The Incas

Geography and Cities

The Homeland of the Inca What continent did they live on? Spread all the way from Colombia to Peru What mountain range is here?

How does this compare to the Aztecs and Mayans? Aztecs and Mayans – Central America and Mexico Incas – South America

The Homeland of the Inca Deserts Fertile valleys Some rain forests Andes Mountains

What were some major cities? Cuzco Machu Picchu Chimu

Cuzco (today)

Machu Picchu

Inca Homes The Incas were master builders! They had VERY well planned cities. Laid out in a grid Had a central plaza with major temples and buildings surrounding it. Houses for the common people surrounded the central area. They were built with huge blocks of stone.

Inca Food They grew a great variety of crops.. Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, strawberries, peanuts, cashews, squash, beans, pineapples, chocolate, etc. The potato was the most important food. Corn was also a very important Incan crop.

Primary Crops

Inca Social Structure The Inca society had two main social classes. Upper Class Lower Class Farmers Emperor Artisans Government officials Servants Priests

Inca Government “Inca” was the title of the ruler/king of the Incan empire. They believed their king was a descendant of the gods. A council would chose the most promising son to become the next king. The king was carried around on a platform made of gold. The rulers, priests, and generals (who were usually relatives of the king) helped the king govern.

Incan Religion They worshipped MANY gods and goddesses. Most important god – Viracocha (god of nature) The sun god was also very important. That is where Inca people are from

Incan Religion

Religious Ceremonies Religious festivals every month Dancing, feasts, games, songs, parades, and sacrifices Often sacrificed animals, like llamas and guinea pigs At times, they sacrificed children

Inca Arts and Culture Weaving blankets, ropes, clothing Metalwork Bronze statues of rulers Masks, plates, jewelry in silver Pottery

Inca Clothing Your clothing was based off of your place in society. If you looked at a person, you could tell their social class. Clothing was made of cotton or woven from wool. Men usually wore large tunics, a large cloak, sandals, and carried a small bag. Inca men cut their hair, leaving it short in front, medium long behind,

Inca Clothing Woman wore a one-piece dress that combined skirt and blouse, reaching to the ankles and bound at the waist by a long, wide, woven, and ornamental sash. At the top, it reached to the neck, the upper edges fastened together over the shoulders by long pins and passing under the arms at the sides. These pins of copper, silver, or gold, have large heads of various types, sometimes in the form of animal or human figures. The women wore sandals and head bands similar to the ones men used. Usually they wore a large piece of folded cloth on the head. They did not cut their hair but parted it in the middle and wore it hanging down the back; it was cut, however, as a sign of mourning.

Inca Writing System….A mystery! They never developed a system of writing!

Inca Math / Counting System Their counting system was a base ten system. They used a quipus to remember numbers. The color of the strings and the distance between the knots had special meaning.

Accomplishments- Incan Roads Roads stretched over 12,000 miles Didn’t use wheeled vehicles - they walked on foot or took llamas

Accomplishments- Incan Causeways and Bridges They built causeways to elevate the roads in swampy areas The also built amazing bridges, called chacas They also built bridges by tying reed boats together

Accomplishments - Incan Farming Invented terrace farming Cut steps into a hill Nutrients would wash down the side of the hill

Llamas

The Spanish, led by Francisco Pizzaro Who killed many Incans? The Spanish, led by Francisco Pizzaro

More Details… Francisco Pizarro and a small group of conquistadors came to the Inca Empire in 1531. There, a smallpox epidemic had killed many Incas. Pizarro took advantage of the chaos in the empire. He invited Atahualpa, the emperor, to a friendly meeting and then had him imprisoned. Atahualpa arranged for a ransom that added up to almost 20 tons of gold and silver. This was said to be the largest ransom in history. However, Pizarro did not honor his end of the bargain. He rejected the Inca ransom and ordered Atahualpa killed, with that the Inca Empire was defeated.

What else killed many Incans?