The Incas ─ Lords of the Four Quarters

In less than a century the Incas rose from obscure origins to build one
of the largest empires of the ancient world. At its zenith Tawantinsuyu—“The Fourfold Domain”—extended northward from the Inca capital
Cusco along the spine of the Andes to embrace most of modern Peru
and Ecuador, and southward into Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The
sheer scale of the empire, coupled with the challenges of the varied
and rugged landscape, makes the Inca achievement truly remarkable.


This new survey provides the most up-to-date and authoritative
account available of the Incas: their politics, economics, religion, architecture, art, and technology. The authors look in detail at the capital
Cusco and at the four parts of the empire, exploring not just famous
sites such as Machu Picchu but all the major regional settlements. The
book concludes with the end of the empire: the arrival of the Spaniards,
the assassination of the Inca ruler Atawallpa, and the final years of the
rebellious, neo-Inca state in the tropical forests of Vilcabamba.


The illustrations range from finely fitted stonework to superbly
engineered mountain terraces, from stunning textiles to brilliant
metalwork in gold, silver, and bronze.