1. South America Preview Main Idea / Reading Focus
Early Cultures in South America
Map: South American Cultures
The Inca Empire
Faces of History: Pachacuti
Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
Video: The Impact of Mayan Achievements on Math and Astronomy

2. South America Main Idea Reading Focus
Several early cultures in South America adapted to extreme environmental conditions. One of them, the Incas, built one of the biggest and most powerful empires in the Americas.
Reading Focus
How did early cultures of South America adapt to their environments?
How was the Inca Empire organized?

3. Early Cultures in South America
The western region of South America is one of environmental contrasts where early peoples learned to adapt and build civilizations.
Lived in Peruvian highlands, 800 to 400 BC
Chavin de Huantar
Urban religious, trading center of culture
Home to about 3,000 farmers, craftspeople
Several different ecological zones represented in Andes
The Chavín
Warmer valleys had irrigation systems, grew corn
Cooler higher in mountains, grew potatoes
High-altitude grasslands, raised llamas and alpacas
Other Andean peoples later adopted these methods of farming
Chavín Crops

4. Early Cultures in South America
Lived in coastal desert of Peru in farming, fishing villages 400 BC to AD 600
Built irrigation canals in desert, channeled flow of Andean streams to crops
Best known for skilled metalwork in gold, silver, pottery
Pottery depicted scenes of everyday life, including warfare
The Moche
Desert people, 200 BC to AD 600, best known for huge designs on desert floor
Many theories, including having to do with location of water
Built irrigation canals and relied on springs, flooding of streams to water crops
Farming supported large population
The Nazca

6. Identify Problem and Solution
What problems did the environments of South America create, and how did early cultures solve those problems?
Answer(s): extremely dry area, high mountain range, rain forest; planted crops based on zone, built irrigation canals so streams would flow from mountains to crops

7. Inca’s expansive empire
The Inca Empire
Inca’s expansive empire
Brought entire South American region into one empire
Began as small Andean tribe
Early 1500s, empire expanded along Pacific coast, Andes
Government
Period of rapid expansion began 1400s from Cuzco
Pachacuti used political alliances, military force
Expanded by later leaders
Ruling a large empire
Incas needed strong government
Emperor had most power
Did not want conquered people to rebel
Creating stability
Moved leaders of conquered areas out
Moved loyal new leaders in
Military used to protect against rebellion, external attacks

9. The Inca Empire Economy Mita Tracking goods
Strictly controlled by government
Common people required to pay labor tax, called the mita
Government told each household what work to do to pay tax
Mita
Paid by weaving cloth, working on government farms, mines, building roads
No merchants, goods distributed by government
Extra food, goods stored in government warehouses for emergencies
Tracking goods
Inca used quipu, colored and knotted cords representing numbers, dates
No written language, quipu used to record taxes, number livestock, census
Road system improved communication, helped government control economy

10. The Inca Empire Ayllu Upper Class Class Divisions
The government also played a big role in Inca society. Each family was grouped with others into a cooperative community called an ayllu.
Members shared activities like farming, building canals, rituals
Each group of ten ayllus had chief
Chain of command from emperor down to local level
Ayllu
King, government officials, priests
Lived in capital, Cuzco
Stone houses
Fine clothes
Did not pay tax
Attended school to prepare to be officials
Upper Class
No slaves
Most belonged to lower class
Farmers
Artisans
Servants
Wore plain clothes
Could not own more than needed
Served upper class
Class Divisions

11. The Inca Empire Religion a key element of Inca society
People allowed to worship local gods
Sun god was most important of all
Believed kings related to sun god
Main temple located in Cuzco
Mummies of dead kings worshipped
Religious ceremonies often included sacrifices of llamas, cloth or food, rarely humans

12. The Inca Empire
The level of organization of Inca government and society led to significant achievements in the areas of engineering and the arts. The Incas were particularly talented builders of temples, forts and roads. Many Inca structures were built so well they still stand today.
Especially skilled in metalwork
Artisans made intricate ornaments of gold, silver
Created a life-sized field of corn out of gold, silver in temple courtyard
Metalwork
Weavers worked with wool, cotton
Divided cloth into three categories
Plain for households
Finer for taxes and trade
Special for royal and religious
purposes
Variety of patterns used
Weaving
In spite of the high level of achievement, the Inca Empire lasted only about 100 years. Arrival of Spanish in 1532 marked end of Empire.

13. What methods did the government use to control the Inca Empire?
Summarize
What methods did the government use to control the Inca Empire?
Answer(s): relocation of local leaders, the mita, organized society into ayllus

15. Video The Impact of Mayan Achievements on Math and Astronomy
Click above to play the video.