---
node: sa_tupac_amaru_i
type: person
slug: tupac_amaru_i
title: "Túpac Amaru I"
lead: "Túpac Amaru I (c. 1545–1572) was the last Sapa Inca, ruler of the independent Inca state at Vilcabamba. His capture and execution ended the Inca dynasty."
published: 2026-07-13
updated: 2026-07-13
image_file: tupac_amaru_i.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TupacamaruI.JPG"
image_author: "Cuzco School / Unidentified painter"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Who they were

He led the small holdout Inca state that survived in the remote Vilcabamba mountains after the Spanish conquest. When Spain resolved to end it, a military expedition invaded the region in 1572.

## What they did

Túpac Amaru was captured, taken to Cusco, and publicly executed despite pleas for mercy. His death extinguished the last line of Inca sovereigns.

## Legacy

He became a symbol of Indigenous resistance, and his name was later taken by the rebel Túpac Amaru II. He remains an icon of Andean and Indigenous identity.