The Great Inca Rebellion

The Incan empire was celebrated as South America's equivalent of ancient Rome, an advanced culture known for its intricately designed artifacts and architecture, sophisticated road system, and scientific discoveries. In 1532, however, Spanish conquistadores arrived with a small band of some 200 soldier-adventurers and conquered this vast empire within a few short years. The NOVA-aired documentary The Great Inca Rebellion takes a look at new archaeological finds in hopes of understanding how this mysterious culture met such an untimely end. In a dig under modern day Lima, Peru scientists uncover a large graveyard in which bodies are not buried in the traditional Incan manner, but rather carelessly (with many skeletons bearing marks that indicate violent deaths—at least one died of a gunshot wound, perhaps the first known example in the New World). Accounts of the Incan conquest are found in mostly self-serving histories from the early Spanish explorers, so scientists must rely on a combination of anthropology and forensic science to paint a more complex portrait. Although the Incans were adept in the art of warfare, their clubs and other weapons would have proven no match for Spain's primitive but deadly firearms, steel weapons, and mounted cavalry. Furthermore, the Incans' immune system could not fend off new diseases imported from Europe. Finally, the explorer Pizarro shrewdly forged alliances and exploited divisions within the tribes, which led to betrayals and an uprising against Incan domination. An intriguing, insightful documentary that sheds fresh light on the fall of the Incan empire, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)