Burgan, Michael. Ancient Incas. Scholastic/Grolier 112p $25.50 978-0-531-25179-9 2012 jr/sr E-BNS series: The Ancient World
Nonfiction
This book
provides information about all aspects of the ancient culture of the Inca, including sidebars that examine special discoveries and innovations, photographs that
support the text, and biographies
of key historical figures.
Author
Michael Burgan has brilliantly amassed valuable information about the ancient Incan civilization and produced a well-written chronicle of the life,
geography, history, contributions,
and legacy of the Inca. In Chapter One,
he shows how the Inca gained political control around Cusco and beyond,
maintaining this control through their belief in reciprocity combined with a strong military presence. Chapter Two is devoted to the organization of
the civilization and Inca law. In
Chapter Three, the reader examines the regions of the empire and the contributions
of each region, showing how resourceful the Incan was in his use of the land, the animals, the materials for tools and
the weather conditions for optimum production of food and clothing. The near-caste
system of the Inca mimics the caste system of India, with each level
strictly maintained, and in Chapter Four we study these social levels, daily life and customs relating
to daily life. The Inca were strongly religious, and this is the topic of Chapter Five. Chapter Five also discusses the advanced architectural skills of
the Incan, his ability to do math and his skill
at producing fine arts and crafts. The
final chapter describes the fall of the Incan empire.
All in all,
this volume is excellent. The supporting photographs are not always clear, but
many portray events that are hundreds of years old;
clarity was not an option. Burgan’s
writing style is advanced yet simple enough for younger readers, a feat not
easy to achieve. The extra sections cover special information about the Inca,
and each part is helpful to any young reader
who hopes to use this book for leisure reading or research.
Leaders are enumerated at the end of the book, an extensive timeline is
included, and a two-page glossary is
helpful. Burgan ends with a list of
books to consult and an index.
Inca --Martha Squaresky
