Threatened with destruction by fierce invaders from the west, a young Inca prince rallied his soldiers carrying slingstones and maces for a desperate attack. Charging into the midst of the foe, he captured their sacred idol and spearheaded a rout of the enemy. this victory, which occurred high in the Andes of South America about 1438, spurred the small Inca nation to a century of conquest. Under the leadership of that young prince-who became the mighty emperor Pachacuti-and his son and grandson, the Incas forged an incredible empire. At its greatest extent, it stretched 2,500 miles along the western flank of the continent. Author-photographer Loren McIntyre presents this grand drama, from the legendary creation of the Inca dynasty by the Sun to the astonishing events that toppled Pachacuti's great-grandson. Nearly 150 photographs portray the land and the legacy of the Incas. A score of paintings by Louis S. Glanzman evoke the glory, and the tragedy, of the Inca Empire.