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Title: The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland by Hugh Thomson ISBN: 1-58567-355-2 Publisher: Overlook Press Pub. Date: 06 January, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.38 (8 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Into The Land of the Incas
Comment: A good travel and exploration book, if not a great one.
Hugh Thomson regales readers with two periods of exploration he took into the deep Andes to rediscover and discover Inca ruins. First as a twentysomething "it beats working" trek with like-minded buddies, then later as a more mature filmmaker who returned after a few decades to visit areas he missed the first go around.
This book has the same theme as some of Bill Bryson's or David Horwitz's travelogues. The history is interspersed with tales of the journey, giving background and understanding as to why certain places are worth visiting. Thomson does not have the wit or humor of either, nor does he try to force it. Some humorous events are recounted because they happened and happened to be humorous, but this author does not ply the wry observation or witty discourse.
The result is a solid travel book, if at times less than entertaining. The reader is treated to a good geographic illustration of the high Andes as well as snapshots of life in and around those mountains today. The history of the Inca people after contact with the conquistadors is interspersed with tales of Thomson's journeys in a way that I suspect will give almost every reader a much better understanding of what happened during the clash of these two empires. Flashbacks are also provided of the famous explorers who led the way toward western appreciation of Inca roads and cities and whose material allowed Thomson to discover some sites only hinted at in the 1800's by his predecessors.
The author does delve into what apparently is an age-old enmity between archaeologists and explorers. In Thomson's telling, archaeologists are a bit miffed that explorers go careening around and get credit for discovering sites when archaeologists are the ones who must spend the hard, laborious years understanding them. Explorers see archaeologists as a bit blinded to the forest by the trees -- you could spend a lifetime uncovering Machu Picchu with a toothbrush and miss the lost cities waiting under jungle cover just a ridge or two away. Although Thomson gets along well enough with the archaeologists he bunks with early on, the explorers of the past who uncovered the lost Inca cities and whose treks serve as both the guidon and inspiration for Thomson's own, were anathema to contemporary archaeologists and remain so.
This is a long book that does drag in parts. Sometimes, when the action the author is describing isn't very interesting, the reader is treated to its unfolding anyway. Editing could have helped weed out some parts that didn't seem to enlighten the story. However, overall this book does what it sets out to do. It tells the story of an intrepid explorer and the finds he makes, describes current life in the high Andes, and tells the story of the demise of the Incas.
Rating: 2
Summary: Somewhat entertaining but lacking in literary value
Comment: If you are planning a hiking trip to the Andes, this book may interest you. By reading it, you will know what awaits you up there(including bowel problems and insect plagues) and get a feeling for the country and its inhabitants. The White rock tells the story of about twenty years of treks by Hugh Thomson and his British pals in the Andes region, mostly along ancient Inca paths. About all the interesting sites, both natural and man-made, are covered: Machu-Pichu, Cuzco, Lake Titicaca, etc.
If you are interested in the Incas but only moderately so, in other words if you want to know more about this ancient people but do not have enough time or enthusiasm to read a detailed scholarly study about it, you may consider buying this book. In its pages, you will get small doses of Inca history interspersed among more contemporary material.You will also learn about the ancient and contemporary explorers of the land, starting with Pizarro and ending with present-day archeologists,travelers and photographers like Von Hagen, Chambi, etc.
If you are looking for a finely written travel account with strong literary flavor, this book is NOT for you. Contrary to what is stated in the reviews on the back of the book, the author is a not a great writer at all. He is quite incapable to describe either the landscape or the inhabitants with real talent.Also owing to his poor writing skills, he completely fails to conjure up the magical atmosphere of the great ancient sites and recreate for you the lost world of the Incas. The travel narrative itself, besides being quite uneventful, is quite plain and completely lacking in romanticism. At many points, it is even anticlimactic, like when, in his first expedition, Hugh Thomson rediscovers the lost Inca fortress of LLactapata.
They suddenly see it at the end of an exhausting hike, they camp there, clean up the place a little bit and then off they go...! I had expected Thomson to give more details about what was after all the stated goal of his first expedition to Peru but the fact is that the rediscovery of Llactapata takes less than one page. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is little more than a succession of similar superficial sketches.
The digressions about the Incas are not without interest but quite unoriginal. Considering the author's complete lack of training in history, archeology or anthropology, some of his peremptory judgements about this ancient civilization sound pretty silly: was Machu Pichu nothing more than a holiday resort for a hedonistic emperor and his court? Did the Incas choose the location of their buildings in order to enjoy the great views that they could afford? I doubt it...
To put it briefly, this book is really nothing more than a long and rather mediocre National Geographic article. It is a good companion to kill time on the beach or in the dentist's waiting room.
Rating: 5
Summary: If you are going to Peru... get this book.
Comment: If you are going to Peru... get this book.
I live six months a year in the Andes, in Peru. My house overlooks the beautiful valley of Cachora, and from my porch I can look up at the mountain where the newly excavated ruins of Choquequirao are (a "must see"). Now, when my friends come to Peru, to see Machu Pichu and/or the ruins of Choquequirao, I give everyone a copy of "The White Rock".
Hugh Thomson has done a great service to all those visiting these ruins. He has not only written an engaging, and often funny travel log, but he has given us a history of the Incas. He shines a new light on Inca life and customs. Their principle cities: Machu Pichu, Choquequirao, Vilcabamba and Chuquipalta [the White Rock] are discussed in the book..
But, this book isn't just about Cusco, Machu Pichu or Choquequirao - but it really is. It isn't about the Inca's culture and their vast empire (c.1438-1572) - but it really is. It's not about various unique, brash, daring, larger-than-life individuals who Thomson encountered, but it is. Nor is it about Hugh Thomson and his extraordinary journeys through the Inca heartland - but, then again, it really is. This Book is an incredibly accomplished blending of all of these, as well as a lively, dauntless travel log of an exception explorer.
Thomson's pendulating writing has the unique ability to freely swing back and forth between various perspectives. He writes as an anthropologist, a historian, an archeologist, an explorer, and a traveling bum. He weaves these perspectives together while never losing the story line - The White Rock.
Thomson's ultimate destination (Chuquipalta [the White Rock]) takes him on the famed Inca Roads, transversing the Inca empire, yet all the while gathering information and simultaneously reflecting on the beauty and uniqueness of their culture. He reveals how the Incas were brilliant administrators, masters at constructing roads and stone cities while never discovering the wheel, the arch, or developing a written language. Thomson clearly chronicles the conquest of the Incas from the time of Francisco Pizzaro (and his murder of the Inca Atahulpa) through Pedor de Cieza de Leon and the execution of the last Inca, Tupac Amaru, in the main square of Cusco.
Bottom line, If you want to journey though the lost world of the Incas, then this book, matched with a solid guide like 'Let's Go: Peru, Bolivia & Equador' (see my review), will enrich you as you explore the Inca heartland. Highly Recommended.
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Title: The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour by Ruth M. Wright, Alfredo Valencia Zegarra ISBN: 1555663079 Publisher: Johnson Books Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru by Nigel Davies ISBN: 0140233814 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming ISBN: 0156028263 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 28 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Inca Trail, Cusco & Machu Picchu, 2nd: Includes The Vilcabamba Trail and Lima City Guide by Richard Danbury ISBN: 187375664X Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Lonely Planet Peru (Lonely Planet Peru, 4th Ed) by Rob Rachowiecki ISBN: 0864427107 Publisher: Lonely Planet Pub. Date: April, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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