This boxed set of two encyclopedias charts the rise and fall of the ancient American empires - including the Chavin, Paracas, Moche, Olmec and Zapotec. It is an absorbing guide to the lost world of the peoples of the sun, their awe-inspiring history, myths and culture. You can explore dozens of vitally important World Heritage sites, including Teotihuacan, Cuzco and the Nazca lines. It describes burial practices, mummies, ritual sacrifice and the importance of gold as well as exploring the impact on native religion of the coming of Christianity. 1000 stunning photographs, statues, sculptures, paintings, maps and illustrations reveal an amazing visual history. This two-volume comprehensive and authoritative history describes the political, military and social world of ancient America. It explores the region's vivid mythology, including tales of creation, earth and sky; legends of the gods, goddesses and heroes; and stories of fertility, harvest and the afterlife. The first book focuses on the Maya and Aztec civilizations of Mexico and Central America, and the second on the Inca Empire that stretched the length of South America. Taking in many other cultures, this is a perfect introduction to the subject and also a stunning visual record of a fascinating period that has helped to shape our world. Read more

An extraordinary and inspiring chronicle of one woman’s harrowing journey to become the first female to kayak the entire Amazon River.Part memoir, part feminist manifesto, Amazon Woman shows what incredible feats we are capable of and will encourage people, especially women, across all backgrounds and ages to find the courage and strength to live the life they’ve imagined. This 148-day journey began on Darcy Gaetcher’s 35th birthday. The emotional waters that would fester and erupt on the ensuing journey was often more challenging to navigate than the mighty river itself. With blistering lips and irradiated fingernails, Darcy would tackle raging Class Five whitewater for twenty-five days straight, barely survived a dynamite-filled canyon being prepared for a new hydroelectric plan. She and her two companions would encounter illegal loggers, narco-traffickers, murderous Shining Path rebels, and ruthless poachers in the black market trade in endangered species.  In a desperate attempt meant to give her some pretense of control, Darcy even cut off all her hair before entering Peru’s notoriously dangerous “Red Zone” in hopes of passing for a boy and being seen as less of a target. At once a heart-pounding adventure and a celebration of pushing personal limits, Amazon Woman speaks to all of us feeling trapped by our desk-bound, online society. This a story of finding the courage and strength to challenge nature, cultures, social norms, and oneself. Read more

First published in the 1950s, this is a classic account of the discovery in 1911 of the lost city of Machu Picchu.In 1911 Hiram Bingham, a pre-historian with a love of exotic destinations, set out to Peru in search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca. With a combination of doggedness and good fortune he stumbled on the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrent of the Urubamba River. The buildings were of white granite, exquisitely carved blocks each higher than a man. Bingham had not, as it turned out, found Vilcabamba, but he had nevertheless made an astonishing and memorable discovery, which he describes in his bestselling book LOST CITY OF THE INCAS. Read more

Do you consider yourself a history-whizz?The history of humanity is as fascinating as it is diverse.Prehistory consumed the earth for millennia. Yet in just 200,000 years, our ancestors have:hunted alongside the animalsformed civilizations and empiresbuilt structures that still stand todayadvanced human intelligence with the development of maths, science and philosophyformed societies and fought amongst ourselvesand transformed our lives through the invention of technology.The Huge History Quiz Book promises fun for the whole family with 30 challenging rounds and 777 fascinating trivia questions covering the entire history of humankind. From ancient civilizations to eras of empire, from prehistory to modern-day wars, from general knowledge to the history of the arts - there will be a round for everyone!Brush up on your history skills with this educational and challenging pastime which is suitable for the whole family!The Huge History Quiz Book is the perfect rainy day or after-dinner activity, even if you aren’t particularly knowledgeable about the past: spend time with your family, create a healthy competition and learn something in the process!SCROLL UP and test yourself on the history of humankind - good luck! Read more

"For hundreds of years, the story of the legendary Inca city of Vilcabamba lay buried in old Spanish chronicles. The ancient records tell of a young Inca king, Manco Inca, who fled deep into the Amazon after the Spaniards conquered his empire. There Manco built a city in the jungle that held out for the next 36 years, until the Spaniards finally overwhelmed it in 1572.Kim MacQuarrie has fashioned an unforgettable history of the Spanish conquest, and the search for the lost city of Vilcabamba. "The Last Days of the Incas" brings one of the most heroic uprisings in history vividly back to life.""A Welcome addition to the literature...lively and dramatic." --The Washington Post"Fascinating and enthralling...Truly a work worth Inca gold." --History Magazine Read more

'Kevin Lane offers a concise and well-illustrated introduction to this bygone realm, describing its history and culture and chronicling its rise and fall.' - Wall Street JournalIn their heyday the Inca ruled over the largest land empire in the Americas, reaching the pinnacle of South American civilization. Known as the 'Romans of the Americas', these fabulous engineers converted the vertiginous, challenging landscapes of the Andes into a fertile region able to feed millions, alongside building royal estates such as Machu Picchu and a 40,000-kilometre road network crisscrossed by elegant braided-rope suspension bridges.Beautifully illustrated, this book examines the mythical origins and history of the Inca, as well as their economy, society, technology and beliefs. Kevin Lane reconsiders previous theories while proposing new interpretations concerning the timeline of Inca expansion, their political organization and the role of women in their society, while showcasing how their legacy endures today. Read more

First published in the 1950s, this is a classic account of the discovery in 1911 of the lost city of Machu Picchu.In 1911 Hiram Bingham, a pre-historian with a love of exotic destinations, set out to Peru in search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca. With a combination of doggedness and good fortune he stumbled on the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrent of the Urubamba River. The buildings were of white granite, exquisitely carved blocks each higher than a man. Bingham had not, as it turned out, found Vilcabamba, but he had nevertheless made an astonishing and memorable discovery, which he describes in his bestselling book LOST CITY OF THE INCAS. Read more

'Extraordinarily learned, and gilded with linguistic flourishes.' - Literary Review'In an age obsessed with global supply chains, instant communications, and global epidemics, there is much to be learned from predecessors who first encircled the world, for better or worse.' - Kris Lane, author of Potosí: The Silver City that Changed the WorldSixteenth-century Spain was small, poor, disunited and sparsely populated. Yet the Spaniards and their allies built the largest empire the world had ever seen. How did they achieve this?Felipe Fernández-Armesto and Manuel Lucena Giraldo argue that Spain's engineers were critical to this venture. The Spanish invested in infrastructure to the advantage of local power brokers, enhancing the abilities of incumbent elites to grow wealthy on trade and widening the arc of Spanish influence.Bringing to life stories of engineers, prospectors, soldiers and priests, the authors paint a vivid portrait of Spanish America in the age of conquest. This is a dazzling new history of the Spanish Empire, and a new understanding of empire itself, as a venture marked as much by collaboration as oppression. Read more

The history of the Incas fascinates the modern world. This groundbreaking book separates fact from fiction, exploring the native peoples of Peru and the Andes, their mythologies and ancient belief systems, and the amazing beauty of Inca art and architecture. It opens with the culture and history of its many kingdoms and their mythological rituals and beliefs. The second half of the book focuses on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people and the beautiful art they created, such as ceramics, gold- and silverwork, and fabrics. This authoritative volume combines over 1000 striking illustrations with lively and engaging text. An in-depth history of the ancient peoples of South America including the Paracas, Chavin, Nazca, Moche, Wari, Lambayeque-Sipan, Tiwanaku, Chimu and Inca. Discover the breathtaking developments in Andean art, from the mysterious lines etched in the Nazca desert to the temples erected at Kotosh, La Galgada and Aspero. This large format new edition discusses the sophisticated politics, power and warfare with fascinating insights into the brutal rituals and symbolic complexity. Read more

At the end of the Second World War some of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party escaped from justice. Some of them are names that have resonated deeply in twentieth-century history - Eichmann, Mengele, Martin Bormann and Klaus Barbie - not just for the monstrosity of their crimes, but also because of the shadowy nature of their post-war existence, holed up in the depths of Latin America, always one step ahead of their pursuers. The nature of their escape was as gripping as any good thriller. They were aided and abetted by corrupt Catholic priests in the Vatican, they travelled down secret 'rat lines', hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, with vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives. Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how the Nazis escaped at the end of the war, the attempts, sometimes successful, to bring them to justice, and what really happened to those that got away. He has interviewed Nazi hunters, former members of Mossad, and poured through archives across the globe to bring this remarkable period of our recent history to dramatic and vivid life. Read more

The groundbreaking, bestselling series--millions of copies sold worldwide!A classic of ancient human history--and one of the inspirations behind the History Channel's Ancient Aliens--Zecharia Sitchin's Earth Chronicles series is the revelatory and deeply provocative masterwork that forever altered humankind's view of our history and our destiny.In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquerors came to the New World in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Instead, they encountered inexplicable phenomena that have puzzled scholars and historians ever since: massive stone edifices constructed in the Earth's most inaccessible regions . . . great monuments forged with impossible skill and unknown tools . . . intricate carvings describing events and places half a world away.Who were the bearded "gods of the golden wand" who had brought civilization to the Americas millennia before Columbus? Who were the giants whose sculpted stone heads in Mesoamerica still mystify to this day?In this remarkably researched fourth volume of The Earth Chronicles, author and explorer Zecharia Sitchin uncovers the long-hidden secrets of the lost New World civilizations of the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayas and Incas, and links the conquistadors' quest for El Dorado to the extraterrestrials who searched there for gold long before. Read more

Since it first appeared in 1971, Rise to Globalism has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The ninth edition of this classic survey, now updated through the administration of George W. Bush, offers a concise and informative overview of the evolution of American foreign policy from 1938 to the present, focusing on such pivotal events as World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, and 9/11. Examining everything from the Iran-Contra scandal to the rise of international terrorism, the authors analyze-in light of the enormous global power of the United States-how American economic aggressiveness, racism, and fear of Communism have shaped the nation's evolving foreign policy. Read more

See 9780754834939 for new updated edition 2021. The history of the Incas fascinates the modern world. This groundbreaking book separates fact from fiction, exploring the native peoples of Peru and the Andes, their mythologies and ancient belief systems, and the amazing beauty of Inca art and architecture. It opens with the culture and history of its many kingdoms and their mythological rituals and beliefs. The second half of the book focuses on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people and the beautiful art they created, such as ceramics, gold- and silverwork, and fabrics. This authoritative volume combines over 1000 striking illustrations with lively and engaging text. An exploration of the political and social history, art, architecture, mythology and legends of the lost cultures of the Andes An in-depth history of the ancient peoples of South America including the Paracas, ChavÝn, Pukarß, Nazca, Moche, Wari, Lambayeque-Sipßn, Tiwanaku, Chimu and Inca Discusses the sophisticated politics, power and warfare with fascinating insights into the brutal rituals and symbolic complexity Discover the breathtaking developments in Andean art, from the mysterious lines etched in the Nazca desert to the ethereal beauty of the temples erected at Kotosh, La Galgada and Aspero, and many more This enthralling guide offers a rare insight into the everyday lives of the Inca people using evidence from archaeological excavation and preserved artefacts Over 1000 photographs, paintings, artefacts, maps and artworks bring the ancient cultures of the South America to vivid life Read more

In the 16th century the King of Spain issued his soldiers with a three pronged mission: to find gold, spread the word of Christianity and claim new territories for Spain. The conquistadors, as they became known, set off into the world to do just that, and nothing was to stand in their way. Their amazing journeys took them from Florida to Machu Picchu via the Amazon and Lake Titicaca. Their epic voyages revolutionised world geography and society was transformed by the bizarre foods they brought back - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, pineapple, tobacco and chocolate, as well as exotic human freight. However, there is a much darker side to the story, for as the King of Spain sat in his court watching Mexican jugglers, his blood-stained emissaries massacred Aztec warriors, raping, branding and enslaving their women and murdering their kings in the name of religion. They spread European diseases such as smallpox, malaria and typhoid, decimating the local populations with tens of millions dying in their wake. Read more

The Spanish conquest of the Americas is a pivotal part of the history of colonization.Christopher Columbus’s discovery, albeit accidental, of a new landmass turned the world upside-down. Beginning in the late 15th century, the kingdom of Spain spearheaded the effort of colonization, sending expedition after expedition to the Caribbean islands and then to mainland North and South America. Through violence, bloodshed, and conquest, the Spanish conquistadors were able to gain control of the rich and prosperous lands of indigenous American civilizations, laying waste to magnificent political and social entities like the Aztec and Inca Empires.This book tells the story of how Spain managed to conquer the Americas in the span of half a century, from the late 1400s to the mid-1500s. Although exploitation and warfare continued between the colonizers and the colonized after this period, the largest campaigns against the indigenous peoples were undertaken in this short time span, which is the focus of this book.This comprehensive guide will cover the following:Columbus and his expeditions, which encouraged other Europeans to start colonizationThe makeup of indigenous American societies, from their social hierarchies and complex cultures to diverse political structuresColonization of the Caribbean islands and the establishment of the Spanish West IndiesThe arrival of Hernán Cortés and his groundbreaking expedition into the Aztec Empire in modern-day MexicoThe conquest of the Maya civilization in the Yucatán Peninsula and the power dynamics between different power-hungry conquistador groups thereThe magnificent Inca Empire in the South American Andes and its conquest by Francisco PizarroStories of infamous expeditions and the problems the conquistadors encounteredAnd much, much more!Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to begin learning about the Spanish Conquest of the Americas! Read more

This essay in cultural anthropology provides a comprehensive view of the way primitive people in all parts of the world once utilized knots; mnemonic knots―to record dates, numbers, and cultural traditions; magic knots―to cure diseases, bewitch enemies, and control the forces of nature; and practical knots―to tie things and hold things together.In his discussion of mnemonic knots, the author analyzes the Peruvian quipus (or knot-calendars and knot-records) and suggests that the Inca astronomer-priests, known to have been accurate observers of the movements of the planets, may also have been able to predict the dates of lunar eclipses; and he shows how it is possible to manipulate the Ina abacus in accordance with the decimal system.His treatment of magic knots includes instances from Babylonian times to the present, with curious examples of the supernatural power attributed to the Hercules knot (i.e., the square knot) in Egypt, Greece, and Rome. His analysis of a little-known treatise on surgeons’ slings and nooses, written by the Green physician Heraklas, is the first detailed account of the specific practical knots used by the ancient Greeks and Romans.Quipus and Witches’ Knots, which is abundantly illustrated, often surprises the reader with the unexpected ways in which the once universal dependence of men on knots has left its mark on the language, customs, and thought of modern peoples. Read more

A highly illustrated and detailed study of one of the most important campaigns in the colonization of the Americas, the Spanish conquest of the vast Inca Empire.In April 1532 a bloody civil war between two brothers ended with one of them, Atahualpa, as master of the mighty Inca Empire. Now the most powerful man in South America, his word was law for millions of subjects spread across thousands of square miles, from the parched deserts of the coast to the lush rainforest of the Amazon and along the spine of the soaring Andes Mountains. But the time of the Incas was coming to an end. In November of that year a handful of Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro seized Atahualpa at Cajamarca, extorted his treasure, murdered him, and then marched on the Inca capital Cuzco to elevate a puppet, Manco, to the vacant throne. In 1536, however, Manco roused his people against the intruders, and the Spaniards found themselves isolated and fighting for their lives. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book brings to life the background to and progress of the desperate 10-month siege of Cuzco; the opposing commanders, their fighting men, tactics, and military technologies; the key clashes, from Sacsayhuamán to Ollantaytambo; and how the outcome shaped our world today. Read more

One man goes in search of the lost cities of the Amazon in the Inca heartland.The lost cities of South America have always exercised a powerful hold on the popular imagination. The ruins of the Incas and other pre-Colombian civilisations are scattered over thousands of miles of still largely uncharted territory, particularly in the Eastern Andes, where the mountains fall away towards the Amazon. Twenty-five years ago, Hugh Thomson set off into the cloud-forest on foot to find a ruin that had been carelessly lost again after its initial discovery. Into his history of the Inca Empire he weaves the story of his adventures as he travelled to the most remote Inca cities. It is also the story of the great explorers in whose footsteps he followed, such as Hiram Bingham and Gene Savoy. Read more

When the Smithsonian's Hall of Physical Anthropology opened in 1965 it featured 160 Andean skulls affixed to a wall to visualize how the world's human population had exploded since the birth of Christ. Through a history of Inca mummies, a pre-Hispanic surgery called trepanation, and Andean crania like these, Empires of the Dead explains how "ancient Peruvians" became the single largest population in the Smithsonian and many other museums in Peru, the Americas, and beyond. In 1532, when Spain invaded the Inca empire, Europeans learned that Inca and Andean peoples made their ancestors sacred by preserving them with the world's oldest practices of artificial mummification. To extinguish their power, the Spaniards collected these ancestors as specimens of conquest, science, nature, and race. Yet colonial Andean communities also found ways to keep the dead alive, making "Inca mummies" a symbol of resistance that Spanish American patriots used to introduce Peruvian Independence and science to the world. Inspired, nineteenth-century US anthropologists disinterred and collected Andean mummies and skulls to question the antiquity and civilization of the American "race" in publications, world's fairs, and US museums. Peruvian scholars then used those mummies and skulls to transform anthropology itself, curating these "scientific ancestors" as evidence of pre-Hispanic superiority in healing.Bringing together the history of science, race, and museums' possession of Indigenous remains, from the sixteenth century to the twentieth, Empires of the Dead illuminates how South American ancestors became coveted mummies, skulls, and specimens of knowledge and nationhood. In doing so it reveals how Peruvian and Andean peoples have learned from their dead, seeking the recovery of looted heritage in the centuries before North American museums began their own work of decolonization. Read more

In Simón Bolívar's book, readers are transported to the tumultuous era of the early 19th century, where one man's indomitable spirit and unwavering vision would forever change the course of history in South America. Simón Bolívar, known as El Libertador, emerges from these pages as a larger-than-life figure, a Venezuelan military and political leader who rose from a privileged upbringing to become the driving force behind the independence movements of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia. Born into a wealthy criollo family, Bolívar's life took a dramatic turn when he lost his parents as a child. Educated abroad and exposed to Enlightenment philosophy, his determination to end Spanish rule in the Americas was solidified during his Grand Tour, culminating in a solemn oath in Rome. Bolívar's journey through the treacherous terrain of South American politics and warfare is vividly recounted, from his early militia service to his exile and friendship with Haitian revolutionary Alexandre Pétion, who provided critical support. Bolívar's epic military campaigns and the birth of new nations are chronicled, with his presidency over the Republic of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia marking the zenith of his influence. However, as Bolívar's centralist ideology clashed with the evolving political landscape, he found himself increasingly disillusioned. The book delves into the complex legacy of this iconic figure, whose name continues to resonate across Latin America. This book offers a comprehensive exploration of his life, shedding light on the man behind the legend, his enduring impact, and his place in the hearts of nations bearing his name. Read more