ELDORADO
The Temple of Koricancha
The Temple of Koricancha is the third and final part of the three-book Eldorado series. In this novel, the geologist Peter Martin finally finds his true love, Monica Rodriguez, who was held captive by the Shining Path terrorists. During a battle with the terrorists, Peter is wounded and is hospitalized in a Peruvian military hospital. As the story unfolds, Monica and Peter fall in love all over again. A plan is devised to recover an immense treasure, but the only way to keep it safe is to make it known to the world and get protection for it from the Peruvian government. The Shining Path has other plans. They want to exploit the treasure to enhance their own power and greed and eventually take control of the empire and govern the people. A mafia group from the States also knows about the treasure and would like to take possession of it. Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, once again now in modern times becomes the place where many people will fight and die for the lost riches of the Incas.
The parallel historical story of the conquest of the Incas brings the colonial time period of the conquistadors to the forefront of the modern day as these forces collide to discover the secrets of the past. The saga of the Pizarro brothers continues with Hernando Pizarro assigned to take the King’s Fifth or 20 percent of the treasure dispersal back to Spain. Hernando is arrested and imprisoned for his role in the murder of the governor of Chile, Diego de Almargo. With the death of Francisco Pizarro, the respected governor of Peru, civil wars between the conquistadors break out. The saying “There is too much gold in Peru for men to live in peace” becomes a prophetic truth. The son of Diego de Almargo (the Mouse) is the new leader of the Men of Chile, and he takes control of Peru. Gonzalo Pizarro later returned from his epic three-year search of the Amazon for more gold. Finally, Gonzalo defeated the Men of Chile to once again make a Pizarro governor of Peru. The beautiful Inca princess, Lacoya Ines, travels to Spain in an effort to rescue and obtain the release of the handsome general Hernando Pizarro. She is unsuccessful in her efforts to do so and returns to Peru to find that all has changed in her absence. Peru and her people are embroiled in civil wars, slavery, and the Inquisition.
Peter finds out to his amazement that all the answers to the secrets of the Inca treasure reside in the Sacred Quipu, an ancient necklace of knotted strings that is owned by his fiancée. But will Monica reveal those secrets to him? Everyone wants the beautiful Incan princess so that they can get to the treasure too. Only in the climatic end of the story does the past meet the present where everything—all the secrets—are made known! Or are they?
