Brief Inca history

Although the Incas numbered only about 40,000, their empire stretched more than 2,500 miles along the west coast of South America encompassing over 10million inhabitants. The empire arose quickly in the 15th century and lasted only 4 generations. The fall of the empire makes for fascinating reading. In brief:
Francisco Pizarro and his band of 160 men landed in Peru at a time when the Inca empire was ravaged by small pox and a bloody civil war. Taking advantage of the situation, he was able to take Atahuallpa (the Sapa Inca) into custody, and later have him killed. Pizarro then triumphantly marched into Cuzco after appointing Manco Inca as the puppet ruler of the Incas.