In 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.

In The Inca, Kevin Lane offers a concise and well-illustrated introduction to this bygone realm, describing its history and culture and chronicling its rise and fall. Like much about the Incas, their origins are open to debate. Mr. Lane — with this subject and many others — sorts through competing theories, showing how recent scholarship is reshaping traditional ideas and providing a more persuasive explanation for the limited archaeological evidence . . . The Inca empire may have gone the way of all empires, but, like the sapa Inca, who lived on after death, its spirit is very much alive. * Wall Street Journal *
Lane's tone and text immerses the reader in the material environment of the ancient Inca world, fostering an appreciation for the foods and the fields, and the animals and the animate things that defined ancient Andean lives and landscapes. Lane's stylistic and highly readable prose helps the reader to appreciate the multiple scales of social life within tawantinsuyu, from the monuments of the imperial elite to the villages of the common farmer . . . The Inca stands apart from its peers because it is a text that immerses the reader in the material and ecological world of the Inca and their contemporaries, while simultaneously creating a solid foundation for further scholarly exploration of the ancient Andes. * Steve Kosiba, Antiquity *
The author manages to provide the reader with a clear and comprehensive understanding of the manner in which the Incas established themselves and negotiated and conquered their empire . . . The book succeeds in reproducing an Inca perspective of how this nation lived, and died, and resisted conquest and acculturation. The volume makes extensive use of a wide range of sources, including archaeological, anthropological and ethnohistoric material, producing a multidisciplinary perspective of the subject matter. Lane has an evocative turn of phrase, and this book significantly develops our grasp of Inca cosmology and ontology. * Antiquaries Journal *
In this contribution to the Lost Civilizations series, which explores the rise / demise of the great civilizations, Lane reviews South America’s environment and ecology, tracing traditional mythologies and the development of Inca culture, society, and economy. In exploring the foundation and expansion of the Empire, Lane covers regional linguistics, subsistence, state administration, and ideology (e.g. animism / ancestor worship). He also splendidly details technology and architecture . . . He documents imperial and provincial political systems and elaborates on the often neglected power of women in Inca society . . . Notably, the preferred (US) spelling “Inka” is not used in this brief, excellent pedagogical work . . . Highly recommended. -- C. C. Kolb, Independent Scholar * Choice *
Kevin Lane has succeeded in producing an outstanding exploration of up-to-date Inca scholarship . . . [The Inca] is a comprehensive outline of Inca culture which includes a good examination of how native pre-Hispanic traditions continue to have relevance and currency in the present-day Andean republics. * Frank M. Meddens, University of Reading, and co-editor of Inca Sacred Space *
This book is a valuable new contribution to Inca studies. Kevin Lane skilfully integrates the Inca historical narrative (from chroniclers' accounts and archaeology) with details of local languages, gender relations and everyday life to retell the fascinating story of South America's largest empire. Lane's book is carefully researched, engagingly written and highly readable, an excellent introduction to the Incas. * Elizabeth DeMarrais, University of Cambridge *

Kevin Lane is a researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the Institute of Cultures (IDECU), University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has published widely on South American archaeology.