The Inca
Location: South America; Peru, Ecuador & parts of Bolivia
Potatoes! Potatoes were the staple food of the Inca, originally domesticated in Peru
The Inca Trail: 14,000 mile road system including stairs and bridges Traversed mountains, jungles & deserts Guesthouses Tied empire together Message system Troop movement
1200’s Inca tribe established itself in Cuzco Valley
1483 Pachacuti became Inca leader. He was brilliant and ambitious; conquered neighboring lands
1500 By 1500, The Inca ruled a vast empire that stretched 2,500 miles along the West coast of South America
1525 Inca leader died, Atahualpa became new emperor, civil war tore apart the Inca empire
1532 Inca emperor Atahualpa surrendered to Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro
Quechua (language spoken throughout the empire) Capital: Cuzco, Peru Language: Quechua (language spoken throughout the empire) Government: Empire/theocracy. Welfare state; government cared for people, people worked for government
Pachacuti "He who remakes the world." He began an era of conquest that expanded the Inca empire Sometimes referred to as "The Napoleon of the Andes“ Centralized, well-organized government
Quipu The Incan system of accounting Cords of various colors were attached to a main cord with knots. The number and position of knots as well as the color of each cord represented information about commercial goods, resources, and census Archeologists are now suggesting that authors used the quipu to compose and preserve their epic poems and legends.
Terrace Farming The Inca geography was mountainous Incans adapted to their terrain by creating flat terraces for farming
Inca Economy Almost all aspects of the Inca economy were owned or controlled by the government. No private enterprise People didn’t own stores or farms, the government did
Many resources spent on religious activities Traits of Inca Civilization Strength Weakness Religious beliefs & theocracy -united culture -Loyal to the emperor Many resources spent on religious activities Major road system Connected empire, helped control empire Enemy could also use road to move troops Welfare state & large bureaucracy All people in empire cared for in good & bad times People unable to care for themselves without government