Inca Engineering Mrs. Allred 5th Grade

Inca Roads Incas were incredible road builders. Helped make trade possible. Enabled the army to travel quickly to outlying territories. The main road was known as the Royal Road. There were many other roads that crossed the Royal Road.

The Royal Road stretched for more than 2,000 miles. Longest until the 1800s 24 ft wide for most of its length. It crossed mountains, valleys, deserts, and swamps. Trees provided shade Canal provided water Roadside storehouses for food.

Royal Road (Continued) Parts were packed dirt and other parts were paved. Builders fit paving stones together like pieces of a jigsaw. Incas did not have mortar, like modern builders. They cut each stone to fit perfectly, so that it would stay together without mortar.

Why was the Royal Road such an impressive engineering feat? It was 24 ft. wide, more than 2,000 miles long, and they built it without modern tools.

Inca Bridges In order to build roads across the mountains, streams, and canyons of South America, the Incas had to build lots of bridges. The Incas built an impressive bridge over the Apurímac River, in Peru. It is a suspension bridge, held together by enormous strands of rope. This bridge held together from 1350 to 1890 (More than 500 years).

Engineering & Farming Farming in the mountains is almost impossible. Steep incline makes plowing, planting, and harvesting difficult. In heavy downpours, water runs downhill and washes out crops. They built terraces into the sides of the mountains. Terrace: a flat piece of land carved out of the side of a mountain or hill.

Terraces

Expanding the Empire Built their empire by conquering other people. Performed some human sacrifices for religious purposes, but didn’t typically sacrifice conquered people. They wanted them to become loyal Inca subjects. They taught them the Inca language and religion. Cooperative subjects were left alone, uncooperative were forced to behave.

2. How did the Incas treat people they conquered? They taught them the Inca language and religion. Cooperative people were left alone.

Keeping It All Together They did not have a writing system. They invented a device for counting and record-keeping. It was called a quipu (KEE poo). A piece of string with shorter strings of various colors. Government officials tied knots to record how many warrior were headed for a village or how much corn was in the storehouse. Messengers were also trained to run short distances at great speeds to carry news throughout the village.

How did the Incas keep their empire together without a written language? They had messengers and a device called a quipu for counting and keeping record.

City in the Clouds Machu Picchu (MAH choo PEEK choo) Mountain fortress located about 50 miles northwest of Cuzco. It sits in a high valley, between two peaks of the Andes. Ruins of an open plaza, a temple, and a palace with terraces built into the hillside. More than 7,000 feet above sea level.

Machu Picchu: They lived in an organized community that had a center where people could meet. The terraces also tell us that they farmed.

Pros & Cons of being an Inca They didn’t have a lot of human sacrifices. They were great engineers. They had roads. They made sure everyone had food and other needed supplies. They had to obey the Sapa Inca. They were only allowed to keep some of the food they grew. Some of them lived in the mountains where it was cold. They worked really hard.

The End for the Aztecs Hernán Cortés A Spanish explorer who had taken part in the conquest of Cuba a few years earlier. Sailed to Central America in search of riches. Montezuma thought that Cortés was a god who had come down to earth, so he sent gifts to honor him. Montezuma’s gifts caught his interest. When he arrived, Montezuma welcomed him and treated him as an honored guest.

Cortés the Conqueror After a while, the Spanish grew nervous and took Montezuma hostage. They ordered the Aztecs to stop the sacrifices. They killed hundreds of priests during a religious ceremony. The Aztecs fought back and many were killed on both sides, including Montezuma. The Spanish fled, but came back with allies. They surrounded the capital, Tenochtitlán. Aztecs were starving and suffering from smallpox. Tenochtitlán fell in August of 1521.

The End for the Incas A few years later, the Incas had a similar experience to that of the Aztec’s. They heard reports of bearded ones with white skins who were masters of lightning and thunder. The white travelers brought illness and infections that spread rapidly. Thousands fell ill and died. The Sapa Inca died and two of his sons claimed the throne. Civil War broke out and more Incas died. Atahualpa became the new Sapa Inca.

Francisco Pizarro He heard rumors of an empire in South America that was wealthier than the Aztec Empire. He led a group of about 160 men. They marched toward Cuzco. The Sapa Inca agreed to meet with Pizarro, but it was a trap. Pizarro insulted Atahualpa by handing him a Catholic prayer book and when he threw it down, Pizarro gave the signal for attack. The Spanish massacred thousands of unarmed Incas and took Atahualpa as a prisoner.

A Deadly Bargain Atahualpa offered Pizarro a room full of gold for his freedom. Pizarro took the gold, but had him executed anyway. The Sapa Inca’s death was the beginning of the end for the Inca Empire. In 20 years, the Spaniards had destroyed two mighty empires and set up a new empire of their own.

Questions 1. How was the reaction of Montezuma II and Atahualpa to the Spaniards’ arrival? They both allowed the Spaniards easy access to their empires. How did bad feelings within the Aztec Empire help the Spaniards? People who had been conquered by the Aztecs wanted revenge and were willing to help the Spaniards. What other factors allowed the Spanish to rapidly overthrow the Aztec and Inca Empires. Other factors included European diseases and advanced weapons. The Inca and Aztecs welcomed them and Inca roads allowed easy access to cities. The Spaniards received a surprisingly warm greeting from the Inca people. Why do you think that was? The Spaniards looked like Inca and Aztec gods.