---
node: sa_manco_inca
type: person
slug: manco_inca
title: "Manco Inca"
lead: "Manco Inca Yupanqui (c. 1516–1544) was an Inca ruler who first cooperated with the Spanish, then led a great rebellion against them. He founded the last independent Inca state at Vilcabamba."
published: 2026-07-13
updated: 2026-07-13
image_file: manco_inca.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guaman_Poma_de_Ayala_-_Manco_Inca.jpg"
image_author: "Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, siglo XVII"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Who they were

Installed by the Spanish as a puppet emperor after the conquest, Manco Inca soon turned against their abuses. In 1536 he raised a massive army and besieged Cusco and Lima.

## What they did

When the siege failed, he withdrew into the remote Vilcabamba region and founded a rump Inca state. From there he waged guerrilla resistance against Spanish rule.

## Legacy

Manco Inca was murdered by Spanish fugitives he had sheltered in 1544, but Vilcabamba held out until 1572. He is remembered as a leader of Inca resistance to the conquest.