How was the Inca government organized?
- The Inca empire was divided into 4 territories, also called ‘theirs’: the Chinchaysuyo (north), Antisuyo (east), Collasuyo (south) and the Contisuyo (center of the empire with the city of Cusco as the capital).
- The government had the Inca as its maximum exponent in power. The established laws prioritized work and punished loafers and thieves.
Who were the Incas?
... (Show more) 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.
What was the political and administrative structure of the Inca Empire?
Its political and administrative structure "was the most sophisticated found among native peoples" in the Americas. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century.
What was the Inca religion based on?
Assorted References. Inca religion —an admixture of complex ceremonies, practices, animistic beliefs, varied forms of belief in objects having magical powers, and nature worship—culminated in the worship of the sun, which was presided over by the priests of the last native pre-Columbian conquerors of the Andean….
How did the Inca Empire develop?
The Inca first appeared in the Andes region during the 12th century A.D. and gradually built a massive kingdom through the military strength of their emperors.
See more
Was the Inca Empire organized?
The Inca needed a sophisticated and organized government to maintain an empire this large. The Inca government was called the Tawantinsuyu. It was a monarchy ruled by a single leader called the Sapa Inca. Sapa Inca - The emperor or king of the Inca Empire was called the Sapa Inca, which means "sole ruler".
How did the Inca organize their growing empire?
How was the Inca government organized? Directly under the Sapa Inca, there were four apos, or officials, who formed the Sapa Inca's "Supreme Council." Each apo was in charge of one-quarter of the empire. The Inca divided their empire into four suyus, or quarters, that radiated from Cuzco, the capital city.
What was the Inca government structure?
The Inca Empire was a federalist system which consisted of a central government with the Inca at its head and four quarters, or suyu: Chinchay Suyu (northwest), Antisuyu (northeast), Kuntisuyu (southwest), and Qullasuyu (southeast). The four corners of these quarters met at the center, Cusco.
How did the Inca Empire maintain order?
Well-devised agricultural and roadway systems, along with a centralized religion and language, helped maintain a cohesive state. Despite their power, the Inca were quickly overwhelmed by the diseases and superior weaponry of Spanish invaders, and the last bastion of their immense empire was overtaken in 1572.
How did the Incas build and manage their empire?
In order to control the population of such a vast territory they created laws that were rigidly enforced. Inca laws came from their customs and traditions and were imposed to newly conquered territories. The laws were administered by appointed officials in each territory.
How did the Incas manage their massive empire?
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 Inca leader called?
The Incas considered their king, the Sapa Inca, to be the "son of the sun".
What were the 3 rules of the Inca Empire?
Incas had 3 commandments: don't steal. don't lie. don't be lazy.
What was the Inca gender roles?
In terms of household, women took on tasks such as childcare and cooking, while men took on roles that required more physical strength… Inca women's role during this time was vital in more ways than one to the civilization, proving that they were capable of holding their end of the workload.
How did the Incas maintain control over their extensive realm?
How did the Inca system of government help hold the Empire together? Local leaders were left in power over their people. The chain of command allowed the government to supervise the people in the empire. The Inca used quipu, a system of knots, to keep records.
What methods did the Incas use to unify their empire?
The Incas unified their empire through the spread of their language, compulsory military service for conquered peoples, and via a vast and sophisticated network of roads. The Incas made sure to spread their Quechua language throughout the empire for unity.
How did the Incas keep a series of records?
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 made the Inca Empire successful?
Inca society is considered to have had some of the most successful centrally organized economies in history. Its effectiveness was achieved through the successful control of labor and the regulation of tribute resources.
What is the significance of Viracocha?
This part of the myth has been seized upon by modern mythmakers, and, as Kon-Tiki, Viracocha was said to have brought Inca culture to Polynesia. Inca religion —an admixture of complex ceremonies, practices, animistic beliefs, varied forms of belief in objects having... Viracocha was the divine protector of the Inca ruler Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui;
What is the Inca religion?
Inca religion —an admixture of complex ceremonies, practices, animistic beliefs, varied forms of belief in objects having... Viracocha was the divine protector of the Inca ruler Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui; he appeared to Pachacuti in a dream when the Inca forces were being besieged by the Chanca, a group from the lands west of the Inca territory.
How did Viracocha disperse humankind?
Viracocha went through several transmogrifications (often with grotesque or humorous effects). He made peoples, destroyed them, and re-created them of stone; when they were re-created, he dispersed humankind in four directions. He was also a culture hero, and he taught people various techniques and skills.
Where was the statue of Pachacuti?
Upon victory, Pachacuti raised a temple to Viracocha in Cuzco. He was represented by a gold figure “about the size of a 10-year-old child.”. Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. Statue of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui in Aguas Calientes, Peru. © Boggy/Dreamstime.com.
Where is the statue of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui?
Statue of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui in Aguas Calientes, Peru.
What was the name of the Earth Mother?
The Pleiades were called “little mothers,” and festivals were celebrated on their reappearance in the sky. Earth was called Pachamama (Paca Mama), or Earth Mother. The sea, which was relatively remote to the Inca until after 1450, was called Cochamama (Mama Qoca), the Sea Mother.
What was the purpose of the waxing and waning of the moon?
The waxing and waning of the moon was used to calculate monthly cycles, from which the time periods for Inca festivals were set. Silver was considered to be tears of the moon. The stars had minor functions. The constellation of Lyra, which was believed to have the appearance of a llama, was entreated for protection.
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 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.
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.
How did the Incas defeat their opponents?
The Incas had no iron or steel and their weapons were not much more effective than those of their opponents so they often defeated opponents by sheer force of numbers , or else by persuading them to surrender beforehand by offering generous terms. Inca weaponry included "hardwood spears launched using throwers, arrows, javelins, slings, the bolas, clubs, and maces with star-shaped heads made of copper or bronze." Rolling rocks downhill onto the enemy was a common strategy, taking advantage of the hilly terrain. Fighting was sometimes accompanied by drums and trumpets made of wood, shell or bone. Armor included:
Why do the Incas chew coca leaves?
The Incas revered the coca plant as sacred/magical. Its leaves were used in moderate amounts to lessen hunger and pain during work, but were mostly used for religious and health purposes. The Spaniards took advantage of the effects of chewing coca leaves. The Chasqui, messengers who ran throughout the empire to deliver messages, chewed coca leaves for extra energy. Coca leaves were also used as an anaesthetic during surgeries.
How did the Inca Empire work?
The Inca Empire employed central planning. The Inca Empire traded with outside regions, although they did not operate a substantial internal market economy. While axe-monies were used along the northern coast, presumably by the provincial mindaláe trading class, most households in the empire lived in a traditional economy in which households were required to pay taxes, usually in the form of the mit'a corvée labor, and military obligations, though barter (or trueque) was present in some areas. In return, the state provided security, food in times of hardship through the supply of emergency resources, agricultural projects (e.g. aqueducts and terraces) to increase productivity and occasional feasts. While mit'a was used by the state to obtain labor, individual villages had a pre-inca system of communal work, known as mink'a. This system survives to the modern day, known as mink'a or faena. The economy rested on the material foundations of the vertical archipelago, a system of ecological complementarity in accessing resources and the cultural foundation of ayni, or reciprocal exchange.
Why was the Inca army so powerful?
The Inca army was the most powerful at that time, because any ordinary villager or farmer could be recruited as a soldier as part of the mit'a system of mandatory public service. Every able bodied male Inca of fighting age had to take part in war in some capacity at least once and to prepare for warfare again when needed. By the time the empire reached its largest size, every section of the empire contributed in setting up an army for war.
How many people lived in Tawantinsuyu?
The number of people inhabiting Tawantinsuyu at its peak is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 4–37 million. Most population estimates are in the range of 6 to 14 million. In spite of the fact that the Inca kept excellent census records using their quipus, knowledge of how to read them was lost as almost all fell into disuse and disintegrated over time or were destroyed by the Spaniards.
What is the Neo-Inca state?
Neo-Inca State. v. t. e. The Inca Empire ( Quechua: Tawantinsuyu, lit. "four parts together" ), also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco.
What is the Incan economy?
The Incan economy has been described in contradictory ways by scholars; Darrell E. La Lone, in his work The Inca as a Nonmarket Economy, noted that the Inca economy has been described as "feudal, slave, [and] socialist and added "here one may choose between socialist paradise or socialist tyranny.".
What did Pachacuti do to the Inca Empire?
Pachacuti also developed the Inca state, organized the institutions, and introduced systems of tribute and taxation and tribute, which were paid by conquered peoples in ...
What happened in 1438?
In 1438, the Chanca were attacking the Inca capital Cuzco and threatened to take it. Another colorful legend says that at the crucial moment on the battle with the Chanca tribe, the stones in the battlefield turned temporarily into warriors and effectively helped Pachacuti’s forces to destroy the enemy. Later, the rocks were gathered and placed in ...
What was the Incan sun god?
The worship of the ancient Incan sun god, Inti, was imposed by Pachacuti, and Quechua became the unified language for the people who began to believe their rulers to be descendants of the sun god and learned to live under their unquestioned authority. There was almost no crime in the Inca empire. The Inca laws were severe and punishment was harsh.
What were the three parts of the Inca Empire?
The territory of the Inca Empire was divided into three parts: the Lands of the Inca, the Lands of the Inti and other gods, and the Lands of the local families, all roads across the Empire led to Cusco. The roads ‘go from Quito to Chile, and into the forests of the Andes. Although the Inca did not complete all, ...
How many people lived in the Inca Empire?
At the height of its power between 1470 and 1532, the Inca Empire was inhabited by ten million people.
Who was the father of the Inca civilization?
The mission of civilization was given to them by their father, the sun god. After persuading local Indians to worship the sun, they taught them animal husbandry, house building, fieldwork, and various other crafts. Pachacuti (Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki) established the Inca Empire after defeating the Chanca people, ...
Who defeated the Chanca?
Later, the rocks were gathered and placed in shrines for future worship. Pachacuti, the ninth Sapa Inca (1418–1471/1472), defeated the Chanca and made the Inca Empire powerful during his reign. The year 1438 is considered the birth of the Inca Empire (in Quechua: 'Tawantinsuyu'), and Pachacuti earned him the title 'Transformer ...
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.
Overview
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called Tawantinsuyu by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilization arose from the Peruvian highlands sometime in the early 13th century. The Spanish began the conquest of the Inca Empire in 1532 and by 1572, the last Inca state was fully …
Etymology
The Inca referred to their empire as Tawantinsuyu, "the four suyu". In Quechua, tawa is four and -ntin is a suffix naming a group, so that a tawantin is a quartet, a group of four things taken together, in this case the four suyu ("regions" or "provinces") whose corners met at the capital. The four suyu were: Chinchaysuyu (north), Antisuyu (east; the Amazon jungle), Qullasuyu (south) and Kuntisuyu (west). The name Tawantinsuyu was, therefore, a descriptive term indicating a union o…
History
The Inca Empire was the last chapter of thousands of years of Andean civilizations. The Andean civilization is one of at least five civilizations in the world deemed by scholars to be "pristine", that is indigenous and not derivative from other civilizations.
The Inca Empire was preceded by two large-scale empires in the Andes: the Tiwanaku (c. 300–1100 AD), based around Lake Titicaca, and the Wari or Huari (c. 600–1100 AD), centered ne…
Society
The number of people inhabiting Tawantinsuyu at its peak is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 4–37 million. Most population estimates are in the range of 6 to 14 million. In spite of the fact that the Inca kept excellent census records using their quipus, knowledge of how to read them was lost as almost all fell into disuse and disintegrated over time or were destroyed by the Spaniards.
Religion
Inca myths were transmitted orally until early Spanish colonists recorded them; however, some scholars claim that they were recorded on quipus, Andean knotted string records.
The Inca believed in reincarnation. After death, the passage to the next world was fraught with difficulties. The spirit of the dead, camaquen, would need to follow a long road and during the trip the assistance of a black dog that could see in the dark was required. Most Incas imagined the a…
Economy
The Inca Empire employed central planning. The Inca Empire traded with outside regions, although they did not operate a substantial internal market economy. While axe-monies were used along the northern coast, presumably by the provincial mindaláe trading class, most households in the empire lived in a traditional economy in which households were required to pay taxes, usually in the form of the mit'a corvée labor, and military obligations, though barter (or trueque) was present in …
Government
The Sapa Inca was conceptualized as divine and was effectively head of the state religion. The Willaq Umu (or Chief Priest) was second to the emperor. Local religious traditions continued and in some cases such as the Oracle at Pachacamac on the Peruvian coast, were officially venerated. Following Pachacuti, the Sapa Inca claimed descent from Inti, who placed a high value on imperial blood; by the end of the empire, it was common to incestuously wed brother and sister. He was "s…
Arts and technology
Architecture was the most important of the Incan arts, with textiles reflecting architectural motifs. The most notable example is Machu Picchu, which was constructed by Inca engineers. The prime Inca structures were made of stone blocks that fit together so well that a knife could not be fitted through the stonework. These constructs have survived for centuries, with no use of mortar to sustain them.