“Actually, we have to back up to 1524,” Andy said, sitting up an inch straighter in his own nylon chair. “At the time, the Inca empire was the largest and richest in the Americas. The Emperor was Huayna Capac, but in 1524 he died from smallpox. The disease and countless others made their way down from Central America, where the Europeans had established settlements a decade earlier.

“The death of Huayna Capac, and the death of his eldest son soon thereafter, incited a civil war between his two other sons: Atahualpa and Huáscar. Over the course of the next three years, between the civil war and the spread of disease by European invaders, the Inca Empire was weakened considerably.”

Libby interrupted, asking, “How much of the Inca population died of disease?”

“Historians’ estimates vary, but regardless, the number is big: between sixty and ninety percent.”

“Yikes. Okay, continue.”

“During this same period, Spanish commander Francisco Pizarro was granted a license by the Queen of Spain to conquer Peru. He arrived in South America in 1531 and established the first Spanish settlement in northern Peru the following year.

“Pizarro was captivated by stories of Inca wealth and invited Atahualpa—who had recently prevailed over his brother Huáscar in the civil war—to dinner. Atahualpa showed up at Pizarro’s camp with six thousand unarmed followers. Some historians think what happened next was a cultural misunderstanding. One of Pizarro’s friars proceeded to expound on the doctrines of Christianity and offered Atahualpa a bible. The Inca refused the bible, and for the Spaniards, this was a declaration of war. They unleashed a volley of gunfire, massacring two thousand of Atahualpa’s men, then took Atahualpa captive.

“Atahualpa was aware of the power that gold and silver had over Europeans and told Pizarro he would give him enough gold to fill a room twenty feet by seventeen feet—plus enough silver to fill two more such rooms—in exchange for his life. Pizarro, blinded by his own desires, agreed to Atahualpa’s request.

“After Atahualpa delivered on his promise, Pizarro reneged on the deal and had Atahualpa executed.

“At the death of their emperor, the Incas rebelled, but they were no match for the Spaniards’ weapons. The Spanish seized Cusco, forcing the few remaining Incas to retreat to the jungle village of Vilcabamba, which remained the last stronghold of the empire until it was eventually conquered by the Spanish.”

Libby asked, “Where does Paititi come in?”

Andy knew this was just a prompt. Libby might not know all that much about the Incas, but he’d be willing to bet she was well versed in the myriad legends of Paititi.

“You mean the reason we’re in this sticky, wet, and muddy jungle right now?”

Libby raised her eyebrows several times.