The End of an Incan Era Click on image for larger view By the beginning of the sixteenth century, Tahuantinsuyu (meaning Land of the Four Corners), or the Inca Empire, had reached many of the heights of human accomplishment, and was the greatest empire on the planet. By the time Columbus reached the Americas, the Inca Empire probably surpassed even Ming China and the Ottoman Empire as the largest nation on earth. From the imperial capital of Cuzc ...