The Inca Empire

THE AMERICAS IN ANCIENT TIMES HIST 1301 | History The Inca Empire An equally remarkable new civilization was emerging in South America's Andes at the same time as the Aztec Empire was spreading over Mesoamerica. Known now as the Inca, its cultural and technical origins trace back to the ancient Andean cultures of the Moche, Nazca, and Tiwanaku. The city of Cuzco, which is situated more than 11,000 feet above sea level in the central Andes and northwest of the beaches of Lake Titicaca, served as the centre of the Inca Empire. However, it was a very small agricultural village where the Inca ancestors reared llamas and guanacos in addition to farming potatoes and corn centuries before it developed into an imperial capital. One Andean myth states that the four brothers and their wives were uprooted by a massive flood, which led them on a quest to locate productive land where they could establish their settlement. This is how the Inca origin narrative started. One of the brothers developed extraordinary, superhuman strength while travelling. Enraged by their rivalry, the other brothers shut him up in a cave and abandoned him to perish. They carried on, feeling a little guilty, but two of them were inexplicably turned to stone on Cuzco's outskirts. There was just one brother left, Ayar Manco, who travelled to Cuzco, buried his golden cane, and established the city. There are additional Inca origin stories besides the fantasy tale of the Ayar brothers, which is obviously somewhat mythical with its depictions of magic and supernatural happenings. Still, it could contain a nugget of information about the early people who established Cuzco, maybe following some kind of migration brought on by climatic shifts. Even though we may never know everything, historical and archaeological data indicate that the Cuzco people began to live as agricultural peasants by the year 1000. They established themselves as the dominating group in the greater surrounding area by both nonviolent and violent ways. With time, as their numbers increased, they emerged as one of the Andean region's minor military forces, centred on Cuzco, which was expanding. The Inca were skilled stonemasons who could meticulously carve stones to fit together securely. Built high in the Andes, Cuzco was a magnificent stone metropolis at its height in the early sixteenth century. Another Inca tale, this one about a military challenge from a rival tribe known as the Chanka, involving actual historical individuals, explains the jump to imperial expansion. King Wiraqocha and his successor left Cuzco when the Chanka came, leaving only a small band of nobles supporting Yupanki, another son, to hold out. The Inca creator god intervened in response to the defenders' bravery, turning the nearby stones into soldiers who assisted Yupanki in defeating the Chanka. The narrative continues that Yupanki took on the additional title of Pachacuti, which means "cataclysm," following the triumph. However, Pachacuti Yupanki and the reigning monarch, his father, also became embroiled in an internal battle as a result of the triumph. After everything was said and done, Pachacuti Yupanki took command of Cuzco and the Inca, starting a string of conquest battles that resulted in the creation of the Inca Empire. There is no question that the Incas expanded, even though this narrative was somewhat made up, and Pachacuti seems to have been a true leader. During his rule, the empire started to expand significantly about 1430, and he presided over the conquest of much of present-day Peru. His successors, Thumpa and Wayna Qhapaq, added more land to the empire by extending it far to the east into the fringes of the Amazon basin, to the north into Ecuador and Colombia, and to the south into what is now Chile and Argentina. These battles were expensive in terms of lives lost and resources used, but they also helped the Inca military hone its abilities. The Inca warriors carried shields, donned helmets and fabric armour, and wielded clubs, spears, axes, and slings as weapons. Usually, they could overpower and intimidate the opposition into surrendering with their immense numbers. If it didn't work, they threw themselves into the battle, sometimes with little selfcontrol but with a brave determination. The Inca military was exceptional in its capacity to travel quickly via the intricate mountain route networks of the empire in order to surprise the adversary and put down any uprisings that could arise, in addition to their overwhelming numerical superiority. Four administrative districts under the direct supervision of the emperor separated the conquest-based empire. After that, each territory was divided into many provinces, which were mostly divided along ethnic lines and under the administration of an imperial governor chosen from among the Inca nobility. Across the empire, a wide range of crops were grown, including corn, potatoes, coca and cotton. Large storehouses contained surpluses that were used to feed the army and sustain them during famines. In addition, the subjects of the empire were required to work as labourers building roads, bridges, palaces, and places of worship. They were also expected to carry food to storehouses, act as messengers, and participate in military operations. While some household members stayed at home to take care of the family's business, others filed their labour taxes. The Inca Empire was held together by religious symbolism in addition to organised imperial administration and military might. Before making any military or political choices, the monarch and nobility often spoke with religious experts who were in charge of an intricate calendar of rituals. In certain of their rites, the Incas offered human sacrifice, albeit perhaps not as frequently as the Mesoamerican Aztecs did. The sky deity, who could take on several forms such as the sun god Inti, the thunder god Illapa, and the creator god Wiraqocha, was one of their most revered deities. Because Inca monarchs claimed direct heritage from Inti, he was especially significant. They built Inti temples all around the empire, promoted his devotion, and included images of subjugated peoples in the main Cuzco temple dedicated to Inti. The Incas strengthened the bonds separating their kings and the vast and varied realm they had established in this way. The numerous roads and bridges that crisscrossed the empire's immense borders were among its most significant characteristics and served as the glue holding its huge area together. In contrast to the Aztec Empire, which grew across a considerably more uniform topography, the Inca Empire encompassed vast mountain ranges, gorges, deserts, and slender coastal lowlands. This harsh terrain made travel and communication challenging and required an extremely advanced road and bridge system. Even certain parts of the network existed before the Incas, the broader network was considerably enhanced and enlarged under their control. There may have been up to 25,000 miles of roads in the system during the height of the empire. These roadways reflected the diversity of the surrounding terrain, with straight sections over level ground, meandering routes and steps around and up mountains, and countless rope, stone, and wood bridges crossing canyons. The Inca soldiers marched on them, and provincial products found their way into the imperial storehouses. 1530s. By then, diseases brought by Europeans had already crippled it, to the point that Emperor Wayna Qhapaq died an early death in 1528. Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conqueror, arrived in Ecuador with a small force a few years later. While the Inca themselves were engaged in a small-scale internal war over who would inherit the recently departed throne, he discovered new Inca followers there who were willing to align themselves with a potential rival of the empire. The Spanish entered the war in 1532 and won control of the empire, establishing their own structure in the process.