What kind of clocks did the Incas use?
Intihuatanas, aka “hitching posts of the Sun,” are Inca solar clocks. Two still exist, one of which is (of course) at Machu Picchu. Not just a sundial, the four-cornered stone sits at the top of the citadel, and its shadow was used to measure time.
Where did the Incas rule?
Written By: Inca, also spelled Inka, South American Indians who, at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1532, ruled an empire that extended along the Pacific coast and Andean highlands from the northern border of modern Ecuador to the Maule River in central Chile.
How did the Incas conquer Chimu civilization?
The Incas conquer the Chimu civilization based at Chan Chan . Reign of Inca Tupac Yupanqui who doubles the size of the Inca Empire . The sacred site of Pachacamac is taken over by the Incas. Huayna Capac reigns as Inca leader and constructs fortresses, religious temples and roads throughout the empire .
How important was the sky to the Incas?
In general, the sky was very important to the Inca. Both the moon and sun were seen as gods and they built extravagant pillars and temples with great precision so that these “heavenly bodies”, like the sun, would pass over the structures or through windows on specific days, like the summer solstice.
Did the Inca have a calendar?
The ritual, central Inca calendar, adapted to the ecological, cultural, and ethnic realities of the Cuzco valley, was the basis of the imperial calendar, used for the administration of the Inca Empire. According to the main historical sources, it was composed of 12 synodic months calculated from new moon to new moon.
How were the Incas advanced for their time?
They built a system of roads and bridges across the roughest terrains of the Andes. Through their system of collective labor and the most advanced centralized economy, the Incas were able to secure unlimited manual labor.
How did the Incas use astronomy?
Astronomy was very important for the Inca civilization, partly due to the importance of agriculture. Astronomy was used for agricultural purposes. Cusco for example lies on a radial plan, mimicking the sky and pointing to specific astronomical events on the horizon.
What was the time frame of the Incas?
The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572, when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured.
How did the Incas communicate?
A quipu (khipu) was a method used by the Incas and other ancient Andean cultures to keep records and communicate information using string and knots. In the absence of an alphabetic writing system, this simple and highly portable device achieved a surprising degree of precision and flexibility.
What language did the Incas speak?
QuechuaQuechua, the language of the Inca Empire and still spoken by approximately 8 million people throughout the Andes, is the most spoken indigenous language in the Americas.
What did the Incas think about the universe?
The Incas believed that the world of the gods was in the sky or firmament (the Hanan pacha). The other worlds were made up of the Kay pacha (earthly world) and the Uku pacha (the world below or of the dead).
Did the Incas have a written language?
The Inca Empire (1438–1533) had its own spoken language, Quechua, which is still spoken by about a third of the Peruvian population. It is believed that the only “written” language of the Inca empire is a system of different knots tied in ropes attached to a longer cord. This system is called quipu or khipu.
How does the quipu work?
A quipu had many strings and there had to be some way that the string carrying the record of a particular number could be identified. The primary way this was done was by the use of colour. Numbers were recorded on strings of a particular colour to identify what that number was recording.
What did the Incas call themselves?
The Inca did not call themselves the Inca. They actually called themselves the Tawantin Suyu, which means the "Four United Regions," or "Land of the Four Quarters." By 1500 CE, the Inca Empire was huge. It stretched for 2500 miles from the north to the south and had a population of around 12 million people.
How did Inca end?
With their royalty and focus of worship destroyed, the general population readily accepted Spanish rule as “what was done.” This created local assistance which, along with outside factors, allowed the Spanish to completely conquer the region by 1572, marking the end of the Inca Empire.
Who was the first Inca ruler?
PachacutiThe first emperor, Pachacuti transformed it from a modest village to a great city laid out in the shape of a puma. He also installed Inti, the Sun God, as the Incas' official patron, building him a wondrous temple.
Why were the Incas so successful?
The Incas had a centrally planned economy, perhaps the most successful ever seen. Its success was in the efficient management of labor and the administration of resources they collected as tribute. Collective labor was the base for economic productivity and for the creation of social wealth in the Inca society.
What achievements did the Incas have?
The Inca built advanced aqueducts and drainage systems; and the most extensive road system in pre-Columbian America. They also invented the technique of freeze-drying; and the rope suspension bridge independently from outside influence.
How did the Inca Empire maintain power?
The Inca government, dominated by the king or Sapa Inca, used military force to control their empire and they spread their religion, art and architecture to try and create a cultural unity.
What was the Incas greatest engineering accomplishment?
The Inca's greatest technological skill was engineering. The best example is their amazing system of roads. The Incas built roads across the length of and width of their empire. To create routes through steep mountain ranges, they carved staircases and gouged tunnels out of rock.
What did Pachacuti Inca do?
Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui also focused his efforts on strengthening Cusco, the center of the empire. He expanded Sacsahuaman, the massive fortress that guarded the city, and embarked on an expansive irrigation project by channeling rivers and creating intricate agricultural terraces.
Which Inca leader pushed the southern border of the empire to the Maule River in modern-day Chile?
Upon ascending to the throne in 1471, Topa Inca Yupanqui pushed the southern border of the empire to the Maule River in modern-day Chile, and instituted a tribute system in which each province provided women to serve as temple maidens or brides for celebrated soldiers. His successor, Huayna Capac, embarked on successful northern campaigns that carried to the Ancasmayo River, the current boundary between Ecuador and Colombia.
What diseases did the Spanish carry?
The Spanish carried such alien diseases as smallpox, which wiped out a huge chunk of the population before killing Huayna Capac and his chosen successor around 1525. That sparked a civil war as would-be emperors battled for power, with Atahualpa eventually outlasting his half-brother, Huascar, to grab the throne.
How many people lived in the Inca Empire?
Known as Tawantinsuyu, the Inca state spanned the distance of northern Ecuador to central Chile and consisted of 12 million inhabitants from more than 100 different ethnic groups at its peak. Well-devised agricultural and roadway systems, along with a centralized religion and language, helped maintain a cohesive state.
What was the main language of Quechua?
There was no written language, but a form of Quechua became the primary dialect, and knotted cords known as quipu were used to keep track of historical and accounting records. Most subjects were self-sufficient farmers who tended to corn, potatoes, squash, llamas, alpacas and dogs, and paid taxes through public labor.
Why did priests use divination?
Powerful priests depended on divination to diagnose illness, solve crimes and predict the outcomes of warfare, in many cases requiring animal sacrifice. The mummified remains of previous emperors were also treated as sacred figures and paraded around at ceremonies with their stores of gold and silver.
Who kidnapped Atahualpa?
Enamored by the stories of Inca wealth, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro lured Atahualpa to meeting for a supposed dinner in his honor and kidnapped the emperor in November 1532. Atahualpa was executed the following summer, and although the Spanish were far outnumbered by the locals, they easily sacked Cusco in late 1533 with their superior weaponry.
What empire reached its greatest extent?
The Inca empire reaches its greatest extent.
Which city did Pizarro take?
Pizarro takes the Inca capital of Cuzco .
Who found Machu Picchu?
Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui founds Machu Picchu in the High Andes. c. 1470. The Incas conquer the Chimu civilization based at Chan Chan . 1471 - 1493. Reign of Inca Tupac Yupanqui who doubles the size of the Inca Empire . 1471 - 1493. The sacred site of Pachacamac is taken over by the Incas. 1493 - 1526.
Who defeated the Chancas?
Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui defeats the Chancas to control the Cuzco Valley and further expand the Inca empire . Pachacunti Inca Yupanqui begins a rebuilding programme in the Inca capital of Cuzco . Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui founds Machu Picchu in the High Andes. The Incas conquer the Chimu civilization based at Chan Chan .
Where did the Inca Empire flourish?
The Inca Empire flourishes in South America.
What was the name of the Inca empire that reached its southernmost extent in central Chile?
Under Topa Inca Yupanqui (Thupa ’Inka Yupanki; 1471–93) the empire reached its southernmost extent in central Chile, and the last vestiges of resistance on the southern Peruvian coast were eliminated. His death was followed by a struggle for the succession, from which Huayna Capac (Wayna Qhapaq; 1493–1525) emerged successful. Huayna Capac pushed the northern boundary of the empire to the Ancasmayo River before dying in an epidemic that may have been brought by a tribe from the east that had picked it up from the Spanish at La Plata. His death set off another struggle for succession, which was still unresolved in 1532, when the Spanish arrived in Peru.
Where were the Battlements of the Inca fortress of Sacsahuamán?
Battlements of the Inca fortress of Sacsahuamán in Cuzco, Peru.
What are the dark blotches in the Inca zodiac?
These dark blotches were considered as living (animate) animals. The animals were believed to live in the Milky Way, which they thought of as a river. The Inca were one of the few civilizations who were able to locate their constellations without the presence of stars. These dark constellations in turn made up the Inca zodiac.
What were the most important events in the Inca civilization?
The most crucial events for the Inca generally involved the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars. Astronomy was very important for the Inca civilization, partly due to the importance of agriculture. Astronomy was used for agricultural purposes. Cusco for example lies on a radial plan, mimicking the sky and pointing to specific ...
What is the Milky Way legacy?
Image: " Depicting the Milky Way - Inca legacy " by ShashiBellamkonda is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Gazing up at a starry night sky is nothing short of magical. People have long been fascinated with stars, and have attempted to find meaning in what they saw in the sky. The Inca civilization in Peru placed great importance on astronomy.
What is the Inti Raymi?
Held during the winter solstice in Cusco, Inti Raymi is an annual celebration that pays homage to Inti, the Sun God, so that he returns to his Inca sons and nourish their crops. It honors a new cycle of life. The Inca however not only studied individual stars, but also grouped stars into constellations.
What was the purpose of astronomy in Cusco?
Astronomy was used for agricultural purposes. Cusco for example lies on a radial plan, mimicking the sky and pointing to specific astronomical events on the horizon. Similarly to the ancient Egyptians, this was a horizon-based culture.
What was the Temple of the Sun?
The Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu likely served as a solar observatory and sacred site where high Inca priests performed rituals.
Why are stars linked?
The first and most common groupings of stars were linked in a connect-the-dots manner to create pictures of animals, Gods, heroes and more. These constellations were considered as inanimate. One star grouping known as Pleiades was especially believed to be influential over the well-being of animals.
Inca Empire Begins
Pachacuti
- When the rival Chancas attacked circa 1438, Viracocha Inca retreated to a military outpost while his son, Cusi Inca Yupanqui, successfully defended Cusco. Cusi Inca Yupanqui — who soon took the title Pachacuti — became one of the Inca’s most influential rulers. His military campaigns extended the kingdom to the southern end of the Lake Titicaca Basin, and hundreds of miles nor…
Inca Government
- Pachacuti also focused his efforts on strengthening Cusco, the government center of the vast empire. He expanded Sacsahuaman, the massive fortress that guarded the city, and embarked on an expansive irrigation project by channeling rivers and creating intricate agricultural terraces. Although Tawantinsuyu was comprised of more than 100 distinct ethnic groups among its 12 mi…
Inca Achievements
- The Inca are today celebrated for many artistic and cultural achievement, including their monumental architecture, of which the magnificent fortress complex Machu Picchuis but one example. The Inca also developed sophisticated calendars, elaborate textiles, functional and decorative ceramics, surgical techniques, productive terrace agriculture and the use of coca leav…
Inca Religion
- The Inca religion centered on a pantheon of gods that included Inti; a creator god named Viracocha; and Apu Illapu, the rain god. Impressive shrines were built throughout the kingdom, including a massive Sun Temple in Cusco that measured more than 1,200 feet in circumference. Powerful priests depended on divination to diagnose illness, solve crimes and predict the outco…
Spanish Arrival
- Despite these advances, the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 1500s soon set into motion the events that would lead to the collapse of the Inca Empire. The Spanish carried such alien diseases as smallpox and influenza, which wiped out a huge chunk of the population before killing Huayna Capac and his chosen successor around 1525. Those two deaths sparked a civil war as would-b…
Sources
- Rise of the Inca. NOVA. PBS. From Chavin to the Inca, a Timeline of the Central Andes. The British Museum. The Last Days of the Incas. Kim MacQuarrie; Simon & Schuster. The Inca and Machu Picchu. Smithsonian Associates.