You incas they were one of the most important civilizations in the world, as were the Aztecs and the Mayans.
Originally the Incas were a clan of the Quechua tribe, located in the Cusco region of Peru. From the twelfth century, however, began the formation of a vast empire whose capital was Cusco.
Today, these lands comprise Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, western Bolivia, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina.
The term "Inca", which today designates a people and an empire, originally meant "chief", a title given to emperors and nobles.
inca empire
In three centuries, the Incas built a mighty empire through their armies and their negotiating skills. With well-organized and disciplined troops, a large number of indigenous nations became their vassals.
To control their immense territory, they opened two large roads: one on the coast, and another in the mountains, which cut through the territory from north to south and connected by crossways from east to west. The main one joined the cities of Cusco and Quito (Ecuador) and measured about 2,400 kilometers.
Along these paths there were guardhouses with messengers, called “Chasquis”, specially trained to run as fast as possible. In this way, the Incas had an efficient communication system that allowed them to know what was happening in their domains.
inca society
Inca society was hierarchical in various social classes.
The Inca, son of the sun god, a mixture of god and emperor, gathered hundreds of tribes under his authority. The emperor was the guardian of the State's assets, especially the land, and subjected society to the rigor of his decisions.
The Emperor was considered a god, so everything he said was complied with. He usually married a sister who was seen as the incarnation of Mama Quilla, the main female goddess.
Below the emperor were his relatives, the nobles, and those chosen to occupy the positions of command, such as provincial governors, military chiefs, judges, and priests.
The next layer was made up of civil servants and skilled workers, such as goldsmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, etc. At the base of the hierarchy were the farmers.
There were also slaves that were obtained through war and in the form of punishment if any people did not submit to Incan orders. They were intended for work in regions with the most difficult access.
inca economy
The Inca economy was based on collective work and adapted to one's age. The mainstay of the economy was agriculture, developed especially in the mountainous region of the Andes.
They raised the llama, which was used for transport, the alpaca and the vicuna, from which they obtained their wool and meat. On the coast, populations lived mainly from fishing.
To account for the taxes collected and control production, the kipu, which means "knot" in Quechua. The quipu consisted of a cord, to which a series of small colored cords were attached, hanging in a fringe and with several knots.
It is believed that each of these nodes corresponded to the amount of taxes that each community should pay.
inca agriculture
The distribution of land was made according to the size of the family and the more children, the more land. So no one had a problem feeding their offspring.
To increase the arable areas, the Incas created an ingenious system of terraces - a kind of steps built along the mountains and supported by stone walls - which stretched along the slopes. steep.
State lands were cultivated by all and the produce was stored to support the nobility, priests and military. Surpluses were stored in warehouses installed throughout the empire and distributed to the population in times of shortage or times of calamity.
To improve the productivity of the land, two resources were used: fertilization, made with llama and bird manure; and irrigation, through ponds and canals. The terrace system also facilitated irrigation and water use, a scarce resource in some parts of the Andes mountain range.
inca policy
It is estimated that the Inca Empire had around 2,000,000 km², a population estimated at around 8 to 12 million people spread over 200 different peoples and whose capital was Cusco. To give cohesion to this huge empire, a language was imposed – Quechua – and the cult of the Sun god was established, inti.
Equally, everyone was expected to work to support the family and this ensured that they had food and clothing. Of course the Emperor and his nobles had privileges, but in Incan society no one went hungry and everyone had an occupation.
inca religion
Religion marked Inca life and culture. They worshiped several gods, which were generally associated with elements of nature, such as the sun, moon, river, rain, etc.
The deities received offerings, including human sacrifice, and expected a return from the gods in the form of rain, protection, good harvest, etc. In honor of Inti, the Sun god, a large temple was built in Cusco, Peru.
inca gods
Viracocha (or Wiracocha): creator and foundational god. One who emerged in human form from the waters of Lake Titicaca to ordain lawless men. He organized the world into three levels, gave function to each of the peoples, created plants and animals. Once his mission was completed, he walked out to sea.
inti (or Apu Inti): identified as the Sun god who would be the “servant of Viracocha”. The faithful went to Inti to ask for good harvests and an end to illness. His energy fed the earth and its beings that inhabited it. His companion and sister was Mama Quilla, identified with the moon, who were parents of the Inca emperors.
Mama Quilla: goddess related to the moon and main female deity. It was served by a priestly class of women and its importance was enormous in all feminine matters such as births, marriages, fertility, the cycles of the harvest, etc. Sister and wife of Inti and from whose union the Inca emperors were born.
pachamama: not exactly a creator goddess. her name means pacha – earth and breast, mom. It is a myth understood throughout America, as it is about the land itself, crops and pastures. Pachamama was revered as part of the crops or grazing animals. Thus was established a relationship of reciprocity between the faithful.
Inca culture and art
The grandeur of the architecture and engineering of the Incas is presented through palaces, houses, temples, forts, bridges, tunnels, roads, canals and aqueducts.
The Incas had no writing, but they transmitted their ideas and knowledge through orality and drawings.
Funeral art with its masks and offerings has also come down to us and allows us to learn more about the artistic skills of this people.
See too: inca art
inca architecture
The architecture needed to adapt the buildings to the frequent tremors. Therefore, we see horizontal houses that accompanied the earthquake and thus remained standing. Likewise, the stones were cut and fitted together without the need for cement.
In Peru, especially in Cusco, it is possible to visit places that keep vestiges of the Inca culture, such as:
Machu Picchu: located at an altitude of 2400 meters, Machu Picchu was not found by the settlers; it was only revealed in 1911, by an American researcher, Hiram Bingham.
Machu Picchu, meaning “old mountain” has two large areas: the agricultural, with its cultivation terraces, and the religious. In this one we can contemplate the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Condor and the sacred rock.
It was probably a llaqta and religious sanctuary. An llaqta is a temporary settlement where groups of people must fulfill the “mita” ie work that was a tribute to the State.
sacred valley: it brings together a number of cities such as Sacsayhuamán, Ollantaytambo and Písac with houses built with stones specially carved for this purpose. There, ancestral customs are preserved, such as carrying out commercial transactions through the exchange system.
See too: Machu Picchu
End of the Inca Empire
The Inca Empire began to break up at the end of the 15th century, as it faced several internal rebellions.
At this precise moment, the Spaniards arrived, allied with the enemies of the Incas and ended up conquering them in 1533. Emperor Atahualpa was executed and after his death, the Incas took refuge in the mountains, where they resisted until 1571, when the last leader – Tupac Amaru – was captured and killed.
His grandson, Tupac Amaru II, led the last Inca insurrection, but he was also assassinated.
See too: Spanish colonization
Incas, Mayans and Aztecs
Incas, Mayans and Aztecs are the three most important civilizations in the world.
They developed in Latin America and reached a level of development compared to the Greeks or the Egyptians. They had a sophisticated calendar, armies, a system of taxes and charges that allowed them to dominate neighboring peoples. They built cities and pyramids whose ruins survive to this day and are concrete testimony to the splendor of this civilization.
Likewise, they were not perfect: they owned slaves, performed human sacrifices, and women were used as bargaining chips in cases of war and peace negotiations.
We have more texts on the subject for you:
- inca culture
- First Peoples of America
- Mayans
- Aztecs
- Pre-Columbian Peoples
