What role did gold play in the inca empire? why is it unusual that a gold artifact like this survived to the present?

The Spanish landed in somewhere in South America, they were looking for gold and they found it. But its said that the Inca Empire Hid the better half of the gold from the Spanish trying to steal it; It is unlikely to find the gold, because the Spanish took all that was gold from the Incas. The other half is said that the Inca's took it back from where they found it that is still unknown.