The last days of the Incas / Kim MacQuarrie

Includes bibliographical references (p. 491-495) and index.

The discovery -- A few hundred well-armed entrepreneurs -- Supernova of the Andes -- When empires collide -- A roomful of gold -- Requiem for a king -- The puppet king -- Prelude to a rebellion -- The great rebellion -- Death in the Andes -- The return of the one-eyed conqueror -- In the realm of the Antis -- Vilcabamba: guerrilla capital of the world -- The last of the Pizarros -- The Incas' last stand -- The search for the "lost city" of the Incas -- Vilcabamba rediscovered -- Epilogue: Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba, and the search for the lost cities of the Andes.

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. MacQuarrie also relates the story of the modern search for Vilcabamba, of how Machu Picchu was discovered, and of how a trio of colorful American explorers only recently discovered the lost Inca capital of Vilcabamba, hidden for centuries in the Amazon.