The Inca Empire : The Inca Empire
Background : Background Empire extended along the Pacific coast and Andean highlands from northern border of modern Ecuador to Maule River in central Chile
Inca originated in village of Paqari-tampu, about 15mi south of Cuzco
Official language: Quecha
Slide 3: Polytheistic religion
pantheon headed by Inti-the sun god
combined features of animism & worship of nature gods
offered food, clothing, and drink
rituals included forms of divination, sacrifice of humans and animals
Important Positions : Important Positions Local governors responsible for exacting labor tax which could be paid by service in army, on public works, or in agricultural work
Coya carried out important religious duties and governed when Sapa Inca absent
Nobles ruled provinces w/ chieftains Inca conquered
Politics and Society : Politics and Society forced resettlement ensured political stability
officials collected taxes, enforced laws, kept records on a quipu (collection of knotted colored strings) which noted dates, events, population, crops
use of road system strictly limited to government, military business
all land belonged to Inca, crops allotted to specific groups, government took possession of each harvest
private property forbidden, crime nonexistent, citizens never starved
no written records; oral tradition preserved through generations
Quipu Knots : Quipu Knots
Technological Developments : Technological Developments constructed aqueducts, cities, temples, fortresses, rock tunnels, suspension bridges, 2250mi road system
metal works of alloy, copper, tin, bronze, silver gold
developed important medical practices- surgery on human skull, anesthesia
resources-corn, potatoes, coffee, grain
created woven baskets, woodwinds
Road Systems of the Incas : Road Systems of the Incas Built an all-weather highway system of > 16K miles
Ran “through deep valleys and over mountains, through piles of snow, quagmires, living rock, along turbulent rivers; in some places it ran smooth and paved, carefully laid out; in others over sierras, cut through the rock, with walls skirting the rivers, and steps and rests through the snow; everywhere it was clean swept and kept free of rubbish, with lodgings, storehouses, temples to the sun, and posts along the way.” (Ciezo de Leon)
Allowed the Inca government to maintain centralized control
Military Expansion : Military Expansion attacked, looted villages of neighboring peoples, assessing tribute
program of permanent conquest, establishing garrisons among settlements of peoples whom they conquered
conquered and assimilated people of Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru
Machu Picchu : Machu Picchu The site of Machu Picchu was not discovered by the Spanish during the Conquest. In fact, it wasn't known to the outside world until 1911 when an American Archeologist, Hiram Bingham, made the steep climb to a lofty saddle high above the Urubamba river.
The city is clearly laid out in sections. There is a "royal" section where the stone work is the finest, the rooms are largest and running baths are nearby. The bulk of the food for the inhabitants was grown on the agricultural terraces of the city.
Sacred Section : Sacred Section There is a sacred section that occupies the highest point within the city proper. In this section are finely constructed buildings, altars, sculptures and the Intiwatana--the sun stone.
This was the center of the priestly activities and involved rituals at the winter solstice that "brought back" the sun.
Events leading to Rise and Fall : Events leading to Rise and Fall 1438: Manco Capac established capital at Cuzco (Peru)
1400-1500: Pachacuti gained control of Andean population about 12 million people
1525: Emperor Capac died of plague; civil war broke out because no successor named 1532: Spanish arrived - Peru
1535: Empire lost
Francisco Pizarro : Francisco Pizarro 1527: Pizarro wanted to discover wealth; embarked on his third voyage to the New World
Sept. to Nov. 1532:
The Cajamarca massacre- Pizarro led 160 Spaniards to Cuzco, slaughtering over 2,000 Inca and injuring 5,000
Slide 18: November 16, 1532: Atahualpa captured by Spaniards, offered gold for his freedom.
Pizarro accepted more than 11 tons of gold
($6 million+) baubles, dishes, icons, ornaments, jewelry, & vases, but never released Atahualpa.
July 26, 1533: Atahualpa was killed
Inca Traditions Today : Inca Traditions Today descendants of Inca are present day Quechua-speaking peasants of Andes, constitute about 45% population of Peru
combine farming, herding w/ simple traditional technology
rural settlements three kinds: families living in midst of fields, true village communities w/ fields outside of inhabited centers, combination of two
towns centers of mestizo (mixed-blood) population
Indian community close-knit, families usually intermarrying; much of agricultural work done cooperatively
religion is Roman Catholicism infused w/ pagan hierarchy of spirits and deities