The White Rock

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An exploration of the Inca heart & soul - Rated
"The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland," by Hugh Thomson is a probing insight to the heart and soul of the ancient Inca people. The author is an explorer, historian and filmmaker. However, since the Inca civilization left no written records...Thomson constructed his understanding of the Inca piece by piece...step by step and day by day. Consequently he is now arguably one of the world's foremost experts on Peru's early society.

The author is modest. He acknowledges that luck played a large role in his successful find of Llactapata. First discovered by the legendary explorer Henry Bingham in 1911...(but he was never able to find it again.) Hence it was lost for over a half century until the remarkable discovery by the young tenderfoot from England. Moreover, Thomson playfully admits in the early portion of the text that luck was evident throughout his humble early beginnings in Peru.

The author took twenty years to write this book and provides a seasoned eye to help the reader understand why the Inca build where they did. I was particularly impressed with the meticulous research from beginning to end of this book. To this end, the text has a scholarly quality to it but Thomson's irreverant writting style keeps the narrative lively. Overall, Thomson brilliantly manages to document the Inca people's dramatic civilization and the terrible annihilation of the vast empire by the 16th century Spanish Conquistadors. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

An exploration of the Inca heart & soul - Rated
"The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland," by Hugh Thomson is a probing insight to the heart and soul of the ancient Inca people. The author is an explorer, historian and filmmaker. However, since the Inca civilization left no written records...Thomson constructed his understanding of the Inca piece by piece...step by step and day by day. Consequently he is now arguably one of the world's foremost experts on Peru's early society.

The author is modest. He acknowledges that luck played a large role in his successful find of Llactapata. First discovered by the legendary explorer Henry Bingham in 1911...(but he was never able to find it again.) Hence it was lost for over a half century until the remarkable discovery by the young tenderfoot from England. Moreover, Thomson playfully admits in the early portion of the text that luck was evident throughout his humble early beginnings in Peru.

The author took twenty years to write this book and provides a seasoned eye to help the reader understand why the Inca build where they did. I was particularly impressed with the meticulous research from beginning to end of this book. To this end, the text has a scholarly quality to it but Thomson's irreverant writting style keeps the narrative lively. Overall, Thomson brilliantly manages to document the Inca people's dramatic civilization and the terrible annihilation of the vast empire by the 16th century Spanish Conquistadors. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

An exploration of the Inca heart & soul - Rated
"The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland," by Hugh Thomson is a probing insight to the heart and soul of the ancient Inca people. The author is an explorer, historian and filmmaker. However, since the Inca civilization left no written records...Thomson constructed his understanding of the Inca piece by piece...step by step and day by day. Consequently he is now arguably one of the world's foremost experts on Peru's early society.

The author is modest. He acknowledges that luck played a large role in his successful find of Llactapata. First discovered by the legendary explorer Henry Bingham in 1911...(but he was never able to find it again.) Hence it was lost for over a half century until the remarkable discovery by the young tenderfoot from England. Moreover, Thomson playfully admits in the early portion of the text that luck was evident throughout his humble early beginnings in Peru.

The author took twenty years to write this book and provides a seasoned eye to help the reader understand why the Inca build where they did. I was particularly impressed with the meticulous research from beginning to end of this book. To this end, the text has a scholarly quality to it but Thomson's irreverant writting style keeps the narrative lively. Overall, Thomson brilliantly manages to document the Inca people's dramatic civilization and the terrible annihilation of the vast empire by the 16th century Spanish Conquistadors. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

An exploration of the Inca heart & soul - Rated
"The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland," by Hugh Thomson is a probing insight to the heart and soul of the ancient Inca people. The author is an explorer, historian and filmmaker. However, since the Inca civilization left no written records...Thomson constructed his understanding of the Inca piece by piece...step by step and day by day. Consequently he is now arguably one of the world's foremost experts on Peru's early society.

The author is modest. He acknowledges that luck played a large role in his successful find of Llactapata. First discovered by the legendary explorer Henry Bingham in 1911...(but he was never able to find it again.) Hence it was lost for over a half century until the remarkable discovery by the young tenderfoot from England. Moreover, Thomson playfully admits in the early portion of the text that luck was evident throughout his humble early beginnings in Peru.

The author took twenty years to write this book and provides a seasoned eye to help the reader understand why the Inca build where they did. I was particularly impressed with the meticulous research from beginning to end of this book. To this end, the text has a scholarly quality to it but Thomson's irreverant writting style keeps the narrative lively. Overall, Thomson brilliantly manages to document the Inca people's dramatic civilization and the terrible annihilation of the vast empire by the 16th century Spanish Conquistadors. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

A traveller's guidebook - Rated
This book is dedicated to pilgrims everywhere. It is an epic story emanating from one man's decision to leave everything behind to discover, and later, re-discover Peru. It is told over a 20 year period and, in the process of discovering Peru, the author discovers himself. Hugh Thompson is one of us; he narrates as if he knows we are listening; he keeps us involved!
Most of us have a fair idea about Peru's historical ancesters - multiple tribes of Indians collectively knowns as "Incas",who worshipped the sun, wore colourful custumes and who shaped beautiful objects from the plentiful supplies of gold and silver. Alas, their world was to be turned upside down by 150 Spanish invaders who, with their modern weapons and protective metal gear, defeated a confused, vulnerable and highly superstitious race. Hugh breaks up this tragic history over the entire story as he travels through Peru. We are fed pieces of the history and we greedliy ask for more.
The books starts brilliantly - "Raiders of the Lost ark" was released just as he returned from his first visit to Peru and he excitedly watched it in a London cinema. Although too fantastic for words, the vision of "Indy" searching in caves for a lost inca idol is the stuff of legends. Secretly, we all see ourselves in that role - the discoverer of lost artefacts in forgotten, swampy, tropical jungles.
His first visit was in 1982. He sees an unrefined yet friendly place as he and some friends "rough it". There are many discomforts and food is constantly rationed as they trek off the beaten path. Alcohol, coca plants, excessively-strong joints and food-binges in Cusco become a regular respite. He becomes a real traveller and jokingly scorns the "tourists" who arrive at Macchu Piccu the easy way. Thompson is in awe of this lost city but he is looking for other forgotten locations, lost in the undergrowth. He is loath to give Hiram Bingham too much credit for "discovering" Micch Piccu. The city was known to locals and previous travellers but Bingham gets the credit for "reporting it officially". Thompson refutes the former's assertion that Macchu Piccu was a last refuge for Inca women, there to serve the last Inca and worship the sun as it broke through the mountains at dawn.
Thompson, like myself, feels a deep sense of loss at the distruction of the empire by a small group of greedy and brutal foreigners - the beautiful gold and silver idols they crafted melted to make bullion. This is turn mirrors the melting down and disintegration of a most distinct culture. It is a very tragic tale and the reader can become affected by the brutality of their demise.
Thompson eventually reaches the white rock, the last location of the Incas...and we take a deep breath and start to read it all over again....
As I contemplate a future vist to Peru this book will be my best companion...Top reading!