INCA CIVILIZATION (1200-1532)

INTRODUCTION:

During 1200 AD, there was a culture that flourished around Peru. The mountains were filled with a civilization full of love and worship for their 11 gods. This was the beginnig of the culture of Inca Civilization. It is not only fascinating, it also shows the simplicity of a culture before the Spanish invaded the land. The Inca’s population was about 6 to 9 million people. INCA Empire was founded by Manco Capac.

There are rumors that the Inca civilization never existed because of the fact that they didn’t have a written records.

Official language of the empire was Quechua.The Inca referred to their empire as Tawantinsuyu which can be translated as "The Four United Provinces".

EXTENT:

Centered at Cuzco, Peru the Inca Empire during 1532 dominated the entire Andean area from Quito, Ecuador, S to the Río Maule, Chile which extended upto 3200 kilometres.

Contributions to the World:

The most awe-inspiring contribution of Inca contribution to society today is its architecture.

 Incan engineering and structural daring--the  concept of its cities and the handling of rock masses has not found a rival in old as well as new world.

Sites such as Macchu Picchu, perched in a saddle 10,000 ft high between two Andean peaks, gives us an idea of  Incan urban planning must have been like. 

Roads, Bridges, and the courier system were several contributions the Inca made to current society.

The Pucara of Sacsayhuaman Ruins

The Incas further developed the use of terraces for agricultural farming. These terraces provided flat ground for food production, while at the same time protecting the city centers from erosions or landscapes which were  common in the Andes.

                                                        Inca agricultural terraces in Pisac

Emperors:

The emperors of Inca Civilization were :-

1. Manco Capac - Sun God
2. Sinchi Roca                                                             

3. Lloque Yupanqui
4. Maita Capac
5. Capac Yupanqui
6. Inca Roca
7. Yahuar Huacac
8. Inca Viracocha
9. Pachacuti-Inca-Yupanqui
10. Topa Inca Yupanqui
11. Huayna Capac                                                                                    
12. Huascar                                                                                               
13. Atahuallpa         

Culture:

There were two classes in Inca Society: the Ruling classes and the Peasants. 

The emperor was called “Sapa Inca”. He ate from gold dishes and never wore the same clothes twice. Like the Pharaohs of Egypt, he took his own sister as queen. The noblemen came from the capital Cuzco and helped the emperor in governing the land.

Most of the  people were farmers who produced their own food and clothes. The main crops were corn, tomatoes, squash and sweet potatoes, which the Inca's were first to produce. They also raised pigs, ducks and dogs. One of the most important animals was the llama. It provided the peasants with wool and it could carry heavy loads as well.

Religion:

Polysthetic religions were practiced during Inca civilization by its different people. Most religions had common traits such as the existence of Panchamama (Godess of Fertility) and Viracocha ( creator of sun,moon). Religious traditions in the Andes tended to vary among different ayllus, while the Inca generally allowed or even incorporated local deities and heroes of the ayllus they conquered.

                                                        Representation of Panchamama

Rituals:

In the Inca Civilization, Cannibalism was followed.

Cannibalism is the act of a human eating another humans flesh. In Inca culture the act of cannibalism was always ritualistic.
There were two forms of cannibalism: 'Exocannibalism' and 'Endocannibalism'.
 'Exocannibalism' was a form that involved eating the flesh of an enemy to prove one's power.
'Endocannibalism' was a lot more respectful. The dead persons bones would be ground into dust and mixed into a manioc to be drunk by the family 

                                                                             

Depiction of Cannibalism

Gvernment:

           The government that the Inca’s had was a monarchy type. The Inca’s use the word “Capac” or “Capa” or “ Sapa Inca” for the ruler of their civilization

. They say that they all come from the legendary Ayar siblings- Four boys and Four girls. The first Capac was the Ayar sibling, Manco Capac who married one of his sisters and Manco had founded Cusco. The High Ranking for woman were called, Coya. The ranking for this society was based on how well you succeed in your life.

The rankings were as follows : 

Inventions:

Clock:

Geometrizing of the Tiahuanacan Solar Cycle, may be a particularly useful line of enquiry into many other ancient prehistoric cultures. It told about informations on celestial calculations that were recorded and complex astronomical knowledge that was transmitted and through this concept the time was seen.

Fall of Empire:

The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish Coloniztion. After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes, 168 Spanish soldiers under Francisco Pizzaro captured the Sapa Inca in the 1532 in Battle of Cajamarca . It was the first step in a long campaign that took decades of fighting but ended in Spanish victory in 1572 and colonization of the region as the Viceroyalty of Peru. The conquest of the Inca Empire led to spin-off campaigns into present-day Chile and Colombia, as well as expeditions towards the Amazon Basin. This led to the end of the INCA Civilization.

Timeline: