Manco; The Peruvian Chief

Manco, the Peruvian Chief by William H. G. Kingston is an adventure novel narrated by David Rexton, a fifteen-year-old Englishman living in Peru with his family near the Cordilleras mountains. Kingston meticulously establishes the setting: the Rexton family inhabits a fortified country house, originally built as a defensive structure, overlooking silver mines worked by Indian laborers and a village of indigenous peoples across a dramatic rope bridge called "Puente de Soga." David's father, sympathetic to the oppressed Indian population and their harsh treatment under Spanish colonial rule, has earned their affection through medical care and charity. The narrative's inciting incident occurs when a fugitive Indian man appears at their home seeking refuge. He reveals himself as a cousin of Tupac Amaru, rightful heir to the Inca throne, fleeing Spanish authorities after resisting enslavement and striking a cruel official. Despite potential danger, David's parents decide to shelter him, beginning the family's involvement in adventure and resistance against colonial authority.