The Genius of the Inca

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APRIL 2011

THE GENIUS OF THE

INCA New Discoveries Reveal How They Forged a Mighty Empire

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Machu Picchu, circa A.D. 1500

Perched high in the Peruvian Andes, the royal retreat of Machu Picchu testifies to the Inca’s masterful building skills with its precision-cut stones and perfectly placed cascades of terraces.

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Lofty Amb覺t覺ons

Inca

of the

Rising from obscurity to the heights of power, a succession of Andean rulers subdued kingdoms, sculpted mountains, and forged a mighty empire.

AT MUSEO LEYMEBAMBA, CHACHAPOYAS, PERU

At Lake Titicaca, craft vendors wait for tourists on an island sacred to the Inca.

Far left: The small bundle is how the Chachapoya people kept their dead. The conquering Inca were inspired to make a similar bundle for the larger mummy.