Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBook1910

The Incas of Peru

Clements R. Markham · 1910

A 1910 scholarly history by Clements R. Markham covering the Inca civil war and Atahualpa's defeat by the Spanish.

A scholarly account of Atahualpa's civil war and downfall, reflecting early 20th-century historical research on the Incas.

Ask Atahualpa about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This is a history book written by Sir Clements R. Markham, published in 1910, covering the civilization and history of the Incas, including the civil war between Atahualpa and Huascar and the Spanish conquest.

Why it matters

Markham built on earlier historians, including William Prescott, but incorporated newer research available by 1910. The book shows how understanding of Inca history, including the fate of Atahualpa, changed and deepened over the decades following the first popular accounts of the conquest.

Why it matters

The book reflects how scholars over time reassessed the Inca Empire's fall, moving beyond earlier romantic histories to include new evidence about Inca society and the conquest.

Look closer

  • Why does Markham mention earlier historians like Robertson and Prescott in his preface?
  • What might change in a history book written nearly a century after the first accounts?
  • What kinds of new evidence might have reshaped the story of Atahualpa's fall?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Atahualpa on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Atahualpa sources

Meet the AI Atahualpa →
Black-and-white ink line drawing with a bold Spanish caption across the top reading Conquista and Atahualpa, Ciudad de Caxamarca. A robed friar with a cross faces a kneeling Inca man, while a crowd of Spanish soldiers with spears and Andean figures fills the scene.Painting

Secondary source

Atawallpa Pizarro tinkuy

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala · 1532 (depicted); drawing later

A bound manuscript volume lies open in a glass case on a white pedestal, showing two pages with handwritten Spanish text and a pen-and-ink drawing of figures with a Spanish-style scene at left. A numbered tag reading 35 sits beside it. Colorful graphic wall art surrounds the case.Book

Primary source

El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala · c. 1615

Pen-and-ink drawing titled 'Conquista', showing Spanish soldiers in armor and helmets with a seated Inca ruler being executed. A bearded, feathered Spanish figure stands at left; a figure with a cross and sword stands center; a headless body lies on the ground below, with a severed head held at right. Caption text at the bottom is in Spanish.Painting

Secondary source

Muerte de Atagualpa Inca

Felipe Huaman Puma de Ayala · c. 1615

A stone building with a low tiled roof and a small doorway at its base, its pale stone-block walls lit by sunshine under a blue sky. Rough rock slabs lie in the foreground.Artifact

Secondary source

Ransom Room

Book

Secondary source

Suma y Narración de los Incas

Juan de Betanzos · 1551

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Atahualpa now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions