The Incas

by Terence N. D'Altroy

The great empire of the Incas at its height encompassed an area of western South America comparable in size to the Roman Empire in Europe. This book describes and explains its extraordinary progress from a small Andean society in southern Peru to its rapid demise little more than a century later at the hands of the Spanish conquerors.The Incas is the first book fully to synthesize history and archaeology in a sweeping exploration of the entire empire from Chile to Ecuador. The author explains how the Incas drew from millennia of cultural developments to mould a diverse land into a dynamic, powerful, and yet fragile polity. From this integrated perspective, The Incas profoundly rethinks the nature of imperial formation, ideology, and social, economic, and political relations in Inca society.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Archaeology, Travel, Indigenous History, Indigenous

555 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of DAltroy's research - and his ability to synthesize existing sources of information - is astounding. The text is an excellent introduction to the Incas. However, it is dense, dry, and unsuitable for freshmen! Great for a history, archaeology, or anthropology course, but I recommend The Incas: New Perspectives if you're looking for a more lighthearted romp with the Incas.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically a textbook for all things Inca. I wish he elaborated more on food, such as what kinds of dishes they ate. I was led to assume they ate the same thing every day except for meat on special occasions. I’d also like to know what kinds of weapons they used and if there are any pictures of these around. As far as everything else goes, he goes into detail about daily life, military, social structure, formation of the empire and more. He gives many good, concrete examples and names many sites. At times it’s hard to pronounce a lot of the names, it would be great to include a guide or table on Quechua pronunciation. Nonetheless, the amount of research that went into this book is impressive. It’s too bad that our knowledge of the Inca is limited because of the lack of direct records (too bad they didn’t have a writing system other than the quipu). So all first hand accounts of the Inca are from the lenses of Spanish record keepers. If you want to know more about the Inca- read this book!

[Jason Golomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Incas is a very detailed and enlightening view into the world of the Incas. The book is well researched and and appropriate for anyone looking to go beyond the tales of Machu Picchu and the Spanish Conquest.

D'Altroy uses a wealth of resources to detail the lives and existence of the Incas - day-to-day living, military and family structures, economy, etc.

The writing is comfortable enough for even the non-academic.

Highly recommended.

[Jess]

It's not bad. It's actually better written than some of the texts I've attempted on Inca society and culture, but I'm just not in the mood for something this academic right now. So, sending it back to the library. May try again later.

[Dom Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent overview, with updated case matter.

Tends to oversimplify a few times, and dry.

[Matt Engdahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've ever read on the topic of the Incas, and so there was much to learn. And learn I did. It is a rare thing for someone writing on historical or archaeological topics to coherently and convincingly explain the minds of the people they're studying, but d'Altroy does a remarkable job of this supremely difficult area. Drawing from both archaeological and (post-conquest) historical sources, the symbiosis between the Inca and their surrounding landscape is investigated in great detail, as - and this was my absolute favourite part of the whole book - is their perception of time and history itself. Without comprehension of the latter, the author makes clear, any understanding of Incan history would be nigh-on impossible. Cultural, religious, and social practices are also covered in fascinating and vivid detail. This said, there were a couple of sections that I found less interesting, or perhaps more difficult, to read: detailed descriptions of archaeological sites rarely make for riveting entertainment, but are of course important as source material. Similarly, the political and military history of the Incan empire is laid out as best as the author can manage (given the circumstances), but soon became a confusing melée, at least to me, who was reading this purely for entertainment. Overall, d'Altroy does a stonkingly good job of showcasing the peculiarities of the Inca and the significant impact they had during, and after, their short-lived empire.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most informative! Unfortunately, Craig Morris passed away before this was published in 2011, but Adriana von Hagen completed the work. Morris excavated one of the largest Inca centers at Huánuco Pampa, site of a large palace with stones artfully carved and placed. Machu Picchu is described as a city of stairways placed high above the Urubamba river in a spectacular setting inaccessible to Spanish invaders. Although Hiram Bingham is credited with the discovery of Machu Picchu, its existence was known and even indicated on maps as early as 1874. Photographs, drawings, maps, and research are all impeccable. I am delighted to have found this at the library.

[hh · Rating 4 out of 5]

accessibly written and thorough. d'altroy's book hits all the bases and gives a solid foundation for inca studies. for those looking to know more, the source material & bibliography are still going to be invaluable.

[John Caviglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the leading expert, this tome is concise, up to date, and very thoroughly scholarly, with a 40 page bibliography that will enable you to further pursue all the known recesses of this empire. Less a must for tourists than for Incaphiles.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Incas is a strong academic introduction to the Inca empire, drawing from a balanced reading of colonial chronicle and the latest in archeological research to present the political and logistical marvel that were the Inca. A little dry, but deeply sourced.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gives me knowledge. Kinda boring but it is assigned reading. Wish it had more summaries at the end of each chapter because sometimes I can't remember what i have been reading.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of information in one condensed volume. Maybe just a bit dry, in the academic manner, but that impression is probably due to my latent attention deficiency.

[Eivind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, comprehensive and maybe a bit dry. Definitely worth it if you're interested in the Incas, but not for casual reading.

[Helen Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging read with some insightful remarks. A shame that it is very male-centric with very little infornation on specific women or goddesses.

[Alyssa Terrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable textbook to read. I read maybe 75% of it for a class. I wish I had been able to slow down and enjoy reading it more.

[Panagiotis Mavraganis]

Poorly written. Wordy messy and unsystematic narration of facts. Lot’s of information though.

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say! Couldn't put it down !

[Daniel Osores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente estudio por parte de un reconocido arqueólogo sobre los incas. Es ameno y se puede aprender mucho a pesar de su relativa antigüedad. Recomendado para los interesados en el Tahuantinsuyo.

[Stephanie DeMattheis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class
Very informative
Too much reading was assigned each week

[Jeremy Neufeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rock-solid survey of what modern historical and archeological scholarship has learned about the Incas’ origins, rule, religion, culture, and their relationship to the peoples they conquered. Bear in mind however that this is a textbook (and a very good one!) so if you are looking for a narrative or a monograph, look elsewhere

[Dinora · Rating 4 out of 5]

D'Altroy's book is a must-have for anyone interested in Andean pre-history. Each chapter deals with a major characteristic of the Inka empire, such as Social and Economic Organization, Militarism, Daily Life, Mythical and Historical Origins, etc.
This book gives an excellent overview of every aspect of Inka life and preceding influences, facilitating further exploration by the student.

[AskHistorians]

This book provides a general introduction to Inca culture and history. It is written for a general audience, and is very accessible.