South America and the Incas Incas-people of a powerful empire that ruled part of South America in the 1400s and the 1500s.Incas-people of a powerful empire that ruled part of South America in the 1400s and the 1500s. Their huge empire was located in the Andes, a mountain chain that snakes along the western coast of the continent.Their huge empire was located in the Andes, a mountain chain that snakes along the western coast of the continent. The Mississippi and Amazon rivers are two of the largest river systems in the world.The Mississippi and Amazon rivers are two of the largest river systems in the world.

Growth of an Empire Cuzco became the Incas’ capitol city. It was the center of both government and religion. The word cuzco means “center” in the Incan language. The Incas extended there control through conquests. By the 1400s, the lands ruled by the Incas had grown into an empire. It included as many as 12 million people. Even with so many people, it was run in an orderly way.

Incan Government The Incan ruler was called Sapa Inca, or the “emperor.” The people believed that their emperor was related to the sun-god. Only the emperor owned all the land and divided it among those under his rule. Under the emperor was the noble class. Nobles oversaw government officials, who made sure the empire ran smoothly. Officials used a census, or an official count of the people, to keep track of everyone’s responsibilities.

The census helped to make sure that everyone paid taxes. It recorded which men worked as soldiers or own public projects. Farmers had to give the government part of there crops, while women had to weave cloths. In return, the empire took care of the poor, the sick, and the elderly. The official spoken language of the empire was Queshua, but the Incans did not have a written language. Information such as births, deaths, and harvests was recorded on a group of knotted strings called quipu. Each quipu had a main cord with several colored strings attached. The colors represented different items, and knots of varying sizes recorded numbers.

Lasting Achievements The achievements of the Incas still amaze people today. They constructed thousands of miles of paved roads, massive walls, and mountaintop buildings. And they did all this with only stone hammers and bronze chisels. The Incas took advantage of their environment. They used stone for many purposes. When Incas completed a wall, the fit was so tight that not even a very thin knife blade could be slipped between to blocks. Construction without mortar, or cement, also allowed the stones to move and resettle during earthquakes without damaging the wall. In the Andes, there is little natural farmland. By building terraces, or step-like ledges cut into the mountains, the Incas could form on slopes.

The Decline of the Incan Empire A number of factors contributed to the fall of the empire. Members of the ruling family began to fight among themselves for control. Also, many workers started to rebel against the strict government. In the 1530s, a Spanish conquistador, or conqueror, named Francisco Pizarro arrived in South America. He had heard of the wealthy Incan empire and wanted to explore the region and conquer its peoples.

The Incan emperor welcomed Pizarro. Pizarro captured the emperor and killed his men. The Spanish had superior weapons. They also carried diseases, such as smallpox and measles, to wish the Incans had never been exposed. These diseases killed much of the Incan population. The Spanish quickly gained control of the Incan empire. For decades, the Incas tried to regain rule of their land, but they never succeeded.