Incas: Children of the Sun

Who Were the Incas? The earliest Incas appear around 1200 CE Defeated by the Spanish around 1572 CE No formal written language, so most stories come from Spanish conquerors Modern day Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador

Geography The empire had three main geographical regions: 1. The Andes Mountains 2. The Amazon jungle 3. The coastal desert Teacher’s notes: Amazon jungle: The Incas must have entered the jungle occasionally, as they knew about the valuable things that could be found in the Amazon, such as wood, fruit, and natural medicines. However, they never established settlements there. Coastal desert: Between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean is a coastal desert 2000 miles long and from 30 to 100 miles wide. However, it was not completely barren; a few fertile strips occur where small rivers and streams run from the Andes mountaintops to the sea. The Incas traded with the people who lived there. Each was a natural barrier. The Incas made their home between the jungle and the desert, high in the Andes Mountains of South America.

Andes Mountains The snow-capped Andes Mountains run north to south. They have sharp ragged peaks and deep gorges. The Incas built bridges across the gorges so they could reach all parts of their empire quickly and easily. If an enemy approached, the Incas could burn the bridges. They made suspension bridges from rope, pontoon bridges from reed boats, and pulley baskets from vines. Teacher’s notes: Pulley baskets were actual baskets. People climbed inside them and were pulled across deep gorges on a rope.

Technology: Rope Bridges Teacher’s notes: Pulley baskets were actual baskets. People climbed inside them and were pulled across deep gorges on a rope.

Teacher’s notes: click on the video to start

Technology: Inca Roads High in the Andes Mountains, the Incas connected their empire with 14,000 miles of well-built roads. Some sections of road were over 24 feet wide. Some were even paved. Some roads were so steep that the Incas built stone walls along the edge to prevent people from falling off the cliff. The roads belonged to the government. No one could travel the roads without special permission.

Technology: Inca Roads Many of the Inca roads still exist today, despite not being cared for since the 1500s CE.

Technology: Terracing Who needs flat land? Create your own no matter how steep the mountain side is!

Potatoes, Quinoa, Maize Incas domesticated llamas as work animals, could also use them for food and wool. Also raised guinea pigs for food. Potatoes grew well in the terraces, quinoa grew best near Lake Titicaca. Corn was sometimes used to make beer (chincha) for the priests to use Several hundred varieties of potatoes (purple, red, yellow, white, brown, etc). Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a superfood now being grown on the International Space Station. Maize is corn.

Technology: Stonework Inca masons were able to create massive stone walls so precise even earthquakes haven’t caused them to fall Many of the earthquakes in Peru have been 7.0 or greater, including several in the 9.1 range of the Richter scale. In November 2015, two 7.6 earthquakes hit Peru. For comparison, most earthquakes in California are in the 6.0 range. Modern archaeologists have been unable to determine how Inca masons were able to do such fine stonework since they did not use metal tools. Even a knife blade cannot be inserted between the rocks as the joint is so perfectly formed. Some of the rocks in this photo are 5 feet in diameter, or about as large as a human, and weigh thousands of pounds.

Technology: Medicine Coca leaves helped with altitude sickness in the people, also gave energy to the runners Spaniards take back home Principal ingredient used by Coca Cola

Technology: Medicine Inca brain surgeons Skulls show evidence of healing, meaning that the patients did not die during the surgery Many modern surgeons won’t even attempt some surgeries that the Incas performed. Remember that the Incas did not have metal tools! It would have been done with obsidian or other rock tools.

Mythology Four main gods: Illapa–god of weather Viracocha–creator god Mamaquilla–moon goddess Inti–sun god Kon is god of wind, Chasca is goddess of flowers, Mama Cocha is goddess of the sea, Catequil is god of thunder and lightning, Urcuchillay was the llama god of Inca herders, Supay is god of death/underworld. Spanish monks taught the Incas about their religion and found that the closest understanding of “devil” was Supay, which was inaccurate but has continued since then.

Mythology: Inca Origins Several different versions Manco Capac is created by the sun god Inti Manco Capac is given a golden stick that would show them where to live. Manco Capac’s sister (and wife) helps him use the stick, which leads them to Cuzco, where they start their civilization. There are several versions of the origin of the Inca. In every version, Inti the sun god creates Manco Capac and gives him a golden stick (spike, spear, lance, etc) that will stick into the ground, telling them where to start their civilization. In one version, Manco Capac has three brothers and as they emerge from a stone box they decide to trick one of their brothers to go back in for some forgotten items. They seal the box after he climbs back in the window, leaving their brother trapped forever. This version supports Incan succession to the throne as it is not the oldest son that gets to be the next emperor but the most capable son, meaning that many times the sons of the emperor murdered their siblings to improve their chances of becoming emperor. In another version of the story, only Manco Capac and his sister are created by Inti. They are told to help the savage people living near Lake Titicaca to become civilized, which leads to the Inca civilization. In all versions of the story, the golden stick is used to found the capital city of Cuzco. One version tells of the sister throwing the stick north, where it hits the side of the mountain and doesn’t stick. She throws it again, this time south, and it sticks- so they build the city of Cuzco. In another version, they wander around the Andes with Manco Capac using the stick as a walking staff until it finally sinks into soil and not rock- at the site of modern Cuzco.

Inca Government Sapa Inca: The head of government was the “Sapa Inca” (“the Only Inca”). The Sapa Inca was all-powerful. The Sapa Inca was assisted by four members of a Supreme Council, who directed one of the four quarters of the empire. The four quarters were further divided into areas controlled by governors. Most positions in the empire were given to relatives of the Sapa Inca. Teacher’s notes: The Sapa Inca was at the top of the pyramid. Next came the four members of the Supreme Council. Each member ruled one of the Four Quarters that made up the Inca Empire. Each quarter was divided into regions. Each region was divided again, and so on. Judges, army officers, top officials, and tax collectors were all relatives of the Sapa Inca.

Famous Incans Pachacuti Son of king but not the one to become next king Cuzco attacked by ferocious Chancas tribe Greatly outnumbered Chancas merged into Inca empire Pachacuti and his son expands the empire to largest size Huáscar and Atahualpa fight over who should rule, leads to weak Incas when Spaniards come Fearsome Chanca tribe approaches capital city of Cuzco; King and his heir apparent flee, leaving people to die; Son of the king, Pachacuti, resolves to defend the people; Priests of Inti dress stone soldiers and peasants dig pits; Despite being greatly outnumbered, Pachacuti and the peasants win; Conquer the Chancas and merge them into the empire; Dad comes home to find the people no longer respect him and have accepted Pachacuti as their leader

Government: the Mit’a Local officials kept an detailed census. A census is an official count of all the people in an area and how they each make a living. Everyone was included in the census, and everyone had to pay a tax. The Incas loved gold and silver, but they had no use for money. The people paid their tax each year in physical labor—serving in army, working in mines, or building/repairing roads, temples, and palaces. Teacher’s notes: Although the people had no freedom, everyone in the empire was well-fed, and no one was homeless. Everyone had warm clothes to wear. The common people were well treated because they were needed as workers. When times were tough or people retired, the state looked after them. The Mit’a is similar to the “burden” in ancient Mesopotamia

Harsh Government Controls Laws dictated who should work where, and when. Local officials had the power to make all decisions about the lives of the people they ruled. Inspectors visited frequently to check on things. Breaking the law usually meant the death penalty. Few people broke the law. Tight government controls kept the common people fed, clothed, and enslaved. Teacher’s notes: For a number of reasons, the people never rose up and fought against this system of government: Local officials had the power to assign immediate punishment for crimes against the state—and all crimes were crimes against the state. If you were hoarding food, you were robbing the state. If you overslept, you were robbing the state. Every minute of every hour of every day was controlled.

The End of the Inca The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro invades in 1532 with less than 200 men He captures the Sapa Inca Atahualpa and forces him to pay a ransom Atahualpa must fill a room 22 feet by 17 feet with gold once and twice with silver Atahualpa converts to Christianity to avoid being executed by fire Pizarro executes him anyway, and European diseases destroy the rest of the Inca population

The Inca Today Since the language of the Incas was not a written language, it has been in danger of being lost ever since the Spanish invaded. It remains today as Quechua, which is being offered at some universities in an attempt to keep the language alive.

Where the movies got it wrong In Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas make the claim that the crystal skulls came from the Inca. While most archeologists believe that the crystal skulls in most museums are fakes, if they are real they would have come from the Mesoamericans (either Aztec, Maya, or Olmec).