At its height, the Inca empire stretched roughly from what is modern-day Ecuador south through Peru and for about 1000 miles through Chile, hugging the Pacific Coast of South America. Of the three ancient Mesoamerican empires (the other two are the Aztecs and Mayans), the Inca empire was the largest in territory. The Incas expanded their reach through conquest of other South American tribes from the 13th to the 16th Centuries, until Spanish conquistadors arrived and pillaged for gold and other treasures.