The Incas (1) had (held) a mystical fascination for the people of the Western world for centuries. About 800 years ago, a powerful American tribe (2)
(began) to conquer weaker tribes and eventually (3)
(united) them into one empire, known as the Inca Empire. They (4) (controled) the area of present-day Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. They (5) (were) great farmers and excellent builders of roads and cities where
the ruling classes lived. Since the beginning of the 20th century,
archaeologists (13) (have been showing) interest in the area. Of
course, they (14) (have not investigated) every part of this civilisation
yet. Peruvian archaeologists (15) (have recently found) thousands
of Inca mummies and artifacts beneath the streets of Lima, Peru.