The Conquest of the Incas by John
Hemming
The Best History Of The Incas
This monumental work of history removes the Incas from the realm of
legend and shows the reality of their struggles against the Spanish
invasion. Winner of the 1971 Christopher Award. Index; photographs,
maps, and line drawings.
Personal Review: The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming
The fall of the Inca empire is one of the most remarkable stories in history,
with great characters, amazing deeds, and epic cruelty and splendor. It
was also a fantastically important event, because the enormous wealth
Spain found in the Andes allowed it to create the first truly global empire,
and ultimately provided Europe with the funds that allowed it to dominate
the world.

In the 19th century, William Prescott wrote a marvelously stentorian
account of the conquest that stood unrivaled for a century. Only in 1970
did Hemming, who subsequently became one of this century's great
explorers and activists, produce a history of the conquest that took into
account many decades of new knowledge. Immensely readable,
thoroughly documented, richly detailed, this book became the new
standard -- emphasizing, as Prescott did not, that the conquest was not a
matter of simply seizing the emperor, and that the Spaniards were battling
determined Inca armies for more than 40 years.
In addition to being the long-time director of the Royal Geographic Society,
Hemming wrote a 3-volume history of the Indians of Amazonia and co-
founded Survival International, which campaigns for the rights of
indigenous peoples. As one would expect, the Conquest of the Incas gives
as much attention to indigenous people as Europeans and focuses on
Spanish treatment of Indians. He is severely critical, but always fair. This
book should be read -- and, I believe, will be enjoyed -- by almost anyone
who travels to Latin America, who would like to find out more about the
founding events of the modern world, or simply likes to read good history.
One suggestion: Hemming thoroughly revised and updated this book a few
years ago, improving an already remarkable book. Unfortunately, his US
publishers have not released the updated edition -- the version on this web
page is the original, from the early 1970s. If you have the time, you should
buy the updated edition from Amazon's British website:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conquest-Incas-John-Hemming/dp/033042730X/
ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250003136&sr=1-1
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