Andean AmericaAndean America

The Inca and Their DescendantsThe Inca and Their Descendants

The Inca: An IntroductionThe Inca: An Introduction

• One of the world’s largest empires

• Lacked writing

• An administrative socialistic economy

• Stone architecture without pulleys, draft animals, or metal tools

• Longest highway in the ancient world

Location of Inca EmpireLocation of Inca Empire

• In South America (Inset):

• The empire extended from the Pacific coast

• Through the Andes into Amazon forest

• It extended from Colombia in north

• To Chile in south.

Map of Inca EmpireMap of Inca Empire

• The capital, Cuzco, was in the center of the empire

• Machu Picchu, the sacred center, was northeast of Cuzco

• The empire was 2800 miles long

• Tiahuanaco was the main city of the minority Aymara

• Other centers: Moche, Chan Chan, Nazca, Huari

Inca: Road SystemInca: Road System

• The road system kept the empire together

• Extent: Quito to north to Santiago to the south

• Runners maintained communication in the empire

• Tampus (garrisons) spaced one day apart enforced central control

Ecological Map of Central Inca Ecological Map of Central Inca EmpireEmpire• The empire covered

diverse ecological zones:• Light orange: dry coastal

area• Purple: foothill forests• Yellow: Andes highlands• Green: Amazonian

rainforest• Empire exploited resources

of each ecological zone

Andean Region: Coastal ClimateAndean Region: Coastal Climate

• Coastal regions were extremely dry• Inversion prevented rainfall on the coastal plains• Most of rainfall occurred in Andes• 10% rainfall drained in coastal rivers, only

source of water on coast• The southward current produced an upwelling of

coastal Pacific, yielding • Rich plankton and other nutrients, which• Sustained a rich supply of fish and shellfish• First settlements began on the coast

Andean Regions: MountainsAndean Regions: Mountains

• Andes Mountains comprises:• Peaks of mountains and • Valleys, including with grassy flatlands (punas)• Andes received most of the rainfall• Snowmelt watered both interior habitations and

coast• Wet, vegetated montaňas were on the eastern

side of the Andes• Amazonia; tributaries received most of the

rainfall

Plant and Animal DomesticationPlant and Animal Domestication

• Plants:• Potatoes: a tuber highly adapted to

cold climates• Quinoa: a grain made into breads• Maize introduced about 4,000 BC• Animals• Llama: Beast of burden, also used for

wool and meat• Alpaca: Valued mainly for its wool• Site: Telemarchay rock shelter shows

sequence from hunting to animal domestication

Pre-Inca Regional EmpiresPre-Inca Regional Empires

• The Andes were dominated by regional empires

• Chan Chan and Moche were dominant in the northern Andes

• Sipán and Chan Chan were coastal empires

• Nazca and the Aymara Tiahuanaco dominated the southern Andes

Inca Empire ExpansionInca Empire Expansion

• In the heart of the empire, • Cuzco started as village ca AD 1000• Probably developed into Inca capital

around 1440 • When troops under the first emperor

Pachakuti (map) defeated the rival Chanca state

• Incas then expanded northward and southward

• As they defeated each state, the Inca ,• Allowed the people to retain their

organization and culture• Map shows three phases of Inca

expansion

Road System: Transportation and Road System: Transportation and CommunicationCommunication

• Andean America: A well-developed highway system

• Covered the 2600 mile length of empire

• Access controlled by emperor and imperial administrators

• Tampus (storehouses, garrisons, and lodging) constructed a day’s travel apart (see map)

• Beasts of burden (llamas) carried up to 100 pounds of cargo

• Most carriers were human• Communication maintained by runners

Administrative Economy: Prototype of Administrative Economy: Prototype of Socialism?Socialism?

• Emperors had a dual system of inheritance• First born became emperor• Others royalty inherited property• Emperor thus depended on mitá, or labor tax• Every adult provided labor after meeting

subsistence needs of clan (allyu)• Clans provided labor for public works, state-

owned lands, army manpower, and road/bridge construction

• Rewards: chicha, entertainment, textiles

Making a LivingMaking a Living

• The Inca had no large draft animals except for the llama (a camelid)

• They tilled the soil using the foot plow (upper left)

• Staple crop was the potato; they also grew maize, quinoa (a grain), and others

• They raised duck, guinea pigs, and camelids (llama, alpaca, vicuña for meat)

• The camelids were also sources of wool (lower left).

Inca Warehouses and AccountingInca Warehouses and Accounting

• All products—potatoes to corn brew to meat—were warehoused

• Accounts were kept with quipus• These were knotted cords that

were used for:• Population censuses• Animals (llamas)• Warehouse contents of each

category

Quipus: A Substitute for WritingQuipus: A Substitute for Writing

• There is no evidence of writing so far. • They did have a numerical system: • Quipu System: knotted twine suspended from

main cord• The further away the knot is from the cord, the

lower the number is • It is thought to be a decimal system• Some experts think it might be a binary-based

system

Quipu System Quipu System • Lowest: ones, at string

farthest from cord• That is 3 on the diagram• Next: tens (40 in

diagram)• Next: hundreds (600) • Next: thousands toward

main cord (3000)• Explain how you get the

figure 3643 to the right

Quipus: Census by Color CodeQuipus: Census by Color Code

• Color coding system counting:

• Population, one color• Tributes of labor,

another color• Other forms of tribute• Land distribution• Military expenses• There was a color for

each category

Sociopolitical Structure of the IncaSociopolitical Structure of the Inca

• The Inca had cobbled together smaller empires: Chanca, Nazca, Moche, and others

• Emperor was said to be descended from the Sun God

• Sun was the giver of all life• Purity of the imperial lineage called for royal

incest—a emperor married his sister• Mobility was extremely limited if existent at all

Administrative ApparatusAdministrative Apparatus

• Inca: An structured administrative state

• Divided into four quarters (hence the name Tawanitimsuyu—Land of Four Quarters

• Further subdivided into waranqa of 1000 taxpayers (labor tax)

• Used a system of colonization called mitmaq to

• Exploit new resources, and to prevent revolts

• The empire was made up of diverse ethnic groups

• Administrative towns, such as Huanaco Pampa (left) also added centralized control

Public ArchitecturePublic Architecture

• Stone architecture was widespread

• Inca and Predecessors used uneven blocks of stone without mortar (left)

• They were cut without metal tools and lifted into place without pulleys

• The blocks together so precisely that a coin could not be inserted between them

• Surface of Temple of the sun was covered with a gold frieze, or decorative plate.

Conquest of the IncaConquest of the Inca

• Conquest preceded by spread of European disease (upper left)

• Pizarro, like Cortes in Mexico, used Indian allies to overthrow the Inca (lower left)

• Inca were already divided by war between Atahualpa and Huascar, the two sons of the deceased emperor, himself dead from smallpox