At first, the Incas were simply a small tribe that lived in the city of Cuzo. Around 1430 AD, a neighbouring tribe attacked the Incas. The Incas won, and that was the beginning of the Inca Empire. At the height of its power, the Inca Empire was 4023 kilometers long, 804 kilometers wide, and home to 12 million people. These people called themselves ‘the Children of the Sun’.
This mighty empire lasted only around 100 years. It fell because of many reasons. The first was an epidemic of small pox that was brought to their world by early visitors from Europe – mainly the Spanish. There was also a civil war that greatly weakened the power of the Incas. Finally, Spanish invaders came to the region, hunting for gold and the legendary riches of the Incas. The invaders, led by Francisco Pizarro, conquered the Incas after a series of fierce battles. Manco Inca II was murdered by the Spanish in 1544 and Tupac Amaru the last emperor met a similar fate in 1572. The descendants of the Incas still live in the modern day country of Peru.