1. The Incas: People of the Sun
Chapter 12, Section 2
The Incas: People of the Sun

2. The Incas used relay runners to spread news from one place in their empire to another.
They carried news at a rate of 250 miles a day.
The Incan Runner

3. In about 1200, the Incas settled in Cuzco, a village in the Andes that became the Incan capital city.
It is now a city in the country of Peru.
Through wars and conquest, the Incas won control of the entire Cuzco Valley.
Cuzco (KOOS koh)

4. Pachacuti (pahch ah KOO tee)
In 1438, Pachacuti became a ruler of the Incas.
The name Pachacuti means “he who shakes the earth”
Pachacuti conquered the people of the Andes and the Pacific coast.
He demanded loyalty from these people
If they were not loyal he would kick them off the land and replace them with people loyal to the Incas.
Pachacuti (pahch ah KOO tee)

5. Topa Inca
Topa Inca was Pachacuti’s son who became emperor of the Incas in 1471
He expanded the empire to some 2,500 miles (covering areas from Ecuador through Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina) and ruled over 12 million people.

6. The Incas worshiped many gods and practiced human sacrifice.
The sun god, Inti, was one of their most important gods.
They believed that Inti was their parent, and they referred to themselves as “children of the sun.”
Another important God was Viracocha, the creator of all the people of the Andes
Inti and Viracocha

7. Government and Records
Government was carefully organized to keep track of the millions of people.
The emperor chose nobles to govern over each province
Each noble conducted a census so people could be taxed.
Census: official count of people in an area
Incas did not have a written language
Government officials and traders used quipus, knotted strings on which they recorded information
Each quipu had a main cord with several colored strings attached
Colors represented different items, and knots of different sizes at certain distances stood for numbers
Government and Records

8. farmers Most Incas were farmers
They grew maize and other crops
Farmers and workers lived in mud-brick huts outside of Cuzco.
The Incas built terraces into the sides of steep slopes to increase their farmland and to keep soil from washing down the mountains.
farmers

9. An aqueduct is a pipe or channel that carries water from a distant source.
This system allowed the Incas to irrigate land that was otherwise too dry to grow crops.
aqueduct

10. gorges Gorges are narrow passes or valleys between steep cliffs.
The Incas built bridges to span the deep gorges of the Andes Mountains. Throughout the Andes, swift-moving waters often flow through gorges.
These rope bridges were made of braided vines and reeds.
gorges

11. Machu Picchu (MAH choo PEEK choo)
The most famous Incan ruin is Machu Picchu, a city that includes buildings, stairs carved into the side of the mountain, and roads cut into bare rock.
The Incas constructed cities,
palaces, temples, and
fortresses without the
use of modern tools.
They used only hammers and chisels to cut stone so precisely that they fit together without mortar or cement!
Machu Picchu (MAH choo PEEK choo)

12. The Quechua The Quechua are descendants of the Incas.
They live in present-day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia.
They speak Quechua, the Incan language.
Although modern technology has influenced the Quechua people they continue to keep many traditions.
Farming methods
Weaving traditions
Clothing style:
ponchos made of
bright woven colors
The Quechua