End of the Incas

August 29: Atahualpa, last ruler of the Incan Empire, was executed on this day in 1533. The storied details of Atahualpa’s captivity and death — his failed attempts to save his life with rooms of gold, and then with a conversion to Christianity — and the subsequent decline of the Incas have inspired both treasure hunters and adventure seekers. Also city seekers: Hiram Bingham discovered the famous city-fortress of Machu Picchu a century ago this year.