Micay has a deep scar that runs like a river from her right eye to her lip. The boys in her Incan village bully her because of it, and most of the adults ignore her. So she keeps to herself and tries to hide the scar with her long hair, drawing comfort from her family and her faith in the Sun God, Inti. Then a stranger traveling from his jungle homeland to the Sacred Sun City at Machu Picchu gives her a baby macaw, and the path of her life changes
Surveys the civilization, history, and culture of the Incas, including studies of their government, religion, family life, agriculture, and architecture.
Was there ever a people like the Inkas?
Using slingshots, clubs and stone-tipped spears, this small Andean tribe conquered an area spanning 2,500 miles. Without the use of the wheel, they built a vast and sophisticated network of roads. Without an alphabet, they administered a population of ten million people. With the most primitive of tools, they built cities of stone.
Machu Picchu is as astonishing as its builders. Set in a remote, inaccessible area of the high Andes, this breathtaking city was never found by the Spanish Conquistadores. It is an untouched example of the genius of the Inkas.
Machu Picchu tells the story about the rise of the Inkas and the building of this great city. Award-winning author Elizabeth Mann has become justly famous for engrossing narratives that make distant worlds comprehensible and complex engineering feats accessible. In Machu Picchu, these talents are displayed to their fullest.
Amy Crehore’s paintings convey a fabulous world that seems at once intensely real and dream-like. Her luminous pallette is an Inka tapestry unfaded by time.
Wonders of the World series
The winner of numerous awards, this series is renowned for Elizabeth Mann’s ability to convey adventure and excitement while revealing technical information in engaging and easily understood language. The illustrations are lavishly realistic and accurate in detail but do not ignore the human element. Outstanding in the genre, these books are sure to bring even the most indifferent young reader into the worlds of history, geography, and architecture.
“One of the ten best non-fiction series for young readers.”
– Booklist
Describes the history of the Inca civilization and the construction of the city of Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains.
Chaska wishes that she could learn to read and write, but the schoolhouse in her little village in the Andes Mountains is too small, and only the boys and older girls can attend. So she spends her days with Grandfather, who tells her stories about the proud Incas and their gold. Many years ago, the Incas lived in the same valley as Chaska’s village and made golden objects in honor of the Sun God, Papa Inti. A few still lie buried among the rocks and stones. One day, as Chaska is thinking about these stories, she finds a golden doll–real Inca idol.
In 1911, Hiram Bingham, the young Yale professor, set out on his expedition in search of Inca ruins. Guided the last steps by a young Quechua boy, he discovered not the rumored lost city, but the ruins of Machu Picchu, a city totally unknown to the outside world, and one of the wonders of the world.