The Last Days of the Incas

McQuarrie doesn’t hold back as she recounts the horrors committed to the native people by the European marauders. The information she provides on the once prosperous civilization will have you viewing ancient ruins with a whole new perspective.

The Motorcycle Diaries

During his nine-month journey through Latin America, a 23-year-old Che is roused by the poverty and social injustices he witnesses from the seat of his one-cylinder motorcycle, thus planting the seed for him to become the world’s most famous Marxist revolutionary — and future symbol of counterculturalism. Continued interest in Guevara’s life has landed his memoir on The New York Times bestseller list on multiple occasions.

Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings

Quiché Mayan myths and folklore receive the eloquent translation they deserve in the hands of translator Tedlock, who also provides commentary and some additional background. Although it has a bit of a textbook feel, history nerds will eat it up.

The Storyteller

Praised by Ursula K. LeGuin as the “most engaging and accessible” work in the literary giant’s oeuvre, Vargas Llova’s sci-fi (kinda, sorta) novel follows a man in search of whom he believes to be an old friend that has joined a tribe in the Amazon. The book sparked much debate about rainforest conservation and whether or not indigenous people are better off uncontacted.