Alfred Métraux

"Study of the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion"--Back cover. A master work of observation and description about the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion.

In Les Incas, Métraux provides a comprehensive analysis of the Inca Empire as the most advanced civilization of the pre-Columbian Andes. Using ethnohistorical sources, colonial chronicles, and archaeological findings, he reconstructs the political administration, ayllu-based social organization, redistributive economy, and ritual practices of the empire. The work explores Inca cosmology, royal ideology, and imperial governance within a broader anthropological framework. By integrating historical documentation with cultural analysis, Métraux contributes significantly to the scholarly understanding of indigenous South American societies and the structural foundations of Andean civilization.