History of the Inca Empire: An Account of the Indians' Customs and Their Origin, Together with a Treatise on Inca Legends, History, and Social Institutions (Texas Pan American Series)

I've enjoyed reading this excellent translation by Roland Hamilton of the original text written by the Jesuit scholar, Padre Bernabe Cobo, first as a youth, then man, who experienced the Inca Empire's slow crumble from 67 years post-Conquest to the completion of his Historia del Nuevo Mundo's publication some 21 years later when Cobo was 88. Concise coverage of history of the Inca rulers, the growth of empire, governance, laws of the land, and political structure; agriculture, economics, societal institutions and hierarchies garnered from first-hand accounts and other authors of the times and presenting a rich tapestry to answer the questions: Who where the Inca? What were they like?But this is a text in translation. Roland Hamilton has chosen a free and transparent translation, rather than an antiquated rendering of terms and grammatical structures that would have mired the modern reader in paragraph-long convoluted and complex phraseology of the Jesuit scholar of 400 years ago.It's beautifully translated into contemporary, accessible, lucid English and opens a door for the reader into this, the third largest World Empire (smaller only than those of Alexander the Great and Ancient Rome in size) and, arguably, the only Empire to arise in isolation--one of the most unique societies the world has known.

this is the one book I actually got out of three ordered. good detective work tracking down my real address

Fine copy of a historic document.