1. Mesoamerica
The Incas

3. What Will we learn? Environment Cities Language/Writing Economy
Government
Religion
Achievements

4. Height of Incan Empire AD

5. The Incas Environment South America Peru Andes Valley of Cuzco
Ecuador to Chile

7. The Incas Cities Cuzco All roads lead to Cuzco
Heart of the Incan Empire
Machu Picchu
Sun temple, central plaza, public buildings
Elevated city of 8,000 feet

8. Cuzco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3_7pRHfs0

9. Machu Picchu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmApSSnLm60

10. Machu Picchu

11. The Incas Lang/Writing Quechua: official spoken language
No written language
Oral history
Quipu were used for gov’t record keeping
Knotted strings were used to keep records

12. The Incas Economy Run by the gov’t Ayllu, or extended family group:
Organized into groups of 10, 100, 1000, & 10,000
Built irrigation canals and had Terrace farming
Stored/distributed food

13. The Incas Gov’t Emperor – Claimed to be divine
He had total control over economic & social life
Divided territory into smaller, manageable units
Built cities & schools in conquered areas

14. The Incas Religion Few key nature spirits Creator God: Viracocha
Sun God: Inti
Unmarried young men & women sometimes used for lifetime of religious service

15. The Incas Achievements No iron tools or the wheel
Road system was 14,000 miles long
Runners were used like a postal system

16. Fall of the Incas
Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in 1532
Inca leader Atahualpa was taken prisoner after not accepting Christianity
He offered two full rooms of silver and one full room of gold
Atahualpa was strangled on August 29, 1533
The Spanish were able to take over afterwards with no resistance