Most Aspects of Inca Culture Were Systematically Destroyed by the Spanish

Aside from the Inca Civil War and sickness, the capture of their emperor and the superior weapons of the Spanish were also major factors in the Inca Empire's defeat. Due to the region's significant cultural gap, the Spanish collaborated with numerous tribes, who provided the majority of the forces in their campaigns against the Inca. Following the advent of the Spanish, the Inca Empire's population began to quickly drop. More than 90% of the people in the region are said to have died, largely from European diseases.

The people and their traditions were oppressed by the Spanish authorities, and most aspects of Inca culture were systematically destroyed. Cities were pillaged. Gold artifacts and constructions were melted down, refined, and turned into bars. Despite this, many people in the Andean highlands are descended from tribes that once belonged to the Inca Empire. Several features of their culture have managed to withstand the test of time. Quechua, the Inca Empire's principal language, is still spoken by over 8 million people and was recognized as one of Peru's official languages in 1975.