They entered a world.

At Capachequi, that world collided with the ambitions of a European empire.

The collision lasted days.

Its consequences lasted centuries.

And nearly five hundred years later, a small piece of a Spanish sword has helped us see where it happened.

ADDITIONAL FEATURE SECTIONS

A VILLAGE BEFORE IT BECAME AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The easiest mistake to make with a site like Capachequi is to imagine it only through the moment of Spanish arrival.