A highly illustrated and detailed study of one of the most important
campaigns in the colonization of the Americas, the Spanish conquest of
the vast Inca Empire.
On November 16, 1532, the Inca emperor Atahualpa was the most powerful
man in South America, having emerged victorious from a three-year civil
war. Now his authority was absolute over millions of subjects living the
length of an empire that stretched 2,500 miles from the towering
mountains of the Andes, to the verdant rainforest of the Amazon, to the
arid plains of the Pacific Coast. However, a group of strangers,
comprising just 169 men and 69 horses led by the Spanish conquistador
Francisco Pizarro, soon entered his empire from the north. Despite
having 80,000 men at his disposal, Atahualpa was seized and imprisoned.
Pizarro burned with the same ruthless ambition as his cousin, Hernán
Cortés, who had taken Tenochtitlan, and understood that by seizing the
autocrat at the top of the social structure, the state would be at his
disposal. Pizarro then marched on Cuzco, the Inca capital, and installed
a new puppet emperor, Manco. However, in 1536, Manco roused the people
against the intruders, and the Spaniards, having held sway over the
entire empire, now found themselves under siege in the capital,
desperately striving to hold back the overwhelming numbers of the Inca
warriors massing against them. This fascinating and colorfully
illustrated book documents the long and bloody siege, and describes how
at the end of ten bitter months, during which Pizarro was defeated at
the battle of Ollantaytambo and lost his brother, Juan, while storming
the great fortress of Sacsayhuamán, Pizarro emerged the victor. Using
photos, documents, and historical sources to illustrate the story, this
volume brings an ancient piece of history vividly to life.
