Who were the Inca? They were people who built a great civilization on the western coast of South America. The first Inca people lived in the area around Cuzco in modern-day Peru. In the early 1400s, these people began conquering neighboring lands and extending their empire. By the time the Spanish conquistadors (/kahnkeestuh*dorz/) arrived in the 1530s, the Inca Empire was the largest in the Americas—larger even than the Aztec Empire had been.

The Sapa Inca ruled over more than twelve million people. His territory stretched for more than two thousand miles along the Pacific Coast. The empire covered an area so large that most of modern-day Peru and parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina would lie inside its borders.

This is a region of great geographical diversity. Arid plains stretch along the western coastline. This region is so dry that not even a cactus can grow. Farther east, the twin ranges of the snow-capped Andes Mountains rise toward the skies. Between the ranges lies a high plateau. Land here is sizzling hot by day and freezing by night. East of the Andes are thick forests where heavy rains feed the mighty Amazon River. All these lands were ruled by the Sapa Inca.