The rise and fall of the Inca Empire - Gordon McEwan

翻译人员: Chien Yet Chong 校对人员: Riley WANG

“1491年 印加人统治了全球最伟大的帝国”

查尔斯·C·曼 《1491:前哥伦布时代美洲启示录》

It was the Western Hemisphere’s largest empire ever,

那是迄今为止西半球最大的帝国,

with a population of nearly 10 million subjects.

人口多达1千万.

Over an area of more than 900,000 square kilometers,

领土面积超过90万平方公里,

its people built massive administrative centers,

这个帝国的人民, 建造了庞大的行政中心和庙宇,

temples, and extensive road and canal systems.

以及四通八达的道路和运河系统。

They did so in an inhospitable, extreme terrain,

他们在险峻和极端的地形上 建造了这些建筑，

all without the use of wheels, horses, iron, or even written language.

没有轮子、马匹、铁器， 甚至文字的帮助。

Yet within 100 years of its rise in the fifteenth century,

但是，在崛起之后的一百年内，

印加帝国在15世纪便消失无踪。

the Inca Empire would be no more.

According to legend,

根据传说，

the ancestors of the Inca rulers were created by the sun god Inti,

太阳神因蒂 创造了印加统治者的祖先，

and they emerged from a cave called Tambo Toco.

他们诞生于 一个叫坦博·托科的洞穴。

Leading four brothers and four sisters was Ayar Manco,

阿雅·曼科带领着四兄弟和四姐妹，

who carried a golden staff with instructions

携带一根金杖，

to find the place where it would sink into the ground,

通过金杖能否插入土地，

showing fertile soil.

来寻找肥沃的土壤。

After many adventures and extensive searching,

经历多次的探险和广泛的搜索后，

Ayar Manco and his siblings reached the Cuzco Valley,

阿雅·曼科和他的兄弟姐妹 抵达了库斯科山谷，

where the staff pierced the ground.

金杖可以刺入这里的土地。

After fighting off the fierce local native population,

他们打败了当地凶猛的原住民，

they founded their capital,

在此建立了首都。

and Ayar Manco became Manco Capac, the first Sapa Inca, or king of the Incas.

阿雅·曼科成为曼科·卡帕克， 第一位萨帕·印加，印加人的王。

Archaeological evidence suggests

考古发现表明，

that the Incas first settled in this valley around 1200 CE.

在公元1200年左右， 印加人最早在库斯科山谷定居。

They remained a small kingdom until 1438,

直到1438年， 印加国一直是个小国度，

when they were nearly overrun by the neighboring Chanka tribe.

这一年， 邻邦昌卡部落几乎将印加王国推翻。

The Inca king at this time, Viracocha, and his designated heir fled in fear,

当时的印加王，维拉科及其继承人 因害怕而逃跑。

but one of his other sons remained

但是他的另一个儿子留下来。

and successfully rallied the city’s defenses.

成功组织起军队防护城市。

For his military skill, he became the ninth Inca ruler,

由于他出色的军事能力， 他成了第九位印加统治者。

assuming the name of Pachacuti, or "Cataclysm."

名号帕查库特克，意为“大地震。“

Pachacuti expanded Inca rule throughout the Andes mountains,

帕查库特克把印加国的领土， 扩张到整个安第斯山脉。

transforming the kingdom into an empire through extensive reforms.

通过大量改革把这个国度， 变成一个庞大帝国。

The empire’s territory was reorganized as Tahuantinsuyu, or "four quarters,"

他把帝国的领土重组成， 塔宛亭苏尤，意思是“四方之地。"

with four divisions ruled by governors reporting to the king.

四个分区由总督管理， 直接向王报告。

Although the Inca had no writing,

虽然印加人没有文字，

they used a complex system of knotted strings called quipu

他们使用“奇普，” 这是一种复杂的结绳记事系统，

to record numbers and perhaps other information.

用来记录数字和其他信息。

A decimal-based bureaucracy enabled systematic

印加帝国的官僚采取十进制，

and efficient taxation of the empire’s subjects.

这使得政府可以 系统高效地进行征税。

In return, the empire provided security, infrastructure, and sustenance,

作为回报，帝国保障人民安全 ， 建造基础设施，提供物料，

with great storehouses containing necessities to be used when needed.

建有巨大仓库， 用来贮存紧急时用的必需品。

Great terraces and irrigation works were built

印加人建立了 宏伟的梯田和水利工程，

and various crops were grown in at different altitudes

在不同高度的土地上 耕种不同的庄稼，

to be transported all over the empire.

并把这些庄稼运送到帝国全境。

And it was during Pachacuti’s reign

在帕查库特克的统治时期，

that the famous estate of Machu Picchu was constructed.

著名的建筑群马丘比丘得以建造。

Pachacuti’s son Topa Inca continued the empire’s military expansion,

帕查库特克的儿子图帕克·印卡 延续了帝国的军事扩张，

and he eventually became ruler in 1471 CE.

并最终在公元1471年成为统治者。

By the end of his reign, the empire covered much of western South America.

在他统治的末期， 印加帝国覆盖了整个南美洲西部。

Topa’s son Huayna Capac succeeded him in 1493.

图帕克的儿子，瓦伊纳·卡帕克 在1493年继承了王位。

But the new ruler’s distant military campaigns strained the social fabric.

但是，新王讨伐偏远地区的行动 增加了印加社会的负担。

And in 1524, Huayna Capac was stricken by fever.

1524年， 瓦伊纳·卡帕克发高烧病倒。

Spanish conquistadors had arrived in the Caribbean some time before,

在此之前，西班牙征服者 已经抵达了加勒比海地区，

bringing diseases to which the native peoples had no resistance.

带来了当地人无法抵抗的疾病。

Millions died in the outbreak,

几百万印加人死于瘟疫，

including Huayna Capac and his designated heir.

包括瓦伊纳·卡帕克 及其指定继承人。

The vacant throne ignited a civil war between two of the surviving brothers,

空缺的王位引发了幸存下 两位兄弟之间的内战，

他们是阿塔瓦尔帕和瓦斯卡尔。

Atahualpa and Huascar,

greatly weakening the empire.

内战大大减弱了帝国势力，

In 1532, after finally winning the Inca civil war,

最终，在1532年， 阿塔瓦尔帕和他的军队赢得内战，

Atahualpa and his army encountered the European invaders.

但却遇上了来自欧洲的侵略者。

Although greatly outnumbered,

虽然侵略者数量不及印加人数众多，

Francisco Pizarro and his small group of conquistadors

但弗朗西斯科·皮萨罗 和他的一小伙侵略者，

stunned the king’s much larger force with guns and horses,

用印加人前所未见的枪支和马匹，

neither of which they had seen before.

震惊了印加王庞大的军队。

Atahualpa was taken captive and killed about a year later.

阿塔瓦尔帕沦为俘虏 并在大约一年后被杀。

The Spanish conquerors were awed by the capital of Cuzco.

印加首都库斯科 令西班牙征服者感到赞叹，

Pizarro described it as so beautiful that “it would be remarkable even in Spain.”

皮萨罗描述库斯科的美丽时说 “若它在西班牙也定会超群出众。"

Though the capital had fallen

虽然首都沦陷了，

and the native population had been destroyed by civil war and disease,

当地人口也因内战和疾病大大减少，

some Incas fell back to a new capital at Vilcabamba

一些印加人撤退到比尔卡班巴 将此地作为新首都，

and resisted for the next 40 years.

继续抵抗西班牙人，长达40年

But by 1572, the Spaniards had destroyed all remaining resistance

但到了1572年 ， 西班牙成功歼灭剩余的反抗势力，

along with much of the Incas’ physical and cultural legacy.

并同时摧毁了许多印加物质及文化遗产。

Thus, the great Inca empire fell even faster than it had risen.

就这样，伟大的印加帝国灭亡了， 其速度比它的兴起还要迅速。