The Last Days of the Incas is a book I have read twice trying to understand a little bit about where we live.  We are close to where all the action of this book took place.  If you want to understand the conquest of Peru by the Spaniards it is a good place to start.  It will also impress you with its brutality.  I can recommend it as a good history, and I think it is makes a good attempt to be accurate and fair.