The Incas

The Inca Empire spanned more than two thousand miles from Ecuador to Chile at the time of the Spanish arrival, yet today the Inca culture remains largely a mystery. Unlike the Aztecs, who left pictorial codices and numerous documents in their native language, the Incas are known primarily through limited reports supplied by Spanish chroniclers. In this volume Davies describes in detail the intensive archaeological studies of recent decades that have greatly increased our knowledge of the Incas. The Incas is the first serious, comprehensive work in more than thirty years to attempt to understand the Inca phenomenon. The result of years of research by ethnohistorian Nigel Davies, this volume offers a broad, clear view of the Incas, embracing the various aspects of their culture and achievements. Davies chronicles early Spanish events and sources and reviews modern scholarship including recent scientific studies, Inca political history, economy, administration, religion, art, architecture, and daily life. The Inca Empire's immense territory spanned more than 2,000 miles - from Ecuador to Chile - at the time of the Spanish invasion, yet Inca culture remains largely a mystery. The Incas did not leave pictorial codices and documents in their native language as the Maya and Aztec did and they narrated to Spanish chroniclers just a few of the multiple alternative histories maintained by descendants of various rulers. In this classic work, Nigel Davies offers a clear view into Inca political history, economy, governance, religion, art, architecture, and daily life. The Incas has become a classic in its many years in print; readers and scholars interested in ancient American cultures will relish this paperback edition. "Readable summary of the history, imperial infrastructure, mechanisms of control and integration, and other unique characteristics of the Inca Empire"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.