A Mighty Empire
One of anomalies of our approach to history is the propensity to study the 
venerable empires of Europe, but we do not feel it incumbent upon us to ascertain
anything about the civilization in our own hemisphere. We deprecate the history 
of this part of world as though progress lay dormant and that other people were
irrelevant until the settlers of North America arrived at Plymouth Rock. In
South America, from 2,000 B.C. until their empire reached its acme at the beginning
of 16th century, lived the Incas. The site of the capital city of Inca empire, Cusco,
lay at a height of 11,000 feet. This civilization is reputed to burgeoned until
it covered 2,500 miles of the western part of the continent. Its population 
fluctuated between 4 and 7 millions. The Inca empire had highly efficacious
political and social system. Its potentate ruled with absolute power. As the
Inca empire conquered new lands, it would disseminate its language, religion, and
its social customs.  



straight from the shoulder--in a direct, open way.
I took the wind out of his sails by telling him straight from the shoulder
that I was not going to wink at his apple polishing.