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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:The Last Days of the Incasby Kim Macquarrie
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In 1532, the fifty-four-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to the Spaniards, the Inca rulers of Peru had just fought a bloody civil war in which the emperor Atahualpa had defeated his brother Huascar. Pizarro and his men soon clashed with Atahualpa and a huge force of Inca warriors at the Battle of Cajamarca. Despite being outnumbered by more than two hundred to one, the Spaniards prevailed — due largely to their horses, their steel armor and swords, and their tactic of surprise. They captured and imprisoned Atahualpa. Although the Inca emperor paid an enormous ransom in gold, the Spaniards executed him anyway. The following year, the Spaniards seized the Inca capital of Cuzco, completing their conquest of the largest native empire the New World has ever known. Peru was now a Spanish colony, and the conquistadors were wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But the Incas did not submit willingly. A young Inca emperor, the brother of Atahualpa, soon led a massive rebellion against the Spaniards, inflicting heavy casualties and nearly wiping out the conquerors. Eventually, however, Pizarro and his men forced the emperor to abandon the Andes and flee to the Amazon. There, he established a hidden capital, called Vilcabamba. Although the Incas fought a deadly, thirty-six-year-long guerrilla war, the Spanish ultimately captured the last Inca emperor and vanquished the native resistance. Kim MacQuarrie lived in Peru for five years and became fascinated by the Incas and the history of the Spanish conquest. Drawing on both native and Spanish chronicles, he vividly describes the dramatic story of the conquest, with all its savagery and suspense. MacQuarrie also relates the story of the modern search for Vilcabamba, of how Machu Picchu was discovered, and of how a trio of colorful American explorers only recently discovered the lost Inca capital of Vilcabamba, hidden for centuries in the Amazon. This authoritative, exciting history is among the most powerful and important accounts of the culture of the South American Indians and the Spanish Conquest. Review:"A colorful, superbly crafted historical narrative that masterfully demonstrates that when cultures collide, unforeseen and tragic consequences follow....also a memorable adventure story, revealing the modern Indiana Jones-type characters that unearthed, and continue to discover, lost parts of the Inca Empire. Last Days of the Incas is historical writing at its best." -- Broughton Coburn, author of Everest: Mountain Without Mercy Review:"In this thrilling informative work...MacQuarrie also manages to spin the oft-told story of the discovery of Machu Picchu into narrative gold." -- Entertainment Weekly Review:"The story of the European conquest of the fascinating and fabulously rich empire of the Incas is one of history's most engaging and tragic episodes...Thanks to The Last Days of the Incas, Kim MacQuarrie's superbly written new treatment of the subject, it is now accessible to the much broader audience it deserves." -- Vincent Lee, author of Forgotten Vilcabamba Review:"Thoroughly and entertainingly recounted...MacQuarrie excels." -- Jonathan Keats, Forbes About the AuthorKim MacQuarrie is a four-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who has lived and worked all over the world. He lived for five years in Peru and spent some of that time living with a recently contacted tribe in the Amazon jungle, only Table of ContentsChronology of Events Preface 1. The Discovery 2. A Few Hundred Well-Armed Entrepreneurs 3. Supernova of the Andes 4. When Empires Collide 5. A Roomful of Gold 6. Requiem for a King 7. The Puppet King 8. Prelude to a Rebellion 9. The Great Rebellion 10. Death in the Andes 11. The Return of the One-Eyed Conqueror 12. In the Realm of the Antis 13. Vilcabamba: Guerrilla Capital of the World 14. The Last of the Pizarros 15. The Incas' Last Stand 16. The Search for the "Lost City" of the Incas 17. Vilcabamba Rediscovered Epilogue: Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba, and the Search for the Lost Cities of the Andes Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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