THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE AMERICAS

– PRE-COLUMBIAN SETTLEMENTS

The Inca controlled a large empire in the Andean Region of South America which is present day Peru.

The empire expanded rapidly to include Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

The Inca called their land ‘Tawantinsuyu’

The empire was vast and sophisticated consisting of highways, stone temples, terraced land and swinging bridges.

The term ‘Inca’ actually refers to the ruler who was believed to be the child the sun.

‘Quechua’ was the official language of the Inca realm. However, there were about 20 local languages spoken.

The Emperor was the head of government

It was believed that the emperor was a descendant of the ‘Sun God’

The emperor was called the ‘Lord Inca’

Lord Inca was regarded as both a king and a god

The Lord Inca resided in ‘Cuzco’ the capital of the empire

The empire had four political divisions

Each division was governed by a nobleman appointed by the Lord Inca

Each division was sub-divided into provinces ruled by a governor

In each province there were districts made up of villages which were governed by ‘Curacas’

In each village there were ‘ayallu’

The ‘ayallu’ was made of groups of ten peasants

Each ayallu had an overseer/foreman

The empire was operated from funds/taxes called ‘mita’

All members of the empire except nobles were required to pay mita

Mita took the form of gifts or labour

Inca people who worked in areas such as gold and silver mining, building construction or working in the fields made their mita contributions in these forms

The Inca had a very strong and sophisticated army

Houses were simple comprising a single room with thatched roof

The interior was practically bare

Animal hides or woolen mats were used as beds

Each home had a fireplace fuelled by the droppings of animals such as llama and alpaca

The Inca people wore loose garments consisting of a piece of cloth pinned at the shoulder

They also wore sandal made from llama skins

Their attire also included a head dress which varied from province to province

The Lord Inca’s garments were specially woven by priestesses who were trained for this task from as early as age ten

The noble wore clothes of fine quality

Those of higher classes enjoyed the privilege of wearing large ear plugs

Generally, the Inca people wore a great deal of jewelry

Inca food consisted mostly of starchy foods such as potatoes, corn (maize) and quinoa

Their source of protein was from guinea pigs and beans

Inca people also enjoyed fruits and vegetables

In the highlands the Inca preserved their potatoes by freezing them and extracting the juice. The freeze dried potatoes was called ‘chunu’

The meat of the guinea pig was dried and cut into strips called ‘charqui’

The lowland Inca preferred to eat maize which was ground in a mill and cooked in porridge.

The Inca did not cook with salt, rather they licked it from the palm of their hands while they ate

The Inca people made beer from maize

Women were responsible for the maintenance of the home

They also assisted with the production of food

Women spun yarn to weave cloth for garments and blankets

They also attended to the animals

Every Inca woman was expected to marry

At her first menstruation an Inca girl was required to fast for three days

After the fasting period, she was washed by her mother and dressed in special clothes

She would then be presented to her family and her uncle would give her a name e.g. Egg, Star, Gold

She would then be paired to a boy for marriage

Worship was focused on the sun

The Lord Inca was thought to be a descendant of the sun

The Lord Inca made sacrifices of gold, silver and a boy or girl (10 yrs) to his father the Sun

About 500 girls and boys were kept for the purpose of sacrifice which was done in a room lined with gold

Sacrifices took place at sunrise

‘Viracocha’ was the creator of all gods

‘Inti’ was the Sun God

‘Mama-Kilya’ was the Moon Mother

‘Illapa’ was the God of Thunder which controlled the rain

Temples for worship were constructed at the top of pyramids called ‘Coriancha’

The Inca traded goods such as fish, cloth, pots

They made balsa rafts for sailing and catching fish

The cloth was highly rated and was woven into beautiful patterns of various colours

There was also intensive agricultural activities

All arable land was brought under cultivation in order to feed the large population

Irrigation canals were built mile long at the edges of fertile valleys

Human and animal waste were used as soil fertilizers as soil quality was poor

Those Inca people who neither farmed or fished became herdsmen tending to the llama

The agricultural year was regulated by a precise calendar

Inca developed a highly functional style of architecture

They displayed engineering techniques and fine masonry

They constructed fortresses e.g. ‘Sacahuanman’ near Cuzco

Bridges were also constructed for the purposes of carrying water and communication.

There were 3 types of bridges – swing, pontoon and raft

A complex road network was developed

Weaponry was also sophisticated and was considered to be the best in the Americas

The Inca mixed tin and copper to form a strong bronze which was molded into weapons such as arrows

Other weapons included bolas, slings and clubs