The Last Days of the Incas

By: Kim MacQuarrie

Narrated by: Norman Dietz

In 1532, the 54-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to the Spaniards, the Inca rulers of Peru had just fought a bloody civil war in which the emperor Atahualpa had defeated his brother, Huascar. Pizarro and his men soon clashed with Atahualpa and a huge force of Inca warriors at the Battle of Cajamarca. Despite being outnumbered by more than 200 to one, the Spaniards prevailed - due largely to their horses, their steel armor and swords, and their tactic of surprise. They captured and imprisoned Atahualpa. Although the Inca emperor paid an enormous ransom in gold, the Spaniards executed him anyway. The following year, the Spaniards seized the Inca capital of Cuzco, completing their conquest of the largest native empire the New World has ever known. Peru was now a Spanish colony, and the conquistadors were wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

But the Incas did not submit willingly. A young Inca emperor, the brother of Atahualpa, soon led a massive rebellion against the Spaniards, inflicting heavy casualties and nearly wiping out the conquerors. Eventually, however, Pizarro and his men forced the emperor to abandon the Andes and flee to the Amazon. There, he established a hidden capital, called Vilcabamba. Although the Incas fought a deadly, 36-year-long guerrilla war, the Spanish ultimately captured the last Inca emperor and vanquished the native resistance.

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.

©2007 Kim MacQuarrie (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Vivid and energetic....Riveting." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A first-rate reference work of ambitious scope that will most likely stand as the definitive account of these people." ( Booklist)

The Saga of the Pizarros and the Inca Royal Family

This is a good, well-researched book. It's history, so it can get a little boring, but it's a very interesting story overall.

In particular, it focuses on the rivalry among the conquistadors to establish and maintain power over the wealth of the Inca Empire.

The history of the Inca Empire is also visited in some depth as well as the rivalry among the Inca heirs of the empire.

If you are interested in the history of the European conquest of the Americas, it's definitely worth the listen

Presented like a story instead of a history book

Loved the novel-like feel of the book. While thus book is not as scholarly as other history books, it does translate well into an audiobook. I have listened to over a dozen historical audiobooks on audible, and many of them are too academic feeling and sound more like a textbook than an audiobook. Although the historical accuracy in this book is sometimes questionable and presumptive, the novel-like style of writing makes this book translate very well into audiobook format.

Great read! Very informative.

Well written story. I loved how the author brought the past into the present. I'll read it again.

A page turner, if such an audiobook is possible

Kim MacQuarrie begins his narrative acknowledging many of the challenges associated with writing a book about the Incas. The Incas had no written language (other than the quipus they used mostly as an accounting tool). The conquering Spaniards on the other hand had very little interest in science, archeology, or history or in understanding or preserving the traditions of a conquered people. What historical sources exist today are essentially collections of letters and greatly exaggerated accounts of their "heroics" among the "savages" of the new world. Yet, in spite of these odds, Kim manages to put together a work that is not only historical, but also a narrative that keeps the reader engaged - wanting to know what happens next. Yes, it is true that Kim uses the word "undoubtedly" more than a few times whenever he wants to color, or insert his own opinion of the facts (how would anyone know whether Manco Inca was affraid, surprised or enraged about the approach of the Spaniards?, for example), but I didn't find his additions specially problematic.
Instead,I found his work fascinating and it helped me better understand the history of the "conquest" of Peru, as well as the roots of many of the social phenomena that we observe today in Latin America.
An excellent read! Well done.

Best history of the Conquest of the Inca Nation!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absoltely, and i have. This is the most detailed, interesting, and comprehensive history of the conquest of the Inca's I have ever read. I have been studying Latin America History for 30 years, and this is the best treatment of the subject i have found. Congratulations to the author.

What did you like best about this story?

The level of detail concerning both the Europeans and the Indian lives at the time of the Conquest was simply amazing. The author covers every important detail of political concerns for both sides, geography, economics, religious, and social factors that played in this amazing feat of conquest.

Have you listened to any of Norman Dietz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard this man before, but this was first class.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. How did 163 Spanish defeat the 80,000 Inca warriors in Caljamarca and capture the Inca? Simply, bold audacity. The Spanish were trapped, they could not go back, the only way forward was to attack the Inca and his guard and catch them off balance. Pizarro gave the order, the spanish attacked, and the rest is history.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic story well told. Everyone interested in human behavior should read this book, as well as those interested in the period or Latin American history. This is a book that is entertaining for everyone.

MacQuarrie Can Write!

The author has an amazing command over language. MacQuarrie's flowing narrative spurs the brave conquistadors whose high hopes, blood lust and gold fever teases the adventure in all of us.

Helped place things

I enjoye this after making a trip to Peru last year and going again in April of this next year. It made so many of the Places we went to solidify in my mind about the history and their process in getting their. Granted it was primarily from a Spanish view but the writer did a good job at tracking pre Spanish rule as often as possible

Yes: It's Worth the Buy!

It may be enough to say that, I began this book with a keen interest in Inca lore – and finished fascinated by it…The primary purpose of this book is to describe the clash of two great peoples, viz., the mighty Incas and the endless Conquistadores. Thus, if the listener desires in depth accounts of the times before 1492, then other books would make a better choice. However, for an overall introduction to the Inca’s, for rich descriptions of bygone wars and cultures – all written in a way to present complex material for the ease and enjoyment of laymen - the listener would do well to delay purchase no longer…

Inca Book

Nice book, super long and it can be tedious at times. Recommended for middle/high school classes.

Fact is more fascinating than fiction

This marvelous book will make your hair rise. The unbelievable chronicle of Pizzaro and the Incas seems like fiction, but it is all true. When I explain the history to those who might have an interest, they are incredulous. The Spanish method did work, but it couldn't be done today and shouldn't be done. Listen to it if you have an interest in history.