Inca'S

This addition to White Star's distinguished ancient history series invites readers to immerse themselves in the world of the Incas - their historical development, cultural horizons, societal structure, and much more. Through an authoritative text and superb visuals, it traces a history that leads from the mythical origins of this population to its violent demise at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores. It illustrates the historical reasons underlying the success of the Incas in gaining control over the numerous groups that populated the Andean territory between the 13th and 15th centuries AD. The text explores the deeds of the Incan rulers, from the legendary Manco Capac to the last Child of the Sun, Tupac Amaru, helping readers understand how the Inca developed from a small population into a great empire.Following the winding course of the Urubamba River through the Sacred Valley, which was the heart of the empire, this work presents the famous archeological sites on which, in unique symbiosis with their natural surroundings, the Inca left their mark by building roads, suspension bridges, sanctuaries and cities. The Inca developed a culture that is the outcome of a long process of change involving all of the thousand-year-old Pre-Hispanic cultures in the Peruvian area. Nonetheless, the Inca were the ones who successfully built a network of relations and achieved dominion over a boundless and highly diverse territory. Hundreds of photographs, aerial views, three-dimensional reconstructions, and details of ancient artifacts present fresh insight into the lives of these peoples and demonstrate why, even today, the ancient Incas are the unifying symbol of the modern Andean nations.