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History of the Conquest of Peru
An uncontested classic in the literature of Latin American history, and a companion to Prescott's masterly study of Mexico. Continuing the chronicle of Spain's conquest of the New World, it presents a commanding vision of Pizarro's tumultuous overthrow of the Inca Empire. Filled with drama, every page captures the cruelty and pride of the conquistadors.
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First published January 1, 1847
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About the author
William Hickling Prescott
565 books40 followersUnited States historian. Born to a prosperous family, Prescott graduated from Harvard University in 1814 but was prevented by poor health and eyesight from a career in law or business. His friends, including Washington Irving, led him to his life's work: recounting the history of 16th-century Spain and its colonies. He is best known for his History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843) and History of the Conquest of Peru (1847), for which he made rigorous use of original sources, and which earned him a reputation as the first scientific U.S. historian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 24, 2024
This was very good in my opinion. It is considered the concrete writing that sets the standard for the Inca and the conquest. It is divided into five books. The first book gave the extensive history of the pre-exploration Inca. This included the Inca creation story, the rise of their empire, internal organization, military, religion and spiritual temples, farming (terrace cropping in the mountains), livestocking, astronomy, architecture, and a lot more.
The second book told about the discovery of Peru. Rumors of gold and the famous 'El Dorado', the city of gold, encouraged many in seeking fame and fortune. Francisco Pizarro's biography was given, his first expedition crossing through Panama, heading south along the coastline, and making landfall in modern day Ecuador/Peru in 1524. His expedition into the interior convinced him there was more gold than what he initially saw. This ends with his reporting back to the Court of Spain seeking permission to further engage in this new region. In 1529 he was given capitulation by Queen Isabel—essentially this was a writ of go forth and conquer. There were a total of three expeditions with the last being the conquering tour. Pizarro was eventually made the governor of the region that was called New Castile.
The third and fourth book told about the military engagement with the Inca, the capture, ransom, and execution of the Inca king Atahuallpa, native holdouts against the Spaniards, sieges and destruction, and the gradual obliteration the Inca. Eventually among the conquistadors greed, distrust, and the cabal against Pizarro let to his murder. He was killed by his own men in Lima, 1541.
The fifth book concluded with political climate of post-conquered Peru up to the 1560s. I really liked this one and was very detailed. William H. Prescott wrote an unbiased and fact-driven account of the conquest of Peru. I've seen a few documentaries on YouTube and they only give the abbreviated version of what happened. I would recommend this anyone interested in colonial America or the Age of Exploration. Thanks!
The second book told about the discovery of Peru. Rumors of gold and the famous 'El Dorado', the city of gold, encouraged many in seeking fame and fortune. Francisco Pizarro's biography was given, his first expedition crossing through Panama, heading south along the coastline, and making landfall in modern day Ecuador/Peru in 1524. His expedition into the interior convinced him there was more gold than what he initially saw. This ends with his reporting back to the Court of Spain seeking permission to further engage in this new region. In 1529 he was given capitulation by Queen Isabel—essentially this was a writ of go forth and conquer. There were a total of three expeditions with the last being the conquering tour. Pizarro was eventually made the governor of the region that was called New Castile.
The third and fourth book told about the military engagement with the Inca, the capture, ransom, and execution of the Inca king Atahuallpa, native holdouts against the Spaniards, sieges and destruction, and the gradual obliteration the Inca. Eventually among the conquistadors greed, distrust, and the cabal against Pizarro let to his murder. He was killed by his own men in Lima, 1541.
The fifth book concluded with political climate of post-conquered Peru up to the 1560s. I really liked this one and was very detailed. William H. Prescott wrote an unbiased and fact-driven account of the conquest of Peru. I've seen a few documentaries on YouTube and they only give the abbreviated version of what happened. I would recommend this anyone interested in colonial America or the Age of Exploration. Thanks!
October 15, 2013
William Hickling Prescott is one of the world's greatest historians. Years ago, I had read his History of the Conquest of Mexico prior to taking my first vacation in Mexico. Now I have finished History of the Conquest of Peru; with a preliminary view of the civilization of the Incas prior to a projected visit to the Andes. Along with Francis Parkman and John Lothrop Motley (The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Prescott is one of a trio of great American 19th century historians -- all of whom, sadly, are neglected in our time.
Because of his problems with vision, Prescott had actually never visited Mexico nor Peru, but he had visited Spain. With his considerable family wealth, he employed researchers and secretaries who helped him scour the Spanish archives for information about those two masterful conquistadors, Hernan Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.
Unlike Cortés, Pizarro was not only illiterate but illegitimate. He was the creature of a military career and was thus able to destroy the Inca empire with a handful of lowlifes recruited from Spain and Panama. Written in his masterful style, The History of the Conquest of Peru is a page-turner. Prescott takes one not only to the fall of the Incas but beyond, to the civil war between the Pizarros, the Almagros, and various representatives of the Spanish crown. He ends only with the defeat and execution of Gonzalo Pizarro, Francisco's brother, at the hands of Pedro de la Gasca, who held the powers of, but not the title of, viceroy.
Because of his problems with vision, Prescott had actually never visited Mexico nor Peru, but he had visited Spain. With his considerable family wealth, he employed researchers and secretaries who helped him scour the Spanish archives for information about those two masterful conquistadors, Hernan Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.
Unlike Cortés, Pizarro was not only illiterate but illegitimate. He was the creature of a military career and was thus able to destroy the Inca empire with a handful of lowlifes recruited from Spain and Panama. Written in his masterful style, The History of the Conquest of Peru is a page-turner. Prescott takes one not only to the fall of the Incas but beyond, to the civil war between the Pizarros, the Almagros, and various representatives of the Spanish crown. He ends only with the defeat and execution of Gonzalo Pizarro, Francisco's brother, at the hands of Pedro de la Gasca, who held the powers of, but not the title of, viceroy.
August 13, 2014
Why Conquest of Mexico is in the Penguin Classics regular catalog and not this is beyond me. While in many ways the former is meant to be read before the latter, I had such an interest in the fall of the Incas and relatively little knowledge that I at last picked this volume up after it had traveled around at the bottom of cardboard boxes with me for years. Pleasantly, I found a work of History-As-Epic I can't help but compare to Carlyle's The French Revolution: both are tales told by far-removed authors whom in many instances both admire and detest the two belligerents, ultimately championing their own ideology but unable to escape the sensation that Destiny fell upon the Earth at a particular moment in time to change the precise and scientific history that they both worshiped. While Carlyle assembled an ensemble cast due to his knowledge of all sides, Prescott's singular ignorance (despite his best efforts; he still subscribed to the idea that the then unnamed Maya were a shadowy race in reality transplants of the Pharaohs) of Inca culture and records forced him to thrust forward central characters in his history. These were none other than the Pizarro brothers, though not the gently coiffed frill-necked portraits of museums nor even the bloody Conquistadors of the Spanish masters. No, when one reads that Prescott was a contemporary of Hawthorne, living variously in Salem, Boston, and Nahant, one would not be surprised at the decidedly Gothic depiction of Prescott's Pizarro brothers. Four sons all from different mothers, the eldest and only rightful heir the cruelest and most merciless, at last shut away in a dark and terrible fastness at the height of his victory. The brave and inscrutable cavalier, struck down before his young son who would secretly chronicle the whole bloody spectacle of his family's enterprise in Peru. The youngest, brash and vain, an early attempt to escape the shadows of his brother's ending in horror and madness along the banks of the Amazon, said to perhaps turn his hair white, and when he would return to normal society again it would be to challenge the King with armor chased with gold. And, finally, the cunning Francisco Pizarro himself, friend and explorer to all, until on bowed knee before the Holy Roman Emperor he vowed to build a Marquisate of blood bone ash and chaos, an avowed tyrant who demanded a King fill literal halls with gold and silver for his ransom and then garroted him anyway, who took to wife a teenage princess, whose hands once clawed at dirt to eat so that they may one day rend the greatest civilization in the western hemisphere. An accurate historical chronicle? Maybe not so much. The Fall of the House of Pizarro? Very much so.
September 14, 2013
I first read this book when I was a child. About 60 years ago. It sparked an interest in Peru - especially in the marvellous Inca civilisation - which I have just partially satiated by at last making a visit to that country.
So I decided to read it again. Of course it is a book written in Victorian times and it is ponderous and slow, but then so are some academic books written these days. Prescott, an American, is acknowledged as the first scientific historian.
The book was written more than 160 years ago. Before getting down to the appalling story of the Conquest, it paints a vivid picture of the way Inca society, culture and command was organised. Modern societies could still learn much from this. It worked, and because the Incas were a warlike people, their empire constantly grew and grew.
Then a small bunch of uncultured barbarians from Spain managed to overthrow this mighty edifice,largely by being novel, by pretending to be nice guys until they got the Inca (the emperor) to enter their portals, bringing with him a huge retinue but foolishly agreeing to show good faith by bringing them unarmed. The Spanish, small in number but with superior arms and armour, and accompanied by awesome horses - which the Indians had never before seen - massacred the host and seized the Inca. The empire was so structured that without its head, it was totally bewildered. They laboured to fill a room, as the Inca promised in return for his release, with gold. The Spanish, being a bunch of thugs, became bored with this and broke their side of the bargain by murdering the Inca.
And so it went on. The Spanish rapidly destroyed one of the world's greatest civilisations, melted down tons of marvellous artefacts into gold ingots, made their own country rich, and immediately fell out among themselves. I lost count, but I think they had at least 3 civil wars in the first 10 years.
Prescott tells the story marvellously well. I just wish he would not have so many footnotes and appendixes in the original Spanish. How are we supposed to deal with those?
I can do nothing but give it 5 stars. This book changed my life in many ways. I am only sorry that it took me so long to go to Peru and see the spectacular country he writes about. Starting to re-read the book while surrounded by this wonderful landscape helped me so much more to understand what he wrote. And reading his book helped me to see the country with much brighter eyes.
So I decided to read it again. Of course it is a book written in Victorian times and it is ponderous and slow, but then so are some academic books written these days. Prescott, an American, is acknowledged as the first scientific historian.
The book was written more than 160 years ago. Before getting down to the appalling story of the Conquest, it paints a vivid picture of the way Inca society, culture and command was organised. Modern societies could still learn much from this. It worked, and because the Incas were a warlike people, their empire constantly grew and grew.
Then a small bunch of uncultured barbarians from Spain managed to overthrow this mighty edifice,largely by being novel, by pretending to be nice guys until they got the Inca (the emperor) to enter their portals, bringing with him a huge retinue but foolishly agreeing to show good faith by bringing them unarmed. The Spanish, small in number but with superior arms and armour, and accompanied by awesome horses - which the Indians had never before seen - massacred the host and seized the Inca. The empire was so structured that without its head, it was totally bewildered. They laboured to fill a room, as the Inca promised in return for his release, with gold. The Spanish, being a bunch of thugs, became bored with this and broke their side of the bargain by murdering the Inca.
And so it went on. The Spanish rapidly destroyed one of the world's greatest civilisations, melted down tons of marvellous artefacts into gold ingots, made their own country rich, and immediately fell out among themselves. I lost count, but I think they had at least 3 civil wars in the first 10 years.
Prescott tells the story marvellously well. I just wish he would not have so many footnotes and appendixes in the original Spanish. How are we supposed to deal with those?
I can do nothing but give it 5 stars. This book changed my life in many ways. I am only sorry that it took me so long to go to Peru and see the spectacular country he writes about. Starting to re-read the book while surrounded by this wonderful landscape helped me so much more to understand what he wrote. And reading his book helped me to see the country with much brighter eyes.
April 11, 2022
Here we get our first exposure to some of the latter conquistadors, who began to become corrupted with gold fever. Pizarro, though brave, came across as cunning and treacherous. Interestingly, he, his two brothers who accompanied him, and both of his partners all met bloody ends in the Peruvian colony; most at the hands of other Spaniards.
March 31, 2025
William H. Prescott nos presenta aquí una civilización inca en la que no existen ni pobres ni ricos, ni propiedad privada, donde todos los trabajos están regulados, donde no existen apenas sacrificios humanos (en 2024 hay registros de unos 20 en todo el país), donde se construyen miles de millas de calzadas y de canales subterráneos para su próspera agricultura, donde hacen la guerra de manera piadosa y no destructiva, donde han extendido el quechua como la lengua común, donde no consumían la leche de su ganado... Y, de repente, llegan Pizarro y Almagro.
Tras unas primeras expediciones poco productivas, aunque prometedoras, Pizarro viaja a Castilla para conseguir el apoyo real, y lo consigue cuando le nombran gobernador y capitán general de la Nueva Castilla (es decir, Perú). Ese nombramiento provoca, por supuesto, fricciones con su socio, que se siente agraviado.
La conquista comienza así, de manera definitiva, en 1531, cuando tres barcos, 180 hombres, 27 caballos y un número indeterminado de terribles perros comienzan la rapiña de aldeas y ciudades, así como las primeras matanzas de autóctonos. Coincide además con que el rey inca ha muerto y ha dividido su imperio entre sus dos hijos, que pelearán por quedarse con todo, guerra en la que sale vencedor Atahualpa. Pizarro aprovecha esa división para hacerse con el rey, liquidarlo, y tomar la ciudad de Cuzco. Por el norte, Pedro de Alvarado se hace con Quito.
Desde ese momento se desata una locura (o guerras civiles como las define Prescott), en la que españoles luchan entre sí por ir haciéndose con el poder de un reino riquísimo en minerales preciosos, sobre todo en plata. Así, Almagro es ejecutado tras una batalla, los partidarios de Almagro asesinan a Francisco Pizarro (a quien Prescott define como un analfabeto pérfido), llega Vaca de Castro como gobernador nombrado por la corona y liquida al heredero de Almagro (y a otros muchos), llega el virrey Blasco de Nuñez y Gonzalo Pizarro monta un ejército para liquidarle y se nombra a sí mismo gobernador, Pedro Gasca es nombrado presidente de la Audiencia Real con amplios poderes y liquida a Gonzalo Pizarro y su cabeza adorna las calles de Cuzco.
Y mientras tanto, los peruanos intentan defenderse como pueden, con una guerra basada en el número en lugar de la estrategia, pero pronto son derrotados por las armas castellanas y pasan a ser vasallos, muchas de las mujeres son prostituidas (incluso las que vivían en una especie de conventos) y muchos de los peruanos se convierten en mano de obra prácticamente esclava en las minas que sirvieron para enriquecer a los conquistadores y, sobre todo, a Carlos V, que dedicó todo lo proveniente de América para sus luchas europeas.
En definitiva, una historia lamentable, sin ningún brillo ni honor. Como la de todas las conquistas, pero aquí además manchada por esos enfrentamientos sin piedad entre las facciones de los propios conquistadores.
Tras unas primeras expediciones poco productivas, aunque prometedoras, Pizarro viaja a Castilla para conseguir el apoyo real, y lo consigue cuando le nombran gobernador y capitán general de la Nueva Castilla (es decir, Perú). Ese nombramiento provoca, por supuesto, fricciones con su socio, que se siente agraviado.
La conquista comienza así, de manera definitiva, en 1531, cuando tres barcos, 180 hombres, 27 caballos y un número indeterminado de terribles perros comienzan la rapiña de aldeas y ciudades, así como las primeras matanzas de autóctonos. Coincide además con que el rey inca ha muerto y ha dividido su imperio entre sus dos hijos, que pelearán por quedarse con todo, guerra en la que sale vencedor Atahualpa. Pizarro aprovecha esa división para hacerse con el rey, liquidarlo, y tomar la ciudad de Cuzco. Por el norte, Pedro de Alvarado se hace con Quito.
Desde ese momento se desata una locura (o guerras civiles como las define Prescott), en la que españoles luchan entre sí por ir haciéndose con el poder de un reino riquísimo en minerales preciosos, sobre todo en plata. Así, Almagro es ejecutado tras una batalla, los partidarios de Almagro asesinan a Francisco Pizarro (a quien Prescott define como un analfabeto pérfido), llega Vaca de Castro como gobernador nombrado por la corona y liquida al heredero de Almagro (y a otros muchos), llega el virrey Blasco de Nuñez y Gonzalo Pizarro monta un ejército para liquidarle y se nombra a sí mismo gobernador, Pedro Gasca es nombrado presidente de la Audiencia Real con amplios poderes y liquida a Gonzalo Pizarro y su cabeza adorna las calles de Cuzco.
Y mientras tanto, los peruanos intentan defenderse como pueden, con una guerra basada en el número en lugar de la estrategia, pero pronto son derrotados por las armas castellanas y pasan a ser vasallos, muchas de las mujeres son prostituidas (incluso las que vivían en una especie de conventos) y muchos de los peruanos se convierten en mano de obra prácticamente esclava en las minas que sirvieron para enriquecer a los conquistadores y, sobre todo, a Carlos V, que dedicó todo lo proveniente de América para sus luchas europeas.
En definitiva, una historia lamentable, sin ningún brillo ni honor. Como la de todas las conquistas, pero aquí además manchada por esos enfrentamientos sin piedad entre las facciones de los propios conquistadores.
April 8, 2024
Nos acerca a la verdad de lo que pasó durante los primeros años de la conquista del Peru. Lamentablemente en los colegios nos enseñan puras fabulas. Buen libro, pero algunas ideas o conclusiones del autor son algo imprecisas, el libro se escribió 100 después de la independencia del Peru. Hoy, gracias a los estudios y a mas descubrimientos arqueológicos, sabemos un poco mas del Imperio y de la cultura andina.
December 28, 2020
I will admit to being nervous attempting this on the kindle. This is a tome, an epic, a giant repository of knowledge, it should be opened, spread out proud and flat on a table and pored over and enjoyed, not shrunk down to a small screen. But it was ridiculously cheap on the kindle and it would appear within minutes. I got into it though, and on the plus side, it is a lot easier reading the footnotes on a kindle, and there were over 1000 here.
This is a truly wonderful, engrossing, captivating history, with a depth of research that I can’t even imagine. Prescott, who had already completed something similar for he conquest of the Aztec empire, admits in the preface that he started to lose his sight while writing this, but that he did not let this get in the way of his work, employing the use of what remained of his vision plus someone who could type and read out passages from the original texts.
What he serves up at the end is a supreme history with intricate detail.
Starting with a history of the Inca’s and the empire as it stood at the fateful time the Spanish set foot on South American soil, Prescott then details the inexorable advance of the conquistadors down the Pacific coast and into the heart of the empire, bringing it to it’s knees and eventually to it’s end with bold abandon, daring, and above all else callous cruelty and perfidy.
Then after the prize had been effectively won, the proud Spaniards and their ineffective government fought amongst themselves and at times could have lost everything they had gained.
Written in beautifully functional prose, Prescott deftly interjects in the narrative, summing up and giving, mostly, a humorous subjective opinion, both of the actors in this history and the sources that he has meticulously combed to bring to life this world changing period of time. There are also moments of wit and superb humour that offer the reader just the right touch of light relief from the relentless action on the ground. It is a credit to Prescott that his humour even reaches his notes.
The last writer admits that Almagro’s parentage is unknown; but adds that the character of his early exploits infers an illustrious descent.-This would scarcely pass for evidence with the College of Heralds.
It is this warm and humourous touch that made this history so enjoyable. There are moments when the biases of the time cut through Prescotts own remarks, but they are few and far between, and he seems at times to mock the Catholic faith of the Spanish in the same way he mocks the blind faith of the Incas. It could be argued that such comment has no place in a history, but this would be a long hard slog without Prescotts gently placed hand prints throughout.
On that note, it’s not for the faint hearted, with hundreds of pages of notes and indexes, which obviously you can choose to read or not read. Prescott’s footnotes could probably make up another book, and he gently chides the biases, points out where he has guessed due to the discrepancies between accounts and also injects further details, they are well worth the distraction.
Prescott also seems to balance his subjects fairly, pointing out both their commendable qualities as well as their flaws and thus it is not just the actions and consequences that you understand, it is the characters from both sides that you also get to know.
He is accused of having been cruel in his wars, and bloody in his revenge. It may be true, but the pencil of an enemy would be likely to overcharge the shadows of the portrait. He is allowed to have been bold, high-minded, and liberal. All agree that he showed singular penetration and quickness of perception. His exploits as a warrior had placed his valor beyond dispute. The best homage to it is the reluctance shown by the Spaniards to restore him to freedom. They dreaded him as an enemy, and they had done him too many wrongs to think that he could be their friend. Yet his conduct towards them from the first had been most friendly; and they repaid it with imprisonment, robbery, and death.
A fair few of the characters I remembered from previous reading, but a few now came to the fore, and in particular Carbajal, the harsh, wily old soldier who served with the Pizarro’s to the end, and, notwithsanding his cold cruelty, perhaps kept Gonzalo in power longer than the Governor would have been, powered puely by his own thought, and would have probably kept him going for longer as well if the younger man had listened to his counsel. Even when captured, the old conquistador displayed a haughty contempt for his captors.
Carbajal, on seeing this, with a respectful air demanded to whom he was indebted for this courteous protection. To which his ancient comrade replied, “Do you not know me?-Dego Centeno!” “I crave your pardon,” said the veteran, sarcastically alluding to his long flight in the Charcas, and his recent defat at Huarina; “it is so long since I have seen anything but your back, that I had forgotten your face!”
Indeed the conquistadors were a seemingly unique set of adventurers, who fearlessly expanded the boundaries and vassals of an empire that had barely raised them in any worthy or nourishing way, and yet, they often shrunk away from contesting against the Emporer, no matter the distance.
Prescott unpicks this in wonderful detail as he works his way through the years of the conquest, subjugation and early government of this singular empire, and despite the age of the history, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable and compelling read, so much so that I’ve now gone and bought his book on Mexico.
(blog review here)
This is a truly wonderful, engrossing, captivating history, with a depth of research that I can’t even imagine. Prescott, who had already completed something similar for he conquest of the Aztec empire, admits in the preface that he started to lose his sight while writing this, but that he did not let this get in the way of his work, employing the use of what remained of his vision plus someone who could type and read out passages from the original texts.
What he serves up at the end is a supreme history with intricate detail.
Starting with a history of the Inca’s and the empire as it stood at the fateful time the Spanish set foot on South American soil, Prescott then details the inexorable advance of the conquistadors down the Pacific coast and into the heart of the empire, bringing it to it’s knees and eventually to it’s end with bold abandon, daring, and above all else callous cruelty and perfidy.
Then after the prize had been effectively won, the proud Spaniards and their ineffective government fought amongst themselves and at times could have lost everything they had gained.
Written in beautifully functional prose, Prescott deftly interjects in the narrative, summing up and giving, mostly, a humorous subjective opinion, both of the actors in this history and the sources that he has meticulously combed to bring to life this world changing period of time. There are also moments of wit and superb humour that offer the reader just the right touch of light relief from the relentless action on the ground. It is a credit to Prescott that his humour even reaches his notes.
The last writer admits that Almagro’s parentage is unknown; but adds that the character of his early exploits infers an illustrious descent.-This would scarcely pass for evidence with the College of Heralds.
It is this warm and humourous touch that made this history so enjoyable. There are moments when the biases of the time cut through Prescotts own remarks, but they are few and far between, and he seems at times to mock the Catholic faith of the Spanish in the same way he mocks the blind faith of the Incas. It could be argued that such comment has no place in a history, but this would be a long hard slog without Prescotts gently placed hand prints throughout.
On that note, it’s not for the faint hearted, with hundreds of pages of notes and indexes, which obviously you can choose to read or not read. Prescott’s footnotes could probably make up another book, and he gently chides the biases, points out where he has guessed due to the discrepancies between accounts and also injects further details, they are well worth the distraction.
Prescott also seems to balance his subjects fairly, pointing out both their commendable qualities as well as their flaws and thus it is not just the actions and consequences that you understand, it is the characters from both sides that you also get to know.
He is accused of having been cruel in his wars, and bloody in his revenge. It may be true, but the pencil of an enemy would be likely to overcharge the shadows of the portrait. He is allowed to have been bold, high-minded, and liberal. All agree that he showed singular penetration and quickness of perception. His exploits as a warrior had placed his valor beyond dispute. The best homage to it is the reluctance shown by the Spaniards to restore him to freedom. They dreaded him as an enemy, and they had done him too many wrongs to think that he could be their friend. Yet his conduct towards them from the first had been most friendly; and they repaid it with imprisonment, robbery, and death.
A fair few of the characters I remembered from previous reading, but a few now came to the fore, and in particular Carbajal, the harsh, wily old soldier who served with the Pizarro’s to the end, and, notwithsanding his cold cruelty, perhaps kept Gonzalo in power longer than the Governor would have been, powered puely by his own thought, and would have probably kept him going for longer as well if the younger man had listened to his counsel. Even when captured, the old conquistador displayed a haughty contempt for his captors.
Carbajal, on seeing this, with a respectful air demanded to whom he was indebted for this courteous protection. To which his ancient comrade replied, “Do you not know me?-Dego Centeno!” “I crave your pardon,” said the veteran, sarcastically alluding to his long flight in the Charcas, and his recent defat at Huarina; “it is so long since I have seen anything but your back, that I had forgotten your face!”
Indeed the conquistadors were a seemingly unique set of adventurers, who fearlessly expanded the boundaries and vassals of an empire that had barely raised them in any worthy or nourishing way, and yet, they often shrunk away from contesting against the Emporer, no matter the distance.
Prescott unpicks this in wonderful detail as he works his way through the years of the conquest, subjugation and early government of this singular empire, and despite the age of the history, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable and compelling read, so much so that I’ve now gone and bought his book on Mexico.
(blog review here)
December 6, 2020
Review on Spanish.
Una gran recopilación de diferentes cronistas organizada en orden cronológico que nos acerca un poco a los momentos importantes en la conquista del imperio incaico y los hechos posteriores durante la colonización.
Algunos datos nuevos y otros que corroboran saberes anteriores. Hay un poco de juicios personales que pueden quitar seriedad a la investigación, pero se entiende que es parte de la época en la que este libro fue formado.
De todas formas, muy interesante.
Una gran recopilación de diferentes cronistas organizada en orden cronológico que nos acerca un poco a los momentos importantes en la conquista del imperio incaico y los hechos posteriores durante la colonización.
Algunos datos nuevos y otros que corroboran saberes anteriores. Hay un poco de juicios personales que pueden quitar seriedad a la investigación, pero se entiende que es parte de la época en la que este libro fue formado.
De todas formas, muy interesante.
December 17, 2010
As if the blood-drenched and treasure-laden story of the Spanish conquest of Peru wasn’t interesting enough, this book from the mid 19th century is written in a patently biased and patronizing, if gentlemanly, style which provides an insight into the jingoistic beginnings of the U.S. empire and its Manifest Destiny. The Spaniards start out with one strike already against them due to their Latin genes and Roman Catholic religion. The Inca are cast as noble savages, surprisingly advanced in some ways, yet still fundamentally ignorant and heathen in the eyes of the author. It is clear that, in his opinion, neither holds a candle to the English Pilgrims or their American descendants.
In fairness to the author, however, there is little to like about anybody in this story, with precious few exceptions. The Spanish apparently never met anyone they weren’t willing to enslave and kill, any culture they weren’t prepared to obliterate, any countryman they weren’t prepared to double-cross or any moral or religious scruples they weren’t willing to disregard in their relentless, all consuming quest for silver and gold. And unlike the swashbuckling and suave Cortez, Pizarro comes off as a crude, uncouth and uneducated operator with little more in his arsenal than the patience of Job and undeniably huge cajones, both of which turned out to be all he needed in his showdown with the Inca.
Further, unlike the ferociously brave, if arguably depraved, Aztec who offered a highly spirited defense of their country and came within a few maquahuitl strokes of ousting the Spanish from Mexico, the Inca seemed to go out like lambs to the slaughter, with only a few notable exceptions. Atahualpa is a tragic figure, but it is hard to feel sorry for him in light of some of his truly stupid decisions, despite the fact that he was prepared to put up more of a fight than the insipid Montezuma. In any event, he and his people seem to fade from the pages of history far too easily.
Nevertheless, it is amazing to read about how a couple hundred Spaniards overthrew the entire Inca Empire which stretched from Ecuador to Chile, and how the Pizarro family won and lost it all so quickly. Moreover, while the historical account of the Inca in this book is incomplete at best, and seriously in error in many parts, I still recommend same to the historical enthusiast for the unique period perspective which it provides.
In fairness to the author, however, there is little to like about anybody in this story, with precious few exceptions. The Spanish apparently never met anyone they weren’t willing to enslave and kill, any culture they weren’t prepared to obliterate, any countryman they weren’t prepared to double-cross or any moral or religious scruples they weren’t willing to disregard in their relentless, all consuming quest for silver and gold. And unlike the swashbuckling and suave Cortez, Pizarro comes off as a crude, uncouth and uneducated operator with little more in his arsenal than the patience of Job and undeniably huge cajones, both of which turned out to be all he needed in his showdown with the Inca.
Further, unlike the ferociously brave, if arguably depraved, Aztec who offered a highly spirited defense of their country and came within a few maquahuitl strokes of ousting the Spanish from Mexico, the Inca seemed to go out like lambs to the slaughter, with only a few notable exceptions. Atahualpa is a tragic figure, but it is hard to feel sorry for him in light of some of his truly stupid decisions, despite the fact that he was prepared to put up more of a fight than the insipid Montezuma. In any event, he and his people seem to fade from the pages of history far too easily.
Nevertheless, it is amazing to read about how a couple hundred Spaniards overthrew the entire Inca Empire which stretched from Ecuador to Chile, and how the Pizarro family won and lost it all so quickly. Moreover, while the historical account of the Inca in this book is incomplete at best, and seriously in error in many parts, I still recommend same to the historical enthusiast for the unique period perspective which it provides.
Want to read
March 6, 2014Found just where I thought it would be - dear ol' Project Gutenberg comes up trumps again: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1209
Opening: Chapter 1
Physical Aspect Of The Country—Sources Of Peruvian Civilization—
Empire Of The Incas—Royal Family—Nobility
Of the numerous nations which occupied the great American continent at the time of its discovery by the Europeans, the two most advanced in power and refinement were undoubtedly those of Mexico and Peru. But, though resembling one another in extent of civilization, they differed widely as to the nature of it; and the philosophical student of his species may feel a natural curiosity to trace the different steps by which these two nations strove to emerge from the state of barbarism, and place themselves on a higher point in the scale of humanity.—In a former work I have endeavored to exhibit the institutions and character of the ancient Mexicans, and the story of their conquest by the Spaniards.
June 26, 2014
I remember reading this book when I was a kid and dreaming of lost civilizations. It is always fun to re-read books you loved. In this case, I have to admit that I was still seduced by Prescott’s description of this era. His writing is very lyric, his sense of pace is absolutely amazing, the battles are epic, he’s a true story teller. The book seems much shorter than it is. Pizarro and his brothers are perfect characters. The only thing we are missing here, it’s the Indians point of view, which seems to me as important as the conqueror’s one.
Besides that, I think it’s interesting to see that some dynamics (colonizer/slave) works the same way today. This whole idea of invading countries in the name of a superior civilization, to bring a new faith (catholicism in this case), more progress, more justice but at the end, the only reason to be there is gold. Prescott’s description of conqueror’s thirst of gold is mesmerizing.
I recommend this book because it’s probably the best way to read History. Then, complete the reading with more precise works.
Besides that, I think it’s interesting to see that some dynamics (colonizer/slave) works the same way today. This whole idea of invading countries in the name of a superior civilization, to bring a new faith (catholicism in this case), more progress, more justice but at the end, the only reason to be there is gold. Prescott’s description of conqueror’s thirst of gold is mesmerizing.
I recommend this book because it’s probably the best way to read History. Then, complete the reading with more precise works.
August 8, 2017
Although over 100 yrs old and written by a semi-blind man who never visited Peru, he is more accurate in his details about the culture of the Tahuantinsuyu (Inka) then most other books that I have read - even some written "learned" British and American professors who have come here and supposedly researched their books.
If you really want to know something about the inca and the conquista by Pizarro and his gang of thugs, this book is a must read.
If you really want to know something about the inca and the conquista by Pizarro and his gang of thugs, this book is a must read.
January 14, 2023
Debido a su prosa magistral, puede ser el mejor inicio para alguien que quiere informarse sobre el proceso de la conquista del Perú. Sin embargo, se queda corto al momento de relatar las guerras civiles entre conquistadores. Cabe destacar que Prescott escribió en el siglo XIX, en base a crónicas, por lo que su relato no es contemporáneo a los hechos. Aún así, es de lectura obligatoria.
December 26, 2024
Epic, romantic history with incredible prose.
They don't make them like they used to. Where are the historians today aspiring both to scholarly judgement and to high literature? Reminds me a lot of Francis Parkman-vivid vignettes, deep meditations, and great sentences-but with much more sympathy for the Indians
They don't make them like they used to. Where are the historians today aspiring both to scholarly judgement and to high literature? Reminds me a lot of Francis Parkman-vivid vignettes, deep meditations, and great sentences-but with much more sympathy for the Indians
August 2, 2018
Not as good as the History of the Conquest of Mexico but no less of an accomplishment by Prescott, the blind master of Spanish imperial history. The first half of the book is the most exciting, including the description of the Incas and their first encounters of the Spanish, best of all the seizing of Atahualpa, the last Incan emperor. These passages were just as enthralling as watching Braveheart, in my dorky opinion, because they actually happened.
This a brutal book filled with many examples of human cruelty, both on the Spanish side and by the people they encountered, who had for a long time before the Spanish showed up committed human sacrifices and ruthless massacres in civil wars. Complicit in the Spanish conquest were the Dominican priests, most notably Valverde, who accompanied the conquistadors. As Prescott notes, they were present at every one of the brutal acts perpetrated on the natives, from the garroting of Atahualpa (who converted to Christianity in the last hours of his life to avoid the pain of being burned to death--he chose to be strangled instead) to the immolation of Chalcuchimac, a rebel general of the Incas. Unlike Atahualpa, he went out in glory by refusing to convert after being captured. As if I needed another reason for my lapse from Catholicism.
The book dragged on at the end, however, in the seemingly unending descriptions of the Spanish civil wars following the fall of the Incas. I'm sure some people found it interesting, but I found myself skimming these sections. The most interesting parts of the book deal with the clash of civilizations and the amazing disparities between their military capabilities, cultures, flora, fauna, etc. Once the Spanish began to fight among themselves, the book lost some of its excitement.
This a brutal book filled with many examples of human cruelty, both on the Spanish side and by the people they encountered, who had for a long time before the Spanish showed up committed human sacrifices and ruthless massacres in civil wars. Complicit in the Spanish conquest were the Dominican priests, most notably Valverde, who accompanied the conquistadors. As Prescott notes, they were present at every one of the brutal acts perpetrated on the natives, from the garroting of Atahualpa (who converted to Christianity in the last hours of his life to avoid the pain of being burned to death--he chose to be strangled instead) to the immolation of Chalcuchimac, a rebel general of the Incas. Unlike Atahualpa, he went out in glory by refusing to convert after being captured. As if I needed another reason for my lapse from Catholicism.
The book dragged on at the end, however, in the seemingly unending descriptions of the Spanish civil wars following the fall of the Incas. I'm sure some people found it interesting, but I found myself skimming these sections. The most interesting parts of the book deal with the clash of civilizations and the amazing disparities between their military capabilities, cultures, flora, fauna, etc. Once the Spanish began to fight among themselves, the book lost some of its excitement.
January 5, 2022
I wanted to learn more about the Incas but I was initially sceptical about reading this due to its age and length. My scepticism turned out to be unwarranted however as I found delving into this a real treat. World class story telling and to that of a relatively insane group of Spanish men, who proved the world wrong, several times in row. They should really make a movie series about this! The book provides a welcomed escape from 21st century political correctness, yet still portrays the Peruvians fairly and sympathetically. The language is rich and precise to such an extent that even if you are not too interested in the history, you'll surely enjoy it for its literary quality. It's a long book and some parts are indeed rather dull and slow but the author readily makes up for it with amazing and unbelievable accounts. For example, in the story about the the few hundred Spanish that first dived into the Amazon rainforest in modern day Ecuador in search of El Dorado, only to return empty handed years later after having consumed their leather clothing and dogs. This work will go into depth and teach you the history of these event like no other. Recommended!
January 24, 2021
This was an excellent history book, and the conquest of Peru, by the Spanish Conquistadors. While the book was originally published about 100 years ago, it is still largely gripping and very interesting. The author has an unfortunate tendency to provide excessive commentary at the end of each section, but thankfully those (less interesting) parts are easy to skim. If I was to rate the book based on the characters, I would rate it poorly as the Spanish “heroes” were unpleasant at best and possibly downright evil. But I appreciate that as the book was non-fiction, it would not be appropriate for the author to imply that the authors were more virtuous than their actions suggest. So, the book is certainly interesting as I found myself constantly rooting for the Peruvians against the (so-called hero) Spanish, even as I knew that they were bound to lose. From an educational perspective the book is brilliant. It gives me a much better understanding of that part of history.
January 8, 2019
Pretty dry at the start when Prescott is describing the Incan way of life, but picks up considerably when he gets around to the actual history of the conquest. Of all the Spanish Conquistadors, Francisco Pizarro was apparently one of the *least* cruel, which is shocking considering that his conquest of Peru was filled with treachery, massacres, slavery and executions.
Prescott at times convincingly frames Pizarro as a Don Quixote-esque knight-errant, roaming the Peruvian country side, oblivious to danger to the point of insanity. Pizarro pretty much toppled the huge and powerful Incan empire with only 300 Spanish mercenaries, so it's an apt comparison. Lots of other interesting characters along the way as well, like Pizarro's brother Hernando, the last true Incan king Atahuallpa, and the "demon of the Andes" Francisco de Carvajal. Fun read; recommended.
Prescott at times convincingly frames Pizarro as a Don Quixote-esque knight-errant, roaming the Peruvian country side, oblivious to danger to the point of insanity. Pizarro pretty much toppled the huge and powerful Incan empire with only 300 Spanish mercenaries, so it's an apt comparison. Lots of other interesting characters along the way as well, like Pizarro's brother Hernando, the last true Incan king Atahuallpa, and the "demon of the Andes" Francisco de Carvajal. Fun read; recommended.
February 2, 2021
This is the "companion piece" to Prescott's Conquest of Mexico and is written in the same style. Although now significantly dated, the author tells the story of Francisco Pizzaro and his conquest over the Incas in the area where Peru currently sits. The "conquest" is actually the less bloody of the two halves of the book. The second half of the book focuses on the "civil wars" and "revolutions" among the various groups of Spaniards that held territory in South America. I was not nearly as aware of those conflicts as the general story of the over-running of the Incas by Pizzaro. Not a quick read for me, but nicely divided into bite-sized chapters for someone who likes a bit of a tough read but wants to take a break from time to time to read something else.
November 2, 2019
Certainly an excellent retelling of the events but, in spite of declarations to the contrary, this is full of personal judgements, obtuse descriptions and racist assumptions, likely due to the sensibility of the time. As well, this quote describing his thoughts on one of his sources sums up my impression of the book “ Yet the style of the author can make but moderate pretensions to the praise of elegance or exactness; while the sentences run into that tedious, interminable length which belongs to the garrulous compositions of the regular thoroughbred chronicler of the olden time.”
Read
August 13, 20211961 edition by Victor W. von Hagen. Prescott's work, which Prescott called his "hatchling," was first published in 1847.
Did you know that "Inca" was the term only for the ruling family dynasty of the early peoples of Peru? Only one historian attempted to identify the name of the people. In his work written in 1551, Juan de Betanzos, a resident of Cuzco, Peru, said they were called Capac-cuna --something that sounded like that in Spanish, for they had no written language.
Someone in book club mentioned this book and it was a good read, full of equivocal perspectives.
Did you know that "Inca" was the term only for the ruling family dynasty of the early peoples of Peru? Only one historian attempted to identify the name of the people. In his work written in 1551, Juan de Betanzos, a resident of Cuzco, Peru, said they were called Capac-cuna --something that sounded like that in Spanish, for they had no written language.
Someone in book club mentioned this book and it was a good read, full of equivocal perspectives.
November 9, 2023
W.H. Prescott seemed like such an interesting man, and the history of his writing was so fascinating to me. It was said that he attended Harvard and one day was caught in a food fight in a cafeteria there. A crust of bread injured his eye and affected his sight so that he eventually lost his sight in both eyes and thereafter lived in a darkened room. He never went to Peru but he researched its history extensively and hired secretaries to take dictation and wrote every day for years to produce his two histories, of Peru and of Mexico.
November 20, 2025
Peru
Spaniards found the Incas in constant warfare.
Tribe fought against tribe, enslaving conquered enemies, “some limited archaeological evidence for cannibalism”, and committing ritual human sacrifice — brutally slaughtering their fellow indigenous people — because, of course, without an Outside Enemy, they didn’t view each other as “fellow” indigenous people — they viewed each other as Different and Enemy.
Slaves
Torture
Ritual human slaughter
Cannibalism
And that’s BEFORE Spaniards joined the fray!
Spaniards found the Incas in constant warfare.
Tribe fought against tribe, enslaving conquered enemies, “some limited archaeological evidence for cannibalism”, and committing ritual human sacrifice — brutally slaughtering their fellow indigenous people — because, of course, without an Outside Enemy, they didn’t view each other as “fellow” indigenous people — they viewed each other as Different and Enemy.
Slaves
Torture
Ritual human slaughter
Cannibalism
And that’s BEFORE Spaniards joined the fray!
October 19, 2017
Hmmmm. I wanted to understand the Peruvian Incas empire and instead got a blow by blow of Pizarros thirst for power, his continuous perils in the jungles and seas as he approached the central americas. HIs family members also feature prominently. The unpronounceable Incas names instead are still a mystery: very little insight from this book of what they were going through during the Spanish conquests.
August 3, 2019
A fascinating account of the discovery of Peru by the Spaniards and the conquests that followed. The atrocious things done for the want of wealth astounds me, not content with their acts of violence against the indigenous Indians they turned on each other. This is an extensive account and is well written.
May 20, 2021
As one might expect my favorite chapters of the book were about the history and culture of the Inca. I did not know there was so much drama in the early establishment of Peru (besides genocide and colonization of course) regarding various Spanish governors and presidents and all of the Pizarros. I'm not sure I kept it all straight but it was interesting
April 15, 2025
Perhaps the best history book I’ve ever read. The relentless tension and clear portrait of the dispositions of the key characters remind me of David Grann’s books despite coming 200 years before him. Immensely readable and informative. I will be picking up all of Prescott’s work.
October 29, 2018
A classic account of the history of the Inca empire's conquest by the Spanish.
February 2, 2021
Given its mid-19th century publication date, this is a landmark work. As you may expect, the style and cultural perspective are stilted.
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