Acllahuasi: Untold Folklore of an Inkan Civilization (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781736722329)

A must-read before going to Machu Picchu, Cusco, or southern Ecuador.

Tara, a noble child in the Cañari Empire, is taken to the Acllahuasi "Women's House" in Cusco by the Inkas who conquer her native land. In the Acllahuasi, she is afraid she will be tortured, made a slave, and killed. Instead, she finds the Inka culture was not what she expected and she tries to learn to be a proper Inka woman. But then she learns that the Inkas want to erase her home, the Cañari Civilization, from existence and she decides to fight. She demands that the Cañari culture receive respect and a rightful place in history. The Inka rulers fight back and try to destroy her even if it means killing her. She nearly succumbs when the gods join her cause. But even then, will the stubborn Inkas listen?

In her journey, Tara explores 15th century Peru and Ecuador and visits many notable sites that stand to
this day in a ruinous state. She finds herself in the middle of Inkan festivals, battling the religious order of the Inkan Empire, and touring the infamous Qhapaq Ñan. She meets Sapa Inka Tupac Yupanqui and
other historical figures. She learns about the Inkan Culture, that has since been nearly eliminated from
the world. The reader, along with Tara, will learn of pillars of Andean cultures such as Kawsay, Yanantin,
and Ayni and discover Inkan mythology by being involved in it, and the significance of indelible huacas.

J. D. Lanctôt has visited ruins from the North Shore of Alaska, to scores of sites throughout.
North and Central America. But his fascination was sparked on a trip through the Andes. Since,
he has spent thousands of hours researching manuscripts and archeological work concerning
the Inkas and other Pre-Colombian Andean culture. He was troubled by the small amount of
work that made this research available to the masses and has since endeavored to bridge the
gap. This novel stems from that ambition.