The Last Days of the Incas

Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca empire and the forty-year Vilcabamba resistance that followed, with the twentieth-century search for the rebel capital woven through it.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. The conquest told with the Inca side given equal weight, which most accounts do not manage.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.