Peru
Enock, C. R.: Peru: its Former and Present Civilisation, &c. London, 1908.
Markham, Sir Clements R.: History of Peru. Chicago, 1892.
Prescott, W. H.: History of the Conquest of Peru. 3 vols. Philadelphia, 1868.
Squier, E. G.: Peru: Incidents of Travel and Exploration in the Land of the Incas. London, 1877.
Tschudi, J. J. von: Reisen durch Südamerika. 5 vols. Leipsic, 1866–68. Travels in Peru. London, 1847.
Vega, Garcilasso el Inca de la: Royal Commentaries of the Incas, 1609. Hakluyt Society’s Publications.
In seeking the original sources of Peruvian history we must refer to the early Spanish historians who visited the country, either at the period of the conquest or immediately subsequent to it. From those Spaniards who wrote at a time not far distant from that event we have gained much valuable knowledge concerning the contemporary condition of Peru, and a description of the principal works of these pioneers will materially assist the reader who is bent on pursuing the study of Peruvian antiquities.
Pedro de Cieza de Leon composed a geographical account of Peru in 1554, devoting the latter part of his chronicle to the subject of the Inca civilisation. This work has been translated into English by Sir Clements R. Markham, and published by the Hakluyt Society.
Juan José de Betanzos, who was well acquainted with the Quichua language, and who married an Inca princess, wrote an account of the Incas in 1551, which was edited and printed by Señor Jimenes de la Espada in 1880.
Polo de Ondegardo, a lawyer and politician, wrote his two Relaciones in 1561 and 1571, making valuable reports on the laws and system of administration of the Incas. One of these works has been translated by Sir Clements R. Markham, and printed by the Hakluyt Society.
Augustin de Zarate, accountant, who arrived in Peru with Blasco Nuñez Vela, the first Viceroy, is the author of the Provincia del Peru, which was published at Antwerp in 1555.
Fernando de Santillan, judge of the Linia Audience, contributed an interesting Relacion in 1550, edited and printed in 1879 by Señor Jimenes de la Espada.
Juan de Matienzo, a lawyer contemporary with Ondegardo, was the author of the valuable work Gobierno de el Peru, not yet translated.
Christoval de Molina, priest of Cuzco, wrote an interesting story of Inca ceremonial and religion between 1570 and 1584, which has been published by the Hakluyt Society. The translator is Sir C. R. Markham.
Miguel Cavello Balboa, of Quito, gives us the only particulars we possess of Indian coast history, and the most valuable information on the war between Huascar and Atauhuallpa, in his splendid Miscellanea Austral, 1576, translated into French in 1840 by Ternaux-Compans.
A Jesuit priest, José de Acosta, compiled a Natural History of the Indies, which was published for the first time in 1588. An English translation of the work is provided by the Hakluyt Society.
Fernando Montesinos in his Memorias Antiguas Historiales del Peru and Anales Memorias Nuevas del Peru quotes a long line of sovereigns who preceded the Incas. These works were translated into French in 1840.
Relacion de los Costombras Antiguas de los Naturales del Peru, written by an anonymous Jesuit, records an account of Inca civilisation. The work was published in Spain in 1879. Another Jesuit, Francisco de Avila, wrote on the superstitions of the Indians of Huarochiri and their gods. His work was translated into English and published by the Hakluyt Society.
Pablo José de Arriaga, a priest who policed the country, destroying the false gods, compiled in 1621 Extirpacion de la Idolatria del Peru, describing the downfall of the ancient Inca religion.
Antonio de la Calancha compiled an interesting history of the Incas in his work on the Order of St. Augustine in Peru (1638–1653).
In his Historia de Copacabana y de su Milagrosa Imagen (1620) Alonzo Ramos Gavilan disclosed much information concerning the colonists during the time of the Inca rule.
A valuable history of the Incas is provided by Garcilasso el Inca de la Vega in his Commentarios Reales. The works of previous authors are reviewed, and extracts are given from the compilations of the Jesuit Blas Valera, whose writings are lost. The English translation is published by the Hakluyt Society.
Relacion de Antiguedades deste Reyno del Peru, by Pachacuti Yamqui Salcamayhua, an Indian of the Collao, was translated into English by Sir C. R. Markham, and published by the Hakluyt Society.
The Historia del Reino del Quinto, compiled by Juan de Velasco, was translated into French by Ternaux-Compans in 1840.
Antonio de Herrera gives a brief account of the history and civilisation of the Inca people in his General History of the Indies.
In his History of America Robertson was the first to compile a thorough account of the Incas. Prescott, however, in 1848 eclipsed his work by his own fascinating account. Sir Arthur Helps has also given a résumé of Inca progress in his Spanish Conquest (1855).
The Peruvian Sebastian Lorente published in 1860 a history of ancient Peru, which presents the subject more broadly than the narratives of the American and English authors, and as the result of many years of further research he contributed a series of essays to the Revista Peruana.
One of the best works dealing with the antiquities of the Inca period is Antiguedades Peruanas, by Don Mariano Rivero (English translation by Dr. Hawkes, 1853). The compilation on Peru by E. G. Squier (1877), and a similar narrative by C. Weiner (Paris, 1880), both of which stand in accuracy above the others, are also worthy of mention.
The work of Reiss and Stubel, narrating their excavations at Ancon, is richly presented in three volumes, with 119 plates.
The works of Sir Clements Markham are the best guide to English scholars on the subject.