January - April 2015
Incas, in the twelfth century, founded a small state in central Peru. In a short time the Children of the Sun, as the Incas used to call themselves, transformed it into an empire. An empire unrivaled in the history of the world, mainly due to the time in which it arose. The children of the Sun needed only 50 years to subordinate the lands from Colombia to Chile. Their expansion was not a bloody war, they did not exterminate the conquered nations or destroyed their achievements. On the contrary - behind the army of warriors, there was an army of experts in various fields. They took what was most valuable of the experiences and achievements of the conquered nations, assimilating and developing this potential within the Inca Empire. The children of the Sun quickly achieved stabilization, strong economy and social satisfaction. However, it did not last long ...
The end of the Inca empire was laid by the Spanish conquistadores, who were hungry for power, wealth and blood. Holding a sword in one hand, and the crucifix in the other, led by Francisca Pizzaro, they paved the way for control and power over the Inca Empire, imposing its laws, customs and religion. This uncompromising aggression on the Children of the Sun, so different from the policy of conquests by the Incas, put an end to the magnificence of this extraordinary Empire. Today, we can mainly see what conquistadors built on the ruins of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu - a city lost in the Peruvian Andes, whose existence the Spaniards did not know about, is the only remaining monument of the Inca's splendor. It was not until 1911 that an American scientist, the real-life Indiana Jones, Hiram Bingham, showed them to the world, recalling the legacy and achievements of the Children of the Sun.
Krzysztof Muskalski