author
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
A restless 16th-century sailor-scholar, he moved between war, exploration, science, and writing with unusual range. He is remembered both for navigating the Strait of Magellan and for leaving one of the best-known early Spanish accounts of Inca history.
1 Audiobook
History of the Incas
by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
About the author
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was a Spanish adventurer, author, historian, mathematician, and astronomer who lived in the 16th century. Sources agree that he was born around 1530 to 1532, though even his birthplace is uncertain, with Pontevedra and Alcalá de Henares both mentioned. He served in the Spanish military before building a career as an explorer and royal servant in the Atlantic and Pacific worlds.
He took part in major voyages in South America and the Pacific, and in 1580 King Philip II named him governor of the Strait of Magellan. Sarmiento is also closely tied to the history of Peru: his History of the Incas became one of the most important early written accounts of the Inca past, and later reference works have described him as one of the more reliable Spanish chroniclers on that subject.
What makes him especially interesting is how many roles he combined in one life. He was not only a navigator and soldier, but also a careful observer who wrote about geography, politics, and history, leaving behind works that still matter to readers interested in exploration, empire, and the first European narratives about the Andes.