What name is used for the Inca state that survived at Vilcabamba from 1537 to 1572?

The Neo-Inca State was the name used for the Inca polity that survived at Vilcabamba from 1537 to 1572. It was a rump state formed after the Spanish conquest dismantled the main Inca Empire.

Manco Inca Yupanqui established the state in the Vilcabamba region after retreating from the central highlands. Its capital and royal center lay in the difficult mountain-and-forest territory west of Cusco. The landscape helped the Inca leadership continue armed resistance while preserving court ceremonies, religion, and dynastic authority.

The state was not simply the old empire continuing unchanged: it controlled a much smaller area and faced persistent Spanish pressure. For periods, its rulers negotiated with colonial authorities, but resistance continued. The final ruler, Túpac Amaru I, was captured and executed after the Spanish campaign of 1572. His defeat ended the independent Inca state’s political authority, although Inca identity and traditions survived throughout the Andes.