The conquest of the Incas Cover
Podcast Mentions

The conquest of the Incas

John Hemming

An account of the conquest of the Incas by the Spanish. From the first small band of Spanish adventurers to enter the mighty Inca empire to the execution of the last Inca 40 years later, this book tells a story of bloodshed, rebellion and extermination.

Podcasts 1
Quotes 9
The Rest Is History

The book was highlighted for its insightful analysis of why the Spanish conquest of Peru was a single, rapid takeover, unlike other gradual European incursions, and for providing detailed estimates of casualties during the Cajamarca massacre. Both hosts praised it as a brilliant source that illuminated key aspects of the Incas' fall, including the role of hysteria among the Spaniards and the potential unifying figure of Chalkuchima. Overall, the discussion conveyed strong endorsement of the title as a valuable reference for understanding the conquest.

Highly Recommended

Episode: 543. Death in the Amazon: Aguirre, the Wrath of Go...

The podcast noted Hemming's work as a brilliant account of the fall of the Inca empire, praising its depth and insight into Amazonian history.

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And then there's the great historian of the Amazon, John Hemming, who wrote a brilliant book about the fall of the Incas.

Episode: The Fall of the Incas: Massacre in the Andes (Part...

This book was cited as a brilliant source when discussing the number of people killed during the massacre at Cajamarca and the general context of the conquest.

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John Hemming in his brilliant book, The Conquest of the Incas, said, you know, how do you know how many people died?

And actually, it's going to get madder. Because Atahualpa sits down to dinner with Pizarro, surrounded by Spanish guards and servants. As John Hemmings says in his brilliant book, what a weird scene.

Episode: 646. The Fall of the Incas: Death to the Emperor (...

This book was praised for making the excellent point that the conquest of Peru was unusual because the Spanish achieved it all in one go, unlike other conquests where Europeans had visited multiple times previously.

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In his brilliant book, The Conquest of the Incas, John Hemming makes the excellent point that basically, in most places, the Europeans conquered. Europeans had arrived multiple times before they actually turned up for good.

John Hemming says Chalkuchima is the one man who might have united the empire against the Spaniards because he's the one man who's not entirely defined by the Civil War because he had served Atahualpa's father.

And as John Hemming says in his book, the key to the story is the hysteria and the paranoia that has now seized the Spaniards.

Episode: 649. The Fall of the Incas: The Last Emperor (Part...

The presenters referred to John Hemming's book on the conquest of the Incas as a brilliant and highly recommended work.

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John Hemming, brilliant book on the conquest of the Incas. Really, I can't recommend it too highly.

Episode: 648. The Fall of the Incas: Battle for the Sacred...

The hosts cited Hemming's book as a thorough account of the Inca empire's organization and the Spanish technological edge, using it to explain the dynamics of the conflict.

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as John Hemmings says in his brilliant book, this is the last great tribute to the Inca's genius for organization.

John Hemming says the Spanish always have this technological advantage.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.