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The Incas (Peoples of America) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "On Friday, November 15, 1532, a force of 168 frightened Spaniards walked into the maw of the most powerful empire ever seen in the Americas..." (more)
Key Phrases: khipu kamayuq, provincial rule, unit ostensibly, Wayna Qhapaq, Thupa Inka Yupanki, Cabello Valboa (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Transforms the field of Inca studies." Gary Urton, Harvard University <!--end-->


"There have been many syntheses of the Inca culture of the Central Andes of South America, but this one, by the leader in Inca studies, surpasses them all." Choice

"[D'Altroy] is recognised as an outstanding and well-published scholar on the provinces of the Inca Empire. I highly recommend this excellent synthesis of Inca studies ... for its comparative empire insights ... its smooth and lively narrative style and for the critical discussion of the abundant historical and archaeological sources on the Inca empire." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"Transforms the field of Inca studies." Gary Urton, Harvard University "There have been many syntheses of the Inca culture of the Central Andes of South America, but this one, by the leader in Inca studies, surpasses them all." Choice "[D'Altroy] is recognised as an outstanding and well-published scholar on the provinces of the Inca Empire. I highly recommend this excellent synthesis of Inca studies ... for its comparative empire insights ... its smooth and lively narrative style and for the critical discussion of the abundant historical and archaeological sources on the Inca empire." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Product Description

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 remote Andean settlement near Lake Titicaca to its rapid demise six centuries later at the hands of the Spanish conquerors.

  • A bold new history by the world's leading expert on Incan civilization.
  • Covers the entire Andean region, five countries and ten million people.
  • Heavily illustrated with maps, figures, and photographs.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 408 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (August 8, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1405116765
  • ISBN-13: 978-1405116763
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,251 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #16 in  Books > History > Americas > South America > Peru
    #20 in  Books > History > Ancient > Incan

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More About the Author

Terence N. D'Altroy
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
On Friday, November 15, 1532, a force of 168 frightened Spaniards walked into the maw of the most powerful empire ever seen in the Americas. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
khipu kamayuq, provincial rule, unit ostensibly, mountaintop shrines, coca fields, intermontane valleys, ceremonial cycle, provincial lords, dynastic war, settlement planning, labor duties, provincial centers, late prehistory, aristocratic estates, environmental zone, ashlar masonry
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Wayna Qhapaq, Thupa Inka Yupanki, Cabello Valboa, Guaman Poma, Wiraqocha Inka, Lake Titicaca, Qhapaq Yupanki, Hatun Xauxa, Manqo Inka, Sapa Inca, Lower Cuzco, Inka Roq'a, Machu Picchu, American Museum of Natural History, Espinoza Soriano, Manqo Qhapaq, Upper Cuzco, Yawar Waqaq, Upper Mantaro Valley, Specialized Production, The History of the Empire, Wanka Awki, Pedro Pizarro, Zinchi Roq'a, Francisco Pizarro
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Citations (learn more)
This book cites 90 books:
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Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
Andean Archaeology by Helaine Silverman
Empires by Kathleen D. Morrison
 

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best overview currently available, March 1, 2003
By N. Clarke (Lancashire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Incas (Peoples of America) (Hardcover)
Incorporating much of the most recent research into Inca history and society, Terence D'Altroy's work is undoubtedly the best (and most readable!) of the serious introductory texts in the field. He covers the various aspects clearly and thoroughly, elucidating the complexities of the historical narrative, social organisation, and economic production, alongside information on ritual practice, accounting methods, architecture and geography. We are given a synthesis of modern research, together with an awareness of how much remains to be understood, such the _khipu_ rope-knotting techniques that the Incas used to record the movement of goods and transmit laws.

There is a wealth of black-and-white photographs and near-contemporary illustrations, and D'Altroy makes extensive, judicious use of both archaeological finds and written sources (native and Spanish) from the decades immediately after the Conquest. The slant is primarily historical, and while - as with any study of Andean history - anthropological theory enters the picture, this is rather less jargon-filled and abstract than the average ethnographic study, but instead shows awareness of historical change and social evolution.

Extremely useful.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Synthesis, May 2, 2003
By R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Incas (Peoples of America) (Hardcover)
This book is intended as a synthesis of information on the Inca state. Written both as an introductory book for the broad reading public and as a benchmark for scholars, this book distills historical, archaeologic, and ethnographic information into a single nicely organized and written volume. D'Altroy, an archaeologist who has worked extensively in the Andes, covers the prehistory and history of the Inca state, its social and political organization, its religous ideology, and its material culture. The judicious use of historic sources, largely post-Spanish conquest writings, combined with archaeologically derived information is excellent. The writing is free of academic jargon and D'Altroy provides a comparative perspective by sparing but insightful comparisons with other pre-modern empires. It is difficult to write a book that will be interesting to general readers and useful to scholars but D'Altroy has done an excellent job of serving two masters. I've read other books on the Incas and this is beyond question the best single volume on this topic.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, August 25, 2004
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Incas (Peoples of America) (Hardcover)
Professor D'Altroy, a UCLA graduate in 1981, is director of the Columbia Center for Archaeology and professor of anthropology at Columbia University. His specialty is the Inca, and this volume is a cumulative description of current research on that topic.

The Incas is a thorough description of the land and people of the region, including groups and empires that preceded the Inca. Written sources for the information are analyzed for their contemporaneity, reliability, and bias, while archaeological data are used to clarify these accounts where possible. The author discusses not only the rise and fall of the empire but the social order and political and religious ideology as well.

The notes to the chapters are interesting in themselves, as they provide additional information that addresses questions that seem to arise from natural curiosity about the details of events. My favorites had to do with the claimed ages of witnesses to events and those claimed for various emperors. The bibliography is truly amazing and contains entries of almost every copyright date, many annotated, recently printed volumes of early explorers' accounts. A casual perusal of the entries suggests that most of these date to 1558 and later. Some of the secondary entries and most of the primary sources are in Spanish, although there are more than enough in English to answer to the needs of the interested. Periodicals are a significant portion of the bibliography, however, and some of these may be difficult to find unless one has access to a large university library. Most of the modern book entries date to the late 1970's, although some of historical interest or significance date to the earlier years of the 20th Century.

The book is easily accessible to the average reader with an interest in Native Americans, the Incas, anthropology, archaeology, political history, social history, Spain in the New World, and cultures in conflict.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Richly Detailed and Readable Insights Into the Lives of The Incas
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... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Jason Golomb

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bedtime reading...
Eager to learn more about the Incas, I found out the hard way that this book is not for the casual enthusiast. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Gina Polly

5.0 out of 5 stars The Incas
I have a great interest in the Inca tribes and wished to find out more about them. It was very good study material for my studies.
Published on May 13, 2007 by Arthur J. Roberts

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source for all the information you need on the Incas
I'm preparing to travel to Peru in a month so i bought this book to get myself aquainted with the Incas and the book didnt dissapoint me. Read more
Published on December 15, 2006 by Jorge I. Villanueva

5.0 out of 5 stars The most complete source about the Incas
This book provides all the information needed to understand many aspects of the Inca empire. Comparing recent archaeological findings with Spanish cronicles and with many Inca... Read more
Published on August 1, 2006 by Henrique Drago F. Braga

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