the Incan empire

The Incan empire is interesting to me on several metahistorical levels: as an early “state” and empire; as an example of early contact between European explorers and indigenous American cultures, which has provided unique historical documentation of the pre-contact culture; and in its use of an unusual, “vertical” landscape.

Overviews of Inca history and culture are available here and at good ‘ol wikipedia. This Incan archaeology blog provides links to information on several Inca town sites. If you are a fan of mummies, PBS, or both, check out this site about Incan ice mummies. And finally, if you feel like going low-tech with a good old-fashioned book, I recommend The Huarochiri Manuscripts, an account from a sort-of-native source (he was working for the Spanish and tailoring his account toward them) of pre-contact religious belief and practice.

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