The Incas
Publication Year: 2007
"A valuable introduction and review of scholarship."—Colonial Latin American Historical Review
The Inca Empire's immense territory spanned more than 2,000 miles - from Ecuador to Chile - at the time of the Spanish invasion, yet Inca culture remains largely a mystery. The Incas did not leave pictorial codices and documents in their native language as the Maya and Aztec did and they narrated to Spanish chroniclers just a few of the multiple alternative histories maintained by descendants of various rulers. In this classic work, Nigel Davies offers a clear view into Inca political history, economy, governance, religion, art, architecture, and daily life. The Incas has become a classic in its ten years in print; readers and scholars interested in ancient American cultures will relish this new paperback edition.
Published by: University Press of Colorado
Contents
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pp. vii-
Maps
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pp. viii-
Prologue
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pp. ix-x
Over the past two decades, in addition to my various works on Azrtecs, Toltecs, and other Mesoamericans, I have also written on more general topics, such as human sacrifice throughout the Americas, as well as on...
1. In Search of the Past
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pp. 1-15
Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century writing on the Incas was mainly the preserve of Spanish chroniclers. In the absence of abundant data in the native...
2. The First of the Incas
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pp. 16-39
Before examining the diverse accounts of the foundation, or occupation, of Cuzco by the Incas, one must first ask: What do we know about their more remote origins? What were their creation....
3. The Era of Pachacutec
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pp. 40-63
The reigns of Viracocha, successor to Yahuar Huaca, and of Viracocha's heir, most commonly known as Pachacutec, mark the dawning of an era generally accepted as historical. By contrast, some scholars treat...
4. The Last Conquerors
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pp. 64-102
This chapter is concerned with the process of long-range conquest attributed to Tupac Inca and his successor, Huayna Capac. The available evidence will be presented as to the extent of their domains and the order in which...
5. The Inca State
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pp. 103-126
The later Inca rulers exercised control over a vast empire, centered upon the city and valley of Cuzco. But Cuzco was no mere administrative capital. So profound was its religious...
6. The Empire and Its Infrastructure
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pp. 127-149
any traces of the Incas' presence throughout their empire have now been located and studied. Archeological research denotes the existence of a complex infrastructure and suggests a pattern of orderly control...
7. The Imperial System
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pp. 150-180
Having studied certain aspects of the imperial infrastructure, I now turn to the systems employed by the Incas to govern their empire. As in the case of accounts of Inca conquest, the problem once more...
8. The Decline and Fall
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pp. 181-210
With the death of Huayna Capac, the period of Inca achievement moved toward its close. The events of both the civil war and the Conquest need to be briefly considered in any attempt to asses this achievement and in particular...
Appendix A
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pp. 211-216
Notes
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pp. 217-232
Bibliography
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pp. 233-248
Index
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pp. 249-259
E-ISBN-13: 9781607321262
E-ISBN-10: 1607321262
Print-ISBN-13: 9780870818653
Print-ISBN-10: 0870818651
Page Count: 272
Illustrations: 5 maps
Publication Year: 2007
