Inca Empire

1. Inca Empire Mrs. Rand University Preparatory School

2. Using this powerpoint: • Review the slides carefully • Use the information on slides 3 through 10 to fill out a SUMMARY of the information on the first section of your handout. • On the following slides, read each question and the answer that accompanies it. From this information, write a summary for each in the space provided. • In the geometric shape, draw a colorful picture to graphically represent the notes.

3. Machu Picchu • Ancient city of the Inca • Located in the Andes Mountains in Peru • Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911

4. Challenges of the life in the Empire • Enormous size - 2500 miles long • Various landscape • Coastal deserts • Andes Mountain range • rain forest • Climate varied from tropical to polar • More than 6 million people had to be fed each day

5. Inca Agricultural Techniques • Terraced mountains sides • Channeled water & diverted river • Filled & drained marshes • People produced corn, potatoes and other produce

6. Huayna Capac

7. Expansion of the Inca Empire • Pachacuti • Had a vision that conviced his to see warfare & spread Inca culture • Promised peace & gifts, won many battles • Forced conquered people to obey Inca leaders - allowed them to keep their own language, leaders and gods

8. Topa Inca Yupaqui • Pachacuti’s son • Enormous empire under him • Used new methods to collect taxes • Huayna Capac • Ruled empire at a high point • Fathered 2 sons - Huascar and Atahualpa - they did not trust eachother • 6 year civil war between the 2 sons • Atahualpa won, but the wars weakened the Inca empire.

9. Sapa Inca • Descendant of Sun god • Ruled by divine right • Subjects not allowed to look him in the eye • Did not walk as a mortal but carried in a litter • Married to Coya (empress) • Nobles • Capac Incas were Inca nobles by blood • Controlled land & valuable resources • Leaders of the gov’t, army, and priests • Also became governors • Government officials • Many levels of officials • At the bottom were leaders from conquered regions

10. Ruling a Vast Empire • Used “quipu” to keep records • Consisted of knotted strings • System used to keep records of numbers of days worked, corn and llamas • The empire was divided into households • Every 10 households governed by the head of one household • Collected taxes easily • Inca laws regulated daily life • Jobs designated for everyone & Commoners worked the land • Inca fields, contributed food, Cloth to warehouses • Commoners helped with large scale projects - army & roads

11. Class Structure: Inca Empire • Who held the top position in the Inca class structure? From where did the Incas believe his authority to rule came? • The emperor, or Sapa Inca, was at the top of the Inca class structure. His authority to rule came from Inti, the sun god, whom the Incas believed was the ancestor of the SapaInca. • Who were the Capac Incas? What jobs did they do? • The Capac Incas were the highest level of nobles and considered relatives of the emperor. The governors, or apus, of the four quarters of the empire were Capac Incas. So were most of the leaders of government, the army, and the priesthood. • Who were the curacas? What were some of their responsibilities? • Curacas were leaders of local group broughtinto the Inca Empire. Many collected taxes. Others served as inspectors who made sure everyone followed Inca laws. • To what class did most people in the Inca Empire belong? What kind of work did they do? • Most people were commoners who worked as farmers and herders.

12. Family Life: Inca Empire • Did each ayllu own the land it used for living and farming? What did the ayllu do on this land? • The ayllu did not own its land, which belonged to the emperor. The Inca government loaned land to each ayllu. The ayllu grew crops and produced goods on the land. • What was the mit’a? How was it paid? • The mit’a was a public duty tax, paid in labor by men of the ayllu. To pay the tax, men might repair roads, build storehouses, or work in mines. • What was the Inca name for the tutors of the sons of Inca nobles? How was the education of these boys different from that of children of commoners? • The tutors of the sons of Inca nobles were called amautas. The sons of nobles learned subjects like religion, geometry, history, and military strategy. The children of most commoners received no formal education. • At what ages did Inca men and women marry? What were the typical steps people followed to find a partner and get married? • Inca men married in their early 20s, women at 16. Sometimes their families arranged the marriage. • For others, each year the local curaca held a “marriage market” where young men picked brides. When a couple agreed to marry, they held hands and exchanged sandals.

13. Religion: Inca Empire • Which god was the most important to the Incas? Why? • The most important Inca god was Inti, the sun god. Inti was important because the Incas believed that the emperors descended from Inti and because Inti was also the god of agriculture. • Did the Incas ever practice human sacrifice in their religious ceremonies? If so, under what circumstances? • The Incas did practice human sacrifice, but only on sacred occasions or in times of a natural disaster. • How old were girls who were selected to become Chosen Women? What did they learnto do in the convents? • Girls were between 8 and 10 when selected to become Chosen Women. In the convents they studied the Inca religion, learned to prepare special food and drink for religious ceremonies, and wove garments for the Sapa Inca and the Coya. • What could happen to Chosen Women after age 15? • Some Chosen Women became mamaconas, or teachers, in the convents. Some left to work in temples or shrines. Others became wives of nobles or the Sapa Inca. A few were sacrificed at important religious ceremonies.

14. Relations with other peoples What did the Sapa Inca do first when he wanted to include a new group in his empire? Why did he use this strategy? • The Sapa Inca sent a delegate to tell the tribe that the Incas wanted to include these people in their empire. In this way, the Incas were able to convince many groups to join the empire without having to go to war. What happened to groups that resisted inclusion in the Inca Empire? • Groups that resisted had to fight the Inca army and usually lost. Often the tribe lost many of its men. Sometimes rebellious groups were forced to move to a different part of the Inca Empire. What things did the leaders of groups that became part of the Inca Empire have to do? • When a tribe became part of the Inca Empire, its leaders had to build a sun temple. Local leaders and their sons traveled to Cuzco to learn Inca laws and Quechua, the official language. What unique belief did the Incas have about the lands a Sapa Inca conquered? How may this have led the Incas to conquer such a large empire? • The Incas believed that the Sapa Inca continued to rule the lands he conquered even after death. Each new Sapa Inca had to establish his own source of wealth and power by conquering new lands.