History of the Incas History of the Incas The Incas were most notable for establishing the Inca Empire in pre-Columbian America, which was centered in what is now Peru from 1438 to 1533 C.E. and represented the height of the Inca civilization. The Inca state was known as the Kingdom of Cusco before 1438. Over the course of the Inca Empire, the Inca used conquest and peaceful assimilation to incorporate in their empire a large portion of western South America, centered on the Andean mountain ranges. However, shortly after the Inca Civil War, the last Sapa Inca (emperor) of the Inca Empire was captured
Lost city few or no clues to their decline. For example, Malden Island, in the central Pacific, was deserted when first visited by Europeans in 1825, but the unsuspected presence of ruined temples and the remains of other structures found on the island indicate that a population of Polynesians had lived there for perhaps several generations some centuries earlier. Prolonged drought seems the most likely explanation for their demise and the remote nature of the island meant few visitors. With the development of archaeology and the application of modern techniques, many previously lost cities have been rediscovered. Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian