Inca Gold was published by Simon & Schuster in 1994. The novel opens with Pitt and Giordino diving into a Peruvian cenote — a sacred sinkhole — to rescue two archaeologists trapped in an underwater cave system. They discover an ancient stone idol and evidence that the cave connects to a much larger underground river network. The investigation leads to the lost treasure of Huascar, the last Inca emperor, who reputedly hid an enormous fortune in gold artifacts from Francisco Pizarro’s advancing forces in 1533.
Cussler’s historical research, as always, provides the novel’s foundation: the Inca gold that Pizarro seized — the ransom of Atahualpa — was only a fraction of the empire’s total wealth, and the fate of Huascar’s hoard has been a genuine historical mystery for five centuries. Cussler’s fictional solution involves a pre-Columbian trade route through underground river systems connecting South America to the Gulf of California — an idea he develops with enough geological detail to sustain the suspension of disbelief.
The villains are a pair of art thieves running an international antiquities smuggling operation, and the plot moves from Peru to Mexico to underground rivers to a climactic confrontation in the desert Southwest. The scale is characteristic Cussler: no fewer than three separate treasure troves, multiple underwater sequences, vehicle chases, and historical revelations, all managed with the pacing expertise of a writer at the height of his commercial powers.
Collecting Inca Gold
First edition (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1994): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $15–$40
- Very good/very good: $5–$15
- Signed: $30–$80