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The Conquest of the Incas
by
John Hemming
This monumental work of history removes the Incas from the realm of legend and shows the reality of their struggles against the Spanish invasion. Winner of the 1971 Christopher Award. Index; photographs, maps, and line drawings.
ebook, 672 pages
Published
October 24th 1973
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
(first published January 28th 1970)
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I read this shortly after visiting Peru and more than anything it made me want to return to explore the country more as well as the rest of South America. The detailed account of the Spanish conquest of the Incas leaves nary a stone unturned in capturing the sequence of events that resulted in the invaders emerging as victors and stamping their mark on the face of the country. It was more complex than I imagined; I guess history always is. It is easy to picture the Conquistadors galloping throug...more
As I worked through the book, I wrestled with what to rate it. It does an incredible job of telling the story of the conquest of the Incan Empire, a subject I knew nothing about. The detail the author goes into is amazing. He is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. At times, I was enthralled and couldn't put the book down. There were other points where I struggled, and when I was wading through the chapter about some of the experimental governments the Spanish tried, I al...more
A thorough, scholarly look at the history and causes of the collapse of the Incas.
Hemming does a good job of portraying the laudable and the baser motives of both sides in the conflict. I appreciated the fact that he did not fall into the PC trap of -- dare I say brownwashing? -- the indigenous people of the Andes.
Certainly the world would be better off had the conquistadors recorded and preserved the Incan culture, but the Incans were themselves recent conquerors of much of their empire when th...more
Hemming does a good job of portraying the laudable and the baser motives of both sides in the conflict. I appreciated the fact that he did not fall into the PC trap of -- dare I say brownwashing? -- the indigenous people of the Andes.
Certainly the world would be better off had the conquistadors recorded and preserved the Incan culture, but the Incans were themselves recent conquerors of much of their empire when th...more
I just read this. I was actually reading another book at the time and heard of this from an article or documentary. I was inspired to write a song about the Spanish invasion of the Peruvian empire. I had read a book a couple years ago about Hernando de Soto and his explorations into North America. It covered his career in the Peruvian conquests, which had made him famous in Spain for his daring exploits. But the book did not cover the whole Incan period of that conquest nearly enough. This book...more
Apr 26, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arts-and-historical
On 25 September 1513, a force of weary Spanish explorers cut through the forests of Panama and were confronted by an ocean: the Mar del Sur, or the Pacific Ocean. Six years later the Spaniards had established the town of Panama as a base from which to explore and exploit this unknown sea. It was the threshold of a vast expansion.
The Conquest of the Incas, John Hemming's masterly and highly acclaimed account of one of the most exciting conquests known to history, has never been surpassed. From th...more
The Conquest of the Incas, John Hemming's masterly and highly acclaimed account of one of the most exciting conquests known to history, has never been surpassed. From th...more
Nov 02, 2011
Brian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
latin-american-history-south-amer
The Incas and the conquest of Peru are two of the most interesting stories in Latin American history. This book captures the whole of that story and in wonderful detail relates the invasion of Pizzaro and the fall of the Incas. From Manco Inca to Tuti Cosi the Inca rebellions raged against Spanish occupation and eventually resulted in the free Inca state of Villacamba. In the end this state was doomed to fall to Spanish greed but the attempts at the Incas to preserve sovereignty is impressive. T...more
As Peruvian it was painful to read this episode in the history of my country. Specially since I am familiar with all the places mentioned in the book. As a reader I think this is a superb piece of work. Read it
Reads sometimes like a textbook but eventually answers almost every question you can ask about why the few Spanish were able to overtake the Inca empire. Fascinating and heartbreaking.
bloody and detailed tale of the demise of the incan empire. much cooler for me than might be for others, because i was in the places the book was describing when i read it.
Again history told as a fabulous story. Reads like a fantasy novel with a plot full of heroes and villains making the story all the more incredible as it's true.
Sep 14, 2012
Ron Perkowski
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
military-history,
recommended-non-fiction
A brilliant and well written history of a little known historic period. An easy historic read on a par with McCullough.
Great history of Peru and Incas. Must read before visiting the region.
THE book on the Spanish in Peru
So many details! It's a long book, but very interesting. It gives the reader an insight into the Spanish conquest of Peru, including all the battles, fights, and injustices.
I decided to read this after a rather sudden and unprepared trip to Peru where I followed some of the trails of the Incas, starting in Lima, then staying a few days in Cusco, visiting Machu Picchu, Sacsahuaman, then continued by train to Puno, Lake Titicaca, and on to Arequipa, saw the Nazca lines, and returned to Lima. I should have read the book before I left. The sights, museums, what I saw would have told me more.
Started reading this in Peru, and it's fascinating. Especially fun to read while wandering through the places where the battles took place.
Really comprehensive survey of the first Spanish explorers impact on the Incan Empire. Maybe too much detail for some.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Spanish conquest of the Incas!
About half way through and got overwhelmed with information.
A few chapters in. Started to read while on vacation in NH, found on my brother's bookshelf. Very sad book. Just finished reading the sack of the Inca capital, and how the Spanish melted all the Inca gold & silverfigures--a loss to the world forever. The event belongs to the museum of the stupidity of the human race...
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Correct number of pages | 9 | 29 | Mar 17, 2013 03:28pm | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Please combine these editions | 2 | 17 | Mar 17, 2013 06:48am |
Dr John Hemming, CMG is one of the world's experts on Brazilian Indians, the Amazon environment, the Incas, Peruvian archaeology, The Royal Geographical Society, and the history of exploration generally. He is also Chairman of Hemming Group Ltd., a company that publishes trade magazines and organises trade exhibitions and conferences.
Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hem...
More about John Hemming...
Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hem...
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