GLE: 2.3A DOK 2 Vocabulary: Mita:Physical labor given by all men to the Inca leader as a form of tax Coya:The queen of the Inca Empire The Litter:Platform used to carry the Inca King Inca SWBAT: Anyalyze the existence, culture, and civilization of the Inca

The Inca: Empires of Gold 1438 AD to 1533 AD

History According to myth, Incan civilization began with Manco Capac, who carried a golden staff called the ‘tapac-yauri’. The Inca were instructed to create a Temple of the Sun in the spot where the staff sank into the earth, to honor their celestial father. After a long journey, including a tour of the underworld, the Inca arrived at Cuzco, where they built the temple. During the journey, one of Manco’s brothers, and possibly a sister, was turned to stone (huaca) = "sacred/holy". In another version of this legend, instead of emerging from a cave in Cuzco, the siblings emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca. Manco CapachuacaLake Titicaca

Inca Impire  Largest native state in  western hemisphere  Ancestor worship  Highly stratified  Multi-ethnic  Agricultural and  architectural achievements  (building on those before)  2  Tahuantinsuyu  – the “Four  Quarters”

Inca Region: Andes Mountains - People Everywhere Buy Cool Apples (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chili, Argentina)

- Warriors with a strong and powerful army Because of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical organization, they became the largest Native American society Conquered neighboring groups first, then spread to others throughout the Andes region

Social Structure The Inca Empire was a classed society with the Emperor at the top and laborers at the bottom The hierarchy of Inca society: – Emperor (“The Inca”) – a living god –ruled for life Absolute Power – Royal family – Upper aristocracy – Administrators – Nobility – Artisans – Laborers Death of the Inca Coya (Queen) : When the Inca would die, the nobles would meet and choose the most promising son to be the new chief The Inca would be mummified

Inca Subsistence They developed irrigation, drainage systems and canals to expand their crop resources Grew potatoes (more than 100 kinds), maize (20 varieties), tomatoes, cotton, peanuts and cacao – Used terrace farming (like the Maya) Llama used for meat and transportation An abundance of resources and their ability to attack and take over other tribes led to a growth in the Inca population

Lamas Llamas played an important role in Inca culture: used for wool and food, carried loads Primary transportation source for the empire, which had a road system but no wheels

Stone Terraces Master engineers, the Inca built structures that are still standing today Stone terraces prevent erosion and provide level spaces for planting, making the most of difficult terrain Great engineers – no need for mortar

Inca Economy and Activity Gold and silver mining and working Stonework, road building (Mita: all men paid mita to the Inca Empire – physical labor give to build roads and buildings) Pottery – extremely elaborate Weaving – all women wove – Chroniclers reported type of design that communicated history – Type of wool demarcated class – Elite had clothes made of fine vicuna wool – All others had rougher llama and alpaca wool

Inca as Construction Experts Inca built much more than temples and palaces and other buildings Built almost 10,000 miles of roads Large rope suspension bridges to cross rivers Aqueducts to move water for irrigation

Inca Cities Two best known sites: Machu Picchu Cuzco

Machu Picchu A fortress (?) city of the ancient Incas – Or was it a vacation spot for the elite? – Or a city dedicated to the greatness of Pachakuti? – Or both??? In a high saddle between two peaks 50 mi NW of Cuzco, Peru 5 sq. mi of terraced stonework linked by 3,000 steps Virtually intact when discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 – Never occupied or discovered by Spanish – thought to have had up to 1200 people at one time (mostly women and children)

Houses in Machu Picchu Houses had steep thatched roofs and trapezoidal doors; windows were unusual. Some houses were two stories tall; second story probably reached by a ladder

Cuzco – Capital of Inca Empire

Cuzco Means “navel” – founded by at least 1000 A.D. The powerful capital of the Inca empire – abt m above sea level Canalized, straightened rivers cutting through the city City of great stone buildings, palaces and temples, and the humble homes of ordinary people – above it, a great stone fortress Most of population involved in civic-ceremonial activities – supporting peasant (farming) population in surrounding area living in adobe and fieldstone houses

Inca History Inca had no written language Qipu (khipu) – may be a kind of “writing” Inca had a class of verbal historians: kept stories and history alive by passing it on to the next generation

The Quipu Quipu (khipu): a series of colored, knotted strings With no written language, the Inca devised a tool for recording the movement of people and goods All the cords hung from a main string, and their positions and colors likely signaled what was being counted or encoded The Quipu has its origins long before the Inca… 1st known from Caral, 5000 yrs ago!

Gold The Incas believed that gold was the sweat of the sun Gold was only valued when it was used to create ceremonial objects, such as containers and jewelry, or when it was used to adorn tombs and temples Spanish conquistadors were in search of gold – melted down most of what they found

Inca Mummies The Inca occasionally mummified their dead Often put bodies together in mummy bundles

Inca Religion Polytheistic: Many religious ceremonies centered on agriculture and on curing illnesses (Inca would punch holes in skull to help the “illness escape” Sometimes the Inca sacrificed animals or, slaves or even their own people to the gods, especially the sun god, Inti Sacrifices were also made following certain events like earthquakes or the death of an emperor Incas had sacrifices with elaborate ceremonies and parades monthly!! The slaves would carry the Inca on a litter – a platform made of gold during elaborate ceremonies Diving: Studying objects to find magic signs

Sacrifice of Children Unblemished children were chosen to be sacrificed An honor for the child and family to be chosen The child and family were taken to the city of Cuzco to see the Emperor Banquets were held in the child's honor The child was then taken high up into the Andes to a special structure that was made The child was left in the structure to die of exposure to the extreme cold Small statues were then made of the child It was believed that the child became a god

Fall of the Inca Empire Francisco Pizarro: Spanish conquistador responsible for the defeat of the Inca capital, Cuzco, and consequently the Inca empire, in 1532 Came in search of gold * Spanish had guns -- & brought small pox to the Inca Empire