Where Is the Lost Treasure of the Inca

Led by Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistadors captured Atahualpa, Emperor of the Inca, in 1532. They were shocked when Atahualpa offered to fill a large room half full of gold and twice over with silver as a ransom. They were even more shocked when Atahualpa delivered on his promise. Gold and silver began arriving daily, brought by the Incas subjects. Later, the sacking of cities such as Cuzco earned the greedy Spaniards even more gold. Where did this treasure come from and what became of it? Gold and the Inca The Inca were fond of gold and silver and used it for ornaments and for decorating their temples and palaces, as well as for personal jewelry. Many objects were made of solid gold. Emperor Atahualpa had a portable throne of 15 karat gold that reportedly weighed 183 pounds. The Inca were one tribe of many in the region before they began conquering and assimilating their neighbors. Gold and silver may have been demanded as tribute from vassal cultures. The Inca also practiced basic mining. As the Andes Mountains are rich in minerals, the Incans accumulated a great deal of gold and silver by the time the Spaniards arrived. Most of it was in the form of jewelry, adornments, decorations, and artifacts from various temples. Atahualpa’s Ransom Atahualpa fulfilled his end of the deal by providing silver and gold. The Spanish, fearful of Atahualpa’s generals, murdered him anyway in 1533. By then, a staggering fortune had been brought right to the feet of the greedy conquistadors. When it was melted down and counted, there were over 13,000 pounds of 22 karat gold and twice that much silver. The loot was divided among the original 160 conquistadors who had taken part in Atahualpa’s capture and ransom. The system for the division was complicated, with different tiers for footmen, cavalrymen, and officers. Those in the lowest tier still earned about 45 pounds of gold and twice that much silver. At a modern rate, the gold alone would be worth well over a half-million dollars. The Royal Fifth Twenty percent of all loot taken from conquests was reserved for the King of Spain. This was the quinto real or Royal Fifth. The Pizarro brothers, mindful of the power and reach of the King, were meticulous about weighing and cataloging all treasure taken so that the crown got its share. In 1534, Francisco Pizarro sent his brother Hernando back to Spain (he didnt trust anyone else) with the royal fifth. Most of the gold and silver had been melted down, but a handful of the most beautiful pieces of Inca metalwork were sent along intact. These were displayed for a time in Spain before they, too, were melted down. It was a sad cultural loss for humanity. The Sacking of Cuzco In late 1533, Pizarro and his conquistadors entered the city of Cuzco, the heart of the Inca Empire. They were greeted as liberators because they had killed Atahualpa, who had recently been at war with his brother Huascar over the Empire. Cuzco had supported Huà ¡scar. The Spanish sacked the city mercilessly, searching all of the homes, temples, and palaces for any gold and silver. They found at least as much loot as had been brought to them for the ransom of Atahualpa, although by this time there were more conquistadors to share in the spoils. Some fabulous works of art were found, such as 12 extraordinarily realistic life-sized sentries made of gold and silver, a statue of a woman made of solid gold which weighed 65 pounds, and vases skillfully crafted of ceramic and gold. Unfortunately, all of these artistic treasures were melted down. Spains Newfound Wealth The Royal Fifth sent by Pizarro in 1534 was but the first drop in what would be a steady stream of South American gold flowing into Spain. In fact, the 20 percent tax on Pizarro’s ill-gotten gains would pale in comparison to the amount of gold and silver that would eventually make its way to Spain after South American mines began producing. The silver mine of Potosà ­ in Bolivia alone produced 41,000 metric tons of silver during the colonial era. The gold and silver taken from the people and mines of South America were generally melted down and minted into coins, including the famous Spanish doubloon (a golden 32-real coin) and â€Å"pieces of eight† (a silver coin worth eight reales). This gold was used by the Spanish crown to fund the high costs of maintaining its empire. The Legend of El Dorado The tale of the riches stolen from the Inca Empire soon blazed its way across Europe. Before long, desperate adventurers were on their way to South America, hoping to be part of the next expedition which would bring down a native empire rich with gold. A rumor began to spread of a land where the king covered himself in gold. This legend became known as El Dorado. Over the next two hundred years, dozens of expeditions with thousands of men searched for El Dorado in the steamy jungles, blistering deserts, sun-drenched plains and icy mountains of South America, enduring hunger, native attacks, disease, and countless other hardships. Many of the men died without seeing so much as a single nugget of gold. El Dorado was but a golden illusion, driven by fevered dreams of Inca treasure. The Lost Treasure of the Inca Some believe that the Spanish did not manage to get their greedy hands on all of the Inca treasure. Legends persist of lost hoards of gold, waiting to be found. One legend has it that there was a large shipment of gold and silver on its way to being part of the ransom of Atahualpa when word came that the Spanish had murdered him. According to the story, the Inca general in charge of transporting the treasure hid it somewhere and it has yet to be found. Another legend claims that Inca General Rumià ±ahui took all the gold from the city of Quito and had it thrown into a lake so that the Spanish would never get it. Neither of these legends has much in the way of historical proof to back it up, but that doesn’t keep people from looking for these lost treasures — or at least hoping that they’re still out there. Inca Gold on Display Not all of the beautifully-crafted golden artifacts of the Inca Empire found their way into the Spanish furnaces. Some pieces survived, and many of these relics have found their way into museums around the world. One of the best places to see original Inca goldwork is at the Museo Oro del Perà º, or Peruvian Gold Museum (generally just called â€Å"the gold museum†), located in Lima. There, you can see many dazzling examples of Inca gold, the last pieces of Atahualpa’s treasure. Sources Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970). Silverberg, Robert. The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985.

Behavioral Differences in Humans Essay example - 1391 Words

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The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1635 Words

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Poes gothic tale The Black Cat Essay Example For Students

Poes gothic tale The Black Cat Essay Poes gothic tale The Black Cat was written trying to achieve an effect of shocking insanity. In this first person narrative the narrator tells of his decline from sanity to madness, all because of an obsession with twoor possibly one black cats. These ebony creatures finally drive him to take the life his wife, whose death he unsuccessfully tries to conceal. This short story easily achieved the effect that Poe was looking for through the use of description of setting, symbolism, plot development, diverse word choice, and detailed character development. In most cases, the setting is usually indelible to a story, but The Black Cat relies little on this element. This tale could have occurred anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of The Black Cat. Next, symbolism is always an integral part of any Poe story. The most obvious of symbolic references in this story is the cats name, Pluto. Many know this to be the name of Mickey Mouses dog, but this is also the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto contributes to a strong sense of hell and may even symbolize the devil himself. Another immensely symbolic part of The Black Cat is the title itself, since onyx cats have long connoted bad luck and misfortune. The most amazing thing about the symbolism in this story or in any other of Poes is that there are probably many symbols that only Poe himself ever knew were in his writings. Furthermore, Poes plot development added much of the effect of shocking insanity to The Black Cat. To dream up such an intricate plot of perverseness, alcoholism, murders, fire, revival, and punishment is quite amazing. This story has almost any plot element you can imagine a horror story containing. Who could have guessed, at the beginning of the story, that narrator had killed his wife? The course of events in The Black Cats plot is shockingly insane by itself! Moreover, the words in The Black Cat were precisely chosen to contribute to Poes effect of shocking insanity. As the narrator pens these he creates a splendidly morbid picture of the plot. Perfectly selected, sometimes rare, and often dark, his words create just the atmosphere that he desired in the story. Expressions such as apparition, vile haunts, and fiendish malevolence are put in all the right places. Another way that Poe used word choice was with synonyms. The cat was not only the black cat, it was theplaymate, the beast, the brute, the apparition, and themonster. Finally, character development was most important to Poes effect of shocking insanity in The Black Cat. Without the perversely insane narrator this story cant exist, let alone put across an effect. It is mentioned many times that he loves animals and that he is an alcoholic. In fact many of his rages  were caused more by alcohol rather than the black cat. The cats was also vividly developed. At one point early in The Black Cat, the narrator spends two paragraphs describing the his then delightful pet. But as the story progresses both characters change dramatically. The cat is dynamic in that it is hung, reappears with a white splotch on its chest, and has a different disposition than before. The narrator spirals out of control into fits of rage and numerous hideous, unthinkable actions, commencing with the walling up of his own wifeand unbeknownst to him the black cat too in the cellar. Obviously, the setting, symbolism, plot, word choice, and character development contributed greatly to the effect of shocking insanity in Edgar Allan Poes masterpiece, The Black Cat. Without these, there would be no story at all. .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .postImageUrl , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:hover , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:visited , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:active { border:0!important; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:active , .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46 .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud387a5d0e9abc4fc45f89c1103df6f46:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Assessment Blood Brothers EssayPoes skillful use of all of these elements, the least of these being setting and the greatest of these being character development, creates a shocking tale, which has never been equaled.