1. The Incans

2. The Incan Civilization Begins
Incas began as a small tribe in the Andes Mountains in South America around the same time period as the Aztecs
Capital City: Cuzco (located in what is now Peru)
Pachacuti, ruler of the Incas in the mid 1400s-expanded the Civilization into an empire
12 million people lived in the Inca empire that stretched from present day Ecuador to central Chile

3. Life in the Incan Empire
Incan society was government controlled-similar to communism-little freedoms
Upper class:
Emperor, government officials, priests
Lived in stone houses, wore the best clothes, did not pay taxes, enjoyed Inca retreat, Machu Picchu
Lower class:
Farmers, artisans and servants, no slaves
Grew maize, peanuts and potatoes on carved terraces
Raised llamas for wool and meat

4. A well organized economy
The Incan government controlled the economy-similar to a command economy
Told each household what to make or grow
No market or merchants
People paid taxes in form of labor-Mita
Government collected and distributed goods through the Mita-only got what you needed
Extra kept in case of emergency, disaster or poor crop

5. Religion Worshipped many gods
Thought rulers were related to the gods and never died
Mummify former kings, brought to religious ceremonies
Rarely performed human sacrifices
When they did, usually children
Instead would sacrifice llamas or offer food and cloth to the gods
Believed things in nature, mountains, rocks, springs had magical powers

6. Cultural Achievements
Masonry (stonework)
Major network of roads
Artisans made pottery, jewelry, made a life size cornfield out of gold
Weaved textiles (cloth)
No writing system
Quipus-knots of yarn in different color at different length, used to keep records
language-Quechua

7. Keeping records Incan textiles

8. End of the Incas-Pizarro Conquers
1520’s, -after the death of their leader a civil war began (fighting within the empire to see who would rule)
Two brothers fought for the throne (Atahualpa and Huascar)
1534, Atahualpa won the civil war, but the empire was weakened
Francisco Pizarro w/ 180 Spanish soldiers
Greatly outnumbered but attacked
Captured Atahualpa and demanded 24 tons of gold, killed him anyway
By 1537, Pizarro defeats the last of the Inca, Spanish control the empire for the next 300 years