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The Last Days of the Incas
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. This authoritative, exciting history is among the most powerful and important accounts of the culture of the South ...more
Paperback, 522 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Simon & Schuster
(first published January 1st 2007)
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This is a fascinating, epic (22 hours on audio) history of the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors into the Andes in the early 16th century. It's chilling to learn details of the "conquest" of the Incan empire. The Spaniards, led by the 5 Pizarro brothers, initially came in minuscule numbers, and were often outnumbered in their battles by factors of 10,000 to 1 or more. But they slaughtered the natives with impunity, rarely suffering casualties. They had horses, armor, and steel - in...more
A great and very readable account of the Pizarros' conquest of the Incan Empire. Whatever you might think of the Pizarro brothers, those men had balls the size of Texas. I got the strong sense that the (spanish-centric) primary sources MacQuarrie relies on were downplaying the number and significance of native auxiliaries in the many uneven battles won by the Spaniards, but there is no question that--for sheer audacity alone--the campaign of conquest rivals the tale of Xenophon's Anabasis.
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This topic represents another in a long list of things I know virtually nothing about. I am generally skeptical of historical books that describe long-ago events with the level of detail that is provided here. It simply strains credibility, in my view, to re-create conversations that took place in the Andean mountains centuries ago, especially when the records from the time are virtually non-existent. The author seems particularly in tune with this skepticism, as he qualifies his writing seve...more
In September 2010, we visited Peru, the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and in particular Machu Picchu -- the so-called "Lost City of the Incas". It was a wonderful trip, and piqued my curiosity enough to want to learn something of the history of how the Conquistadors ("Conquerers" in Spanish) defeated the Incas, an empire of approximately 10 million, with only ~160 Spaniards. I looked for a book that would be interesting, informative, and not too dry, and found this book. I just fi...more
The book jacket introduces Kim MacQuarrie as a filmmaker who lived among Peruvian Indians for 5 years. Both experiences color his writing, but mostly for the benefit of the reader. The history he relates of the interaction between the first Spanish conquistadors and the Incas reads like a Hollywood film. I can almost picture the marquee: Tom Cruise in the Last of the Incas....But history is almost always at least as exciting as fiction and this is certainly entertaining reading. The Spanish ...more
I read this book before, during and after a trip to Machu Picchu. If you read it, you will want to go to Peru, which I would also recommend. The book lays out the 30+ years battle between the Spaniards coming to South America in the 1500's seeking gold and new territory and the Incas who were currently dominant in the area. The author relies on both native and Spanish chronicles and, while it is based on these accounts, he also tells it as a modern-day adventure, making it very vivid and int...more
As a Peruvian I feel really sorry for what happened at that time. It looks that I am a kind of witness when reading this book...Thank you Mr. MacQuarrie. I can picture each scene. Also, the books makes me reflect of how the Inca empire was affected deeply by this gang, I believe it was because the empire was divided in many ways for power. Spaniards were lucky finding a place like this. Racism, killing, stealing, lying were their heritage left, among others. Three centuries later, it is interest...more
The Last Days of the Incas is a terrifically readable history of the Spanish conquest of the Incas and Peru. 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. Often scenes are are qualified with comments like "Undoubtedly, Pizarro felt such-and-such," or "...more
Last Days is historically thorough, but MacQuarrie writes many of the incidents of the conquest in a more fictional style. Often scenes are are qualified with comments like "Undoubtedly, Pizarro felt such-and-such," or "...more
This book, written by an American anthropologist, is written in the style of a narrative history, and thus comes with a long list of associated caveats, and would most probably for this reason be annoying reading for professional Inca historians. For me, however, once those caveats were taken as given, this telling of the story of the Spanish conquest and subsequent rebellion of the Incas was nothing short of spell-binding. Much of the reason for this lies simply in the astounding events which a...more
A powerful emperor has a band of renegade foreigners in his land behaving badly. But they seem to be riding some strange but magnificent animals. He decides let them come to where he is, then kill most of them, castrate the rest and use them as harem guards and breed the magnificent animals in large numbers.
It turns out that the the strange men are Spanish conquistadors with steel weapons and the emperor Atahulpa's troops are no match for them. Thus 168 conquistadors go on to capture t...more
It turns out that the the strange men are Spanish conquistadors with steel weapons and the emperor Atahulpa's troops are no match for them. Thus 168 conquistadors go on to capture t...more
Loved the story telling.
My only qualm: the book introduces itself by describing how many of the historical accounts captured in the book are one sided (history is written by the victors), but that the author went to pains to thoroughly investigate and tell both sides of the story. That said, many of the stories in the book capture detailed conversations and delve into the mindset and thought process of the parties involved. And it's to the point that it makes me wonder how accurate t...more
My only qualm: the book introduces itself by describing how many of the historical accounts captured in the book are one sided (history is written by the victors), but that the author went to pains to thoroughly investigate and tell both sides of the story. That said, many of the stories in the book capture detailed conversations and delve into the mindset and thought process of the parties involved. And it's to the point that it makes me wonder how accurate t...more
Historical fiction is not my usual cup of tea, but I read this to prepare myself for our upcoming trip to Machu Picchu. I really liked it, much to my surprise. The beginning and the end were a bit slow, as the author seemed interested in disecting the motives and methods of the explorers who discovered Machu Picchu and other Inca sites. (who cares?? I'm not a historian or an archeologist, so I didn't) But in the middle, where the Inca story and the Spanish conquest story were recreated, I ...more
A well-researched, well-explained and well-told narrative couched in sometimes overdramatic and overexerting flourishes. Could've done without the "no doubt at this point Pizarro cursed aloud, the wrinkles of worry wending their ways across his brow, as he watched the mighty tors of native legions gather in droves across the hillsides around him like hungry Hitchcockian birds on telephone wires waiting for their moment to strike" -ish language, but it is both informative and entertain...more
A very good, non-biased account of Spain's conquest of the Incan Empire. I thought it was fair, without painting the Spaniards as bloodthirsty westerners, and the Incas as peaceful and innocent rubes, who left to their own devices would have created a Utopian society of equality. The Incas were just as brutal as the European powers that conquered them, they just weren't as technologically (or biologically) advanced. Also, I thought that it gave some insight to the mind of the Catholic Church dur...more
Stopped on chapter 7 - due to boredom
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I'm surprised at how two-faced Pizarro appears in the book. One chapter he is upset because they (his vote included) wrongly killed the Incan emperor and the next he is lying to the new Incan emperor. This man was scum (as were his fellow conquerors).
I'm a little confused:
1. At the beginning of the book the author said that most of the Spaniards were illiterate, now they are reading ...more
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I'm surprised at how two-faced Pizarro appears in the book. One chapter he is upset because they (his vote included) wrongly killed the Incan emperor and the next he is lying to the new Incan emperor. This man was scum (as were his fellow conquerors).
I'm a little confused:
1. At the beginning of the book the author said that most of the Spaniards were illiterate, now they are reading ...more
The incredible Spanish conquest of the Inca empire is fascinating. How could 150 men take on 100,000 Inca warriors? MacQuarrie lays out the answer in a very clear and concise manner. Still, I felt like I was watching an one dimensional history documentary. Half way through I realized, “I’m not emotionally vested with either side!” For the most part, rich detail is lacking in her story-telling. Contrary to that last statement, MacQuarrie would occasionally blurt out an imagined micro detail, “his...more
Reassessment of the "miraculous" victory of the conquistadors over South America's powerful and wealthy Inca Empire. How did several hundred filthy, illiterate, gold-crazed Spanish thugs overthrow an empire with an army that outnumbered them thousands to one? Firearms, hard-won European battle toughness, smallpox and...well, help from indigenous rebels who hated the Incas and didn't look far enough ahead to see that the Spanish were not their friends.
very well researched, told with enthusiasm and clarity. surprising and important portray of how brutal the spanish were and how similar the two empires were. a few facts that may surprise: the inca empire was only 90 years old when the Spanish arrived, the original conquest was conducted by a small 'private corporation' of conquistadors given license by the Spanish monarchy to practice piracy and terrorism upon indigenous populations, and many others. my only complaint was the repetitive style, ...more
I cannot understand the positive reviews from others about this book. Granted, the topic is fascinating, but the author's redundant style is extremely off-putting. There were several times when I considered putting the book down permanently. I finished the book because it was the selection of a book club to which I belong.
I think the author should have considered a master list of the book's people (or dare I say characters) with a brief description, instead of perpetually referring to...more
I think the author should have considered a master list of the book's people (or dare I say characters) with a brief description, instead of perpetually referring to...more
A great book for anybody planning a trip to Peru, especially those who will make the journey to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This history book tells the story of both the Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire, as well as the history of the archaeological rediscovery of the ruins of that empire. An easy to read history, that reads more like a novel, it is full of adventure and information. A fascinating story, and one that is extremely well told.
Excellent.
The book provides a very entertaining, readable description of Pizarro's conquest of the Incas. MacQuarrie's presents the individuals as real, breathing characters, not just as one dimensional images in a history book.
The book also presents a detailed description of not only Inca culture, but also the post Middle Ages Spanish culture that helped spawned the likes of Pizarro and the conquistidor conquests.
The book provides a very entertaining, readable description of Pizarro's conquest of the Incas. MacQuarrie's presents the individuals as real, breathing characters, not just as one dimensional images in a history book.
The book also presents a detailed description of not only Inca culture, but also the post Middle Ages Spanish culture that helped spawned the likes of Pizarro and the conquistidor conquests.
If you've ever considered travelling to Peru, and especially Machu Picchu, you really should read this book before you go. The book describes the Inca culture and civilization at the time of the Spanish conquest, and explains how such a small contingent of European Christian explorers could overcome the native population while being so vastly outnumbered. It also describes the ancient ruins, and the popular tourist destination Machu Picchu. It truly puts the story of the Country in perspectiv...more
Marvelous and incredibly strong writing. I am much more impressed by this book than I thought I would be. The characters are very vivid, one doesn't lose track of what is going on in spite of the endless intrigue and subtleties that abound. With his spectacular knack for weaving a narrative, the author manages to truly accomplish what he set out to do - dust off the figures like Pizarro and Bigham, breathe a bit of life into them, and then let contemporaries interpret them as they were.
If you're interested in how a mere 186 Spaniards managed to set in motion the events that destroyed the Incan Empire, this is a great book. And if you've been to Peru, the sites you've seen are all described as they would've looked when the Spanish came. Made me sad to see "religion" play such a destructive role, but this is a great historical book and well worth the read.
Excellent. Compelling true account of the years from the first encounter of the Spaniards to their ultimate decimation of the indigenous Incas. Illuminates the cruelty of the Spanish, but doesn't let the incas off the hook for their own infighting and idiocy. Great storytelling, top notch entertainment...you could read this like a novel.
Really, really interesting. I found the first 3/4 of the book to be an immersive and fascinating look at the interaction between the Spaniards and the Inca. It was really very good. The last 1/4, while interesting, spends a lot of time examine the discovery of the Inca ruins and felt like it was tacked on and didn't belong.
Wow, this was an amazing and captivating account of how the Spanish decimated the native Incas in order to take over their gold and silver mining areas. I learned so much about how and why all of these ancient ruins have been found thousands of miles stretching from Ecuador to Chile and Bolivia. . . such an amazing part of history and written so well that I never felt I was reading a history book :) Now I really can't wait to see these ruins for myself. . .
For a documentary, the storytelling is a little bit too cinematic for my taste. But I enjoyed learning many things that are largely unknown about this great empire... and made me even more pissed off at the Spaniards (who did similar stuff in my native Philippines), and reflective of what a long way my Catholic faith has come.
A wonderful history, as fast moving as any swashbuckler. It follows the unlikely conquest of the Incas by the Pizzarro Brothers and their 168 strong band of piratical entrepreneurs (Conquistadors) as they brutally subjugate an empire of millions in some of the most unforgiving terrain on the planet. This does not go well for any of those involved.
Literally mind-blowing.
Also included: a marvelous portrait of the Inca culture as it had evolved to its apex in the 1500s, whereupo...more
Literally mind-blowing.
Also included: a marvelous portrait of the Inca culture as it had evolved to its apex in the 1500s, whereupo...more
I read this to learn about the Incas in preparation for our trip to Peru and found it to be fascinating, didn't want to put it down despite it's hefty size. Well-researched and appalling account of what the Spanish conquistadors did to the Incans and their nature-worshiping culture in the name of greed and God.
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Kim MacQuarrie is a writer, a documentary filmmaker, and an anthropologist. He’s won multiple national Emmy awards for documentary films made in such disparate regions as Siberia, Papua New Guinea, and Peru. MacQuarrie is the author of four books on Peru and lived in that country for five years, exploring many of its hidden regions. During that time, MacQuarrie lived with a recently-contacted trib...more
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“In a sense, New World conquest was about men seeking a way around one of life's basic rules - that human beings have to work for a living, just like the rest of the animal world. In Peru, as elsewhere in the Americas, Spaniards were not looking for fertile land that they could farm, they were looking for the cessation of their own need to perform manual labor. To do so, they needed to find large enough groups of people they could force to carry out all the laborious tasks necessary to provide them with the essentials of life: food, shelter, clothing, and, ideally, liquid wealth. Conquest, then, had little to do with adventure, but rather had everything to do with groups of men willing to do just about anything in order to avoid working for a living. Stripped down to its barest bones, the conquest of Peru was all about finding a comfortable retirement.”
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