The Last Days of the Incas

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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.

What Customers Say About The Last Days of the Incas:

I also appreciated how he didn't sugarcoat the Incas themselves, but showed their own proclivity for violence and torture. Some of the scenes, especially the initial battle with the Incas, and the later sieges, were really thrilling.

All in all a great book that I will definitely recommend to my friends. Not an easy accomplishment, especially when you know the outcome.

"Last Days" is a wonderful read, and a really engrossing book. I could see his loyalties were with the Incas (hard not to feel that way) but he was still able to provide a balanced account.

This should get made into a movie (the characters are much more interesting than "Avatar"). The author did an excellent job of providing just enough background to understand the motivations of the various (and numerous) historical characters without slowing the narrative flow.

The Incas could be pretty nasty when they wanted to be.

Often scenes are are qualified with comments like "Undoubtedly, Pizarro felt such-and-such," or "No doubt Manco looked out over the valley, etc." Once one accepts the speculative commentary for what it is, it shouldn't be bothersome, and is more than made up for by the narrative flow.The story of the conquest is well-known: Pizarro & co. The Incas are able to consolidate their many tribes, but the rebellions all flame out.

MacQuarrie is faster and more fiction-like read. Ultimately, the Spanish prevail despite their own internecine battles that ends in the death of Francisco Pizarro by Spanish hands.John Hemming is for the hardest core academic reading of the Incan conquest.

The Last Days of the Incas is a terrifically readable history of the Spanish conquest of the Incas and Peru. This small band (aided unknowingly by a smallpox plague ravaging North, Central and South America) kidnap and kill their way to riches and domination.

Both are highly recommended. Whereas John Hemming's Conquest of the Incas is the definitive modern history, MacQuarrie brings to bear a more narrative and engaging approach.Last Days is historically thorough, but MacQuarrie writes many of the incidents of the conquest in a more fictional style.

swoop into Peru with only a handful of fully armed conquistadors looking for fame and fortune.

It will keep you hooked and teach you some history in the process. This book has all the elements of a riveting piece of fiction.BUT, it's a nonfiction. The writing is superb.

I'm buying a copy for my daughter. Well done, Kim, thank you. This book is a great gift, extremely informative with much more depth than I expected, and it's really, really well written, too. It clearly shows an amazing picture of cultural clash between Indians and Spaniards, one which other reviewers have outlined.

The very idea that this small group of Spaniards would ever undertake such an action seems beyond belief and the story of the Inca's resistance is amazing.The author's writing style is imminently readable and I found myself to be astonished by the amount of research that must have been required. The book is one of the most fascinating I've read, ever. While I knew roughly how the story ends, I found myself hoping the embattled Incas were going to pull it out at the last minute. When I stumbled upon this book I was looking for some history that was out of the ordinary for my reading. I cannot recommend it highly enough. What a surprise. When I bought it I half expected a rather dull read. I really had no idea.