The History Book Club discussion
This topic is about
The Last Days of the Incas
HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA
>
13. LAST DAYS OF THE INCAS ~ SEVENTEEN – VILCABAMBA REDISCOVERED – (June 30th – July 6th) ~ (412-436) ~ No Spoilers
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Jim
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Jul 01, 2014 08:27AM
He's...a character. He certainly seems passionate about his pursuits, whether exploration or religion.
reply
|
flag
It is curious to have this story reach all the way to today. Some of the explorers could have read this book and be participating in this conversation.Mr. Savoy's obituary paints a bit more of a picture of a "larger than life" person, as does his web page and the short clip on sun gazing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/us/...
http://genesavoy.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbMDhU...
I did feel that the last chapters on the explorations of Manchu Pichu, and Vilcabamba, and other Inca sites were somewhat tacked onto the rest of the book, which, after all, was about the Spanish conquest of the Incas in the 16th century.At the same time, I can see why the author couldn't resist adding them on. The main characters provided such great stories. Bingham, more or less invented his own mythology to explain the purpose and history of Manchu Pichu. Gene Savoy, on the other hand invented his own religion! How ironic that he ended up worshiping the sun like the Incas.
Kathy, you are right about this book showing that explorers are a breed apart. Those who are persistent often demonstrate both huge ambition and egotism. The Lees, who according to the acknowledgments, are personal friends of the author seem to fit in the more sedate scholarly group that comes after.
I was surprised that such very dense jungles exist at altitudes of almost 5000 feet. Has anyone else visited the Mayan and Aztec sites? Have they also been taken over by the jungle?
The sudden rise of the Incas, their remarkable achievements, and then their total defeat at the hands of a technologically advanced enemy shows us once again the fleeting nature of fame and glory.
Oh dear, that sounds like a former teacher. :-)
Jim,Thank you so much for posting the additional information on Eugene Savoy. I especially enjoyed the Youtube link from the movie EAT THE SUN, which shows Savoy talking about the value of gazing at the sun. He speaks very calmly and authoritatively.
Even Jesus was a sungazer (sic)! Who knew?? Of course Savoy does say that you have to know how to interpret the Gospels - something which I feel sure his church provided.
What an interesting amalgam of paganism and Christianity.
Peru hadn't been on my map as a place to visit, but it looks like a beautiful and intriguing country. I was curious about what Cuzco is like now. A google search of images brought up some amazing photos. Would love to visit it some day.https://www.google.ca/search?q=cuzco&...
A world heritage site indeed!
Thanks, Jim. It looks beautiful. We can only imagine the gold plated walls, since the precious metals were melted down."Only" 11,200 feet high. I think I might be able to handle that! :-)
