The Incas

The Incan Empire

The Incas were another of the great civilizations of America. The empire was located in South America along the west coast. They lived in the Andes mountain range and first settled in the valley of Cuzco. According to legend, their sun god, Inti, told them to settle where a staff could easily sink into the ground. They discovered that this place was Cuzco and therefore settled there.

Area where the Incas settled

The Andes mounts range was a heard place to live in because of their steep mountain slopes. Crops were very hard to plant. However, the Incas used terraces, or flat ridges cut out in the side of mountains. They also used irrigation canals to carry water to the terraces.

The Incas were led by warrior kings known as the Sapa Incas. The greatest of the Sapa Incas was Pachacuti, who greatly expanded the Incan empire. He used both military force as well as peaceful diplomacy. The last great Sapa Inca was Huayna Capac. During his reign, the empire covered almost 2,500 miles from north to south.

However, once Huayna Capac died, the empire fell into chaos and a civil war began as several people tried to take the throne. While they were at war, the Spanish came and took advantage of their disorganization, conquering the Inca empire.

Incan Society

The Inca social structure was divided into nobles and commoners. The noble class was further divided into three ranks. The highest rank consisted of nobles by birth. These nobles were born into the noble family and were usually relatives of the ruling family. These people had the best living conditions and had the most luxury. The next group was the appointed nobles. These nobles were appointed and chosen by the empire for their service. These people also had a luxurious lifestyle. The third and lowest class contained the curacas. These were non-Inca chiefs whose lands had been conquered by the Incas. These people enjoyed some luxuries, but not as much as the other two classes. The other groups contained the majority of the people, the commoners. This group was divided based on age and gender. Certain ages and genders did different jobs. For example, girls aged 9-12 gathered wild plants, while boys aged 9-16 usually had to herd the llamas and the alpacas.

Commoners lived in communities called ayllus. These communities were groups of related families that lived together. These communities had everything they needed. There was not much private property and most property was public and shared with everybody else.

Ayllu

Religion

Incas worshiped many gods. Viracocha was the creator god. Inti was the most important god and the god of the sun. The Incas also believed in many nature spirits.

Inti

Achievements

The Incas was known for their very good and strong government. The government was a welfare state and watched over its citizens. The Incas were also known for their architecture and engineering. The built large cities of stone on high mountains. They were also known for many other things, including engineering and art.