about 20 or 30 meters
down the valley.

This was a very large mine

with various extraction shafts.

In fact, you can see
the shapes left by the tools

used to extract the ore.

[Narrator] The ore is
a mineral called hematite.

Its red pigment was
sought after by the Incas

for coloring buildings
and textiles.

[Sepulveda] This is one
of the major colors of the Inca,

the elite and the authorities.

This color is generally
associated with people

who are important
in the social structure

and the organization
of the Incas.

[Narrator] Once extracted,
the ore was taken and crushed

near the settlement,
using rocks as anvils.

[Sepulveda] Here we can see
the hollowed parts

and understand the movement
used to grind and obtain

this very fine powder.

The people who worked the mine

and were responsible for
pigment production and grinding

were local people,

but they were still
under Inca control.

[Narrator] The proof
of this relationship

is hidden on a wall
covered in red stains.

[Sepulveda] Thanks
to image processing,

we can take photographs and see
that there are many symbols.

Amongst these markings,
there's a checkerboard pattern,

a shape associated
with Inca expansion.

[Narrator]
This outpost was linked

to 40,000 kilometers of roads

that enabled the empire's goods
to flow into Cusco.

But Emperor Cápac also
distributed part of the wealth

to the local population.

[Garrido] The Incas used metals

as political gifts.

It was very effective

for establishing alliances.

The generation of alliances
made it possible to persuade

local populations
to work for the empire.

[Narrator] This complex system
of exchanging gifts and food

for work and wealth
was the invisible glue

of the Inca Empire.

During its golden age,

Huayna Cápac ran a colossal
and prosperous state,

where just a handful of Incas
controlled a workforce

of 10 million from his palace.

The most rare and precious
goods in South America

were amassed in Cusco,

including tons of fine gold
and silver objects.

[Itier] Before the Inca Empire,

the best goldsmiths
and metalworkers generally

inhabited the Pacific coast,
particularly the north coast.

[Narrator]
Despite popular belief,

these gold and silver
crowns and ornaments

are not of Inca origin.

[Pachas] This object
is characteristic

of the northern tradition of
transforming the sacred bodies

of political
and religious leaders

into ancestors.

[Narrator] The greatest artists
of this period were the Chimús,

who came from Chan Chan
and the north coast of Peru.

Before its conquest by the
Incas in the late 15th century,

it was a flourishing city,

inhabited by several
thousand craftspeople

living around huge palaces.

[Luján] This was
a very busy area.

Craftspeople were constantly
producing objects.

Here were workshops
specializing in metalwork,

mainly silver and gold.

[Narrator]
Under Inca occupation,

the Chimú craftspeople
were forced to leave Chan Chan.

[Luján] When the Incas
conquered the Chimú,

they discovered that
the Chimú goldsmiths

were excellent artists,
so they took these goldsmiths

and reproduced the same thing
on the Inca sites.

[Itier] The capture
of Chan Chan by the Incas

was a crucial moment in
the development of their state.

They took all
their goldsmiths to Cusco,

where they made
the extraordinary Chimú

gold and silver jewelry

that became the basis
of Inca goldsmithing.

[Narrator] Thanks to the
talented artists of Chan Chan,

Cusco acquired the best
metalworkers in the Andes.

Today, some rare treasures
that escaped the greed

of the Spanish conquerors

are housed at
the Larco Museum in Lima.

[Pachas] Many of the items
were looted, melted down,

and transformed into metal

that was shipped out of
ancient Peru after the conquest.

[Narrator] These metals,
so precious to Europeans,

did not have the same value
for the Andeans.

[Pachas] Metals were
not used as a raw material

for exchange like money.

They were a sacred expression.

[Garrido] They weren't used

for commercial transactions.

They didn't have the same value

as in Europe or Asia.

[Narrator] The most precious
and valuable commodity

in ancient Peru was textiles.

[Haydée Quiroz Malca,
translated] Textiles were used

as objects of exchange,

like a means of payment,
but an exchange of favors.

It was a form of currency that
had a very, very high value.

[Narrator]
Essential for protection

from the harsh sun
and cool climate,

or to display social status,
the fabrics were coveted gifts

for community leaders
in order to forge alliances.

The finest weavings
in South America

came from the Cajamarca region

in the north
of the Inca Empire,

where several women's groups

still weave using
ancient techniques.

[Malca] It's a long tradition
that has been passed down

from generation to generation.

The craftswomen and artists
of San Miguel are an example

of cultural resilience

as they keep their
cultural heritage alive.

[Narrator]
Under the Inca Empire,

textile production
was so valuable

that the state controlled
the entire industry.

The Incas supplied wool from
its herds of llamas and alpacas

to communities who,
in return, produced fabrics.

[Malca] People don't
see it as exploitation,

but as an exchange.

So in exchange,
you're going to give me a job,

and it will be a very fine one.

[Narrator]
Textile production relied

on small community workshops,

as well as factories
in the empire's major cities,

like Cusco and Pachacamac.

On the Pacific coast,

the 1,000-year-old site
of Pachacamac

was transformed
by the Inca occupation

into one of their main
administrative centers.

They marked the landscape here
with the Temple of the Sun

and a huge structure
called an Acllahuasi.

[Rocio Villar Astigueta,
translated] At Pachacamac,

the Temple of the Sun
and the Acllahuasi

are political institutions
that serve to control the area

and also to demonstrate
the presence and power

that the Incas had
on the central coast.

[Narrator] Acllahuasi means
"house of chosen women"

in Quechua.

[Astigueta] There are open
spaces in this building

where chroniclers tell us
that women worked together

on various manufacturing jobs.

[Narrator] These women created
the most important products

for the empire.

[Astigueta] The Acllahuasi
functioned as a political system

that supported not only
the governments of the empire

but also its economy.

[Narrator] In each district,
the Incas organized

work, trade, and production

for the benefit of the elite
and the royal family.

But Huayna Cápac was faced
with a problem--

how to distribute
the specialist workforce

across his territory.

♪ ♪

When the Incas arrived
on the slopes of Machu Picchu,

thousands of workers
colonized the region

to carry out the works.

Nearly 400 people
lived there year-round,

some of the best experts
in the empire.

Traces of various handicrafts
were found where they worked.

♪ ♪

[Flórez] This is
where they worked.

We've identified
workshops for carving,

and we have a space further down

where we found evidence that
they carried out metalworks.

[Narrator] In this area,
the buildings are simple.

They are functional spaces.

[Flórez] All the people
involved in farming

or maintaining the site,

they don't actually live
inside the city.

They live on the outskirts.

[Narrator]
In the tropical forest

surrounding Machu Picchu,

hundreds of burials have been
found over the last 100 years.

[Elva Torres Pino, translated]
These human remains come

from normal working-class people

who developed
various economic skills

such as agriculture,
stonecutting, and construction.

[Narrator] Remains are studied
to find out more

about the individuals--
their age and sex,

as well as their occupation--
by looking for bodily traumas.

[Pino] The bones speak to us.

They tell us about their life.

We can see people
who have worked with stone

have this type
of muscular deformation

created from
the force of striking.

[Narrator] To find out the
origin of these craftspeople,

we need to look deeper.

The chemical composition
of their teeth

can reveal their diets.

And studying genes
can compare their DNA

with that of other
pre-Hispanic remains

found throughout the Andes.

[Pino] In the DNA analysis,
we found individuals

who had come here
at a very young age

and had eaten food
from other places.

[beeping]

[Narrator] Comparative
biological analyses show

that many of the workers buried
around Machu Picchu and Cusco

came from faraway regions
in the Inca Empire.

[Pino] The results
of these DNA samples show

that there has been
a population movement

from the high plateau
to the north

and from the coast to the south.

[Narrator] The majority
of workers in the empire

were not Incas.

They came
from conquered peoples

who were displaced according
to the needs of the state.

[Pino] These are specialists
who come on-site

where expertise is missing,
where their work is needed.

So the Inca state
circulates people

who can carry out work
in different places.

[Itier] It's estimated that out
of the Inca Empire's population

of 10 to 12 million,

between 3 and 4 million people
were displaced.

[Narrator] These population
movements enabled the Incas

to colonize remote valleys
and make use

of the best craftspeople
in the royal estates.

By integrating and developing
ancestral techniques,

the Incas managed to tame
a hostile natural environment

in order to feed
their population.

And by employing
10 million people

to exploit the immense
resources of his territory,

Huayna Cápac reached new
heights of power and wealth.

But the splendor
of the Inca Empire

was in a fragile state
of balance.

Compulsory labor
and forced displacement

was not accepted by all.

In the North, Huayna Cápac
spent a large part of his reign

fighting off rebellions
by the Chachapoyas,

Chimús, and Cañaris.

During one of these military

campaigns, around 1528,

the third Inca emperor

suffered from an unknown
illness and died.

[Baca] When Huayna Cápac died,

the state was already
in decline.

[Narrator] Only a century
after its birth,

the Empire of the Sun
entered its twilight years.

How did such a powerful empire
collapse so suddenly?

At the peak of their glory,

the Sons of the Sun
suffered a brutal downfall.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪