The Sun Virgin

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. Thomas Dixon's The Sun Virgin opens in the starving, precarious world of the Spanish conquest, where Francisco Pizarro's expedition hangs between collapse and destiny. In Panama, Diego de Almagro and the young cavalier Alonso de Molina defend the venture before hostile authorities, while Governor de los Rios tries to end what he sees as senseless sacrifice. On Gallo Island, Pizarro's famous line in the sand forces his men to choose comfort or conquest, and Molina joins the loyal few who remain, leaving the company stranded on Gorgona to endure months of hunger, weather, and faith. As Pizarro holds his followers together, Teresa surprises Molina with her own devotion and secretly boards the rescue ship, setting love against duty. The expedition then surges toward Tumbez, where fertile shores, the Gulf of Guayaquil, and the splendor of the Sun Temple reveal a rich and mysterious empire. Molina is drawn to the temple dancer Yma even as political danger closes in, and Pizarro's march into the Andes brings suspension bridges, avalanches, and the wary grandeur of Inca power. At the summit, envoys from Atahualpa and Pizarro exchange polished courtesies that mask a collision of empires, ambition, and conquest.