From the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century, the cooperation between the Spanish and indigenous nobles of the Andes allowed for a unique colonial culture. The execution of the last Inca king, Tupac Amaru I by the Spanish, in 1572, signified the end of the Inca rule over the Andes. However, once in control, the Spanish government consisted of only a few administrators and officials to cover their newly acquired, vast territory, and mass citizenry. The Spanish began to depend on native elites, or kuraka, to run its empire. Perhaps, the dependence of the Spanish on the indigenous people allowed for greater tolerance of cultural continuities. For example, the uncu, or Inca tunic, have been shown to undergo elemental transformations from …show more content…
The colonial uncu of interest includes two examples of how the Inca repurposed European elements in order to represent some level of power in more universal terms. First, the use of the opposing lions, which most likely represented the King of Spain’s House of Habsburg coat of arms, illustrates how the Inca attempted to have their power interpreted through an element that was a part of European culture rather than their own. In the early colonial period, weavers and commissioners selected designs such as heraldic felines, which was elitist imagery understood by both the Inca as well as Europeans (Pillsbury 144). In some occasions, the Inca introduced elements universal to both the Inca and the Spanish as a way of communicating power that transcended cultural and linguistic barriers, thus helping to redefine power within the colony. In addition, some of the most distinctive of changes included the colors used by weavers in the colonial period. Pre-colonial examples were mainly made up of “a limited palette including yellows, ochers, browns, reds, and blacks.” Whereas, colonial period uncu were woven with greater amounts of “blue, pink, red, and purple” (Pillsbury 145). The colonial uncu of interest is purple, confirming its time stamp. The color purple was reserved for European royal families, which is implicit as to why the Inca were fond of its adoption. By including the royal color of purple on their uncu, the Inca were claiming power for themselves via a European element. The adoption of European heraldic figures such as the lion and the use of the colors associated with European power was the Inca way of redefining their power so as to establish it within the colonial society. This was a significant strategic decision which allowed the Inca to maintain some level of power even while experiencing the Spanish efforts to dominate
The Incas cared for everyone in their kingdom; supplies and health needs were distributed to all who needed the attention, regardless of monetary standings, as long as they worked. Laziness was not heard of among the Incas. Work had to be done and everyone pitched in to help, even the lords. Their system cared for everyone and made a seemingly happier, better kingdom. The rich were not allowed to wear fancy, elaborate clothing because they were aware that the poor members of society could not indulge in such extravagance. The only exception to this rule were “the rulers and the headmen, who, to maintain their dignity, were allowed great freedom and privilege”
Chavin de Huantar was located in Peru and developed around 900 B.C. late in the Initial Period. At an elevation of 3,150 m., Chavin de Huantar was situated at the bottom of Cordillera Blanca’s eastern slopes, approximately halfway between tropical forests and coastal plains. At the intersection of major routes, Chavin de Huantar was in the position to control the routes, increase their exchange with others, and receive goods that were not natural to their area. Chavin de Huantar was an agricultural society, home to a fairly large population.
Patterson, Thomas C. "Tribes, Chiefdoms, and Kingdoms in the Inca Empire.” Power Relations and State Formation (1987): 1-15,117-127.
The Aztecs and Incas were the two dominant new world societies which greeted and eventually succumbed to the Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th century. Since then, they have occupied some of the most curious comers of the western imagination. Purveyors of scholarly and popular culture render them in various disparate ways: as victims of European colonialism, incompetent militarists, heroic forbears, barbarians, or authentic practitioners of native utopias and cults. The Aztecs and Incas were two Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations that roamed the land of Latin America throughout 14th and 15th century. Aztec empire ruled much of what is now Mexico from 1428 till 1521, when the empire was conquered by Spaniards. Aztecs controlled a region stretching from the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico east to the Gulf of Mexico and south to Guatemala. Aztecs were great engineers and developed a multifarious social political and religious system with Tenochtitlan as their capital city. Inca Empire stretched it boundaries from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the Atacama to Amazonian rain forest. Incas lack the concepts of written language however they had an incredible system of roads. Casco as their capital Inca Empire only lasted a century before it was conquered by Spaniards in early 16th century. The two Mesoamerican civilizations burgeoned independently of each other with no cultural or religious swap. Aztecs and Incan societies were predominantly agricultural. Religions of both societies were shamanistic which were heavily influenced by preceding cultures. These complex polytheistic religions regardless of their chronological exclusivity have significant features in common.
The Inca Empire Janos Gyarmati’s Paria la Viexa and an expanding empire: Provincial centers in the political economy of the Inca Empire proved that the Inca’s built an empire unlike any other. From 1440 to 1532 A.D., the Inca Empire dominated the Americas. Known as “the fastest growing and largest territorial empire”(Gyarmati 37) of its time, the Inca Empire left a mark with their complex, perpetual and innovative economic, road, and settlement system. The Inca’s were advanced for their time, however, they lacked a system that would guarantee the survival of their kin. In order to strive, for the long-term, the Inca’s created provincial centers that would ensure their growth and economy for the generations to come.
If they did not accept their terms, the other alternative was war. The Emperor of the Incan Empire lived in splendor. Everything in the empire belonged to the emperor. The wonders: fine gardens, golden statues, and jars made of gold and silver studded with emeralds amazed the Spanish when they came to Cuzco. In the 1500s, Francisco Pizarro, led a conquest, seeking riches, to the Incan Empire.
The Maya, Aztec and,Inca The Maya, Aztec and Inca were 3 civilisation’s put together and then either conquered, or abandoned, but still they all left their footprint in society today. All three of the civilisation’s had a lot of similarities, but also some differences. Some similarities included how they all practiced the art of human sacrifice. Though some differences creep through the cracks like how the Inca focused on the llama, that animal majorly played importance to their culture. The Aztec was also the most brutal of the three.
Prior to Spanish discovery of the new world, the area now known as Bolivia was home to three major ethnic and linguistic groups; the Uru, Aymara, and Quechua. The Uru lived on rafts, fishing and foraging along the shore of Lake Titicaca. The Aymara dominated the Uru, reducing their status to poor fishermen and landless workers. Aymara society was built upon a basic social unit of kinship that organized the distribution of labor, and this system, termed “ayllu,” was later adopted by conquering Quechua. The Aymara are known for their practice of ‘freeze drying’ potatoes high in the mountains, for their organized systems of irrigation, and their control of colonies in warm lowlands to produce food. By the early 15th century the Quechua dominated the northern highlands of the Andes, and by the later half of the century had adopted the name of their supreme ruler, the Inca. The Inca led a series of invasions into weakening Aymara kingdoms in the south Andean region.
First, in 1521, Hernán Cortés and a small Spanish army captured the Aztec emperor along with the empire’s capital city of Tenochtitlan. Later, in 1533, another conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, executed the Incan emperor and plundered the Incan capital of Cuzco. The Spaniards’ gunpowder weapons and steel armor easily outmatched the more primitive weaponry of the indigenous Americans, who had a very limited knowledge of metallurgy. Furthermore, after taking decisive control of much of the Americas, the Spanish Crown brought over Iberian legal codes and established a bureaucratic empire, appointing officials and instituting courts. Finally, under the encomienda system, the Crown granted conquistadors large tracts of land and a number of Native American laborers, who were forced to work in plantations or mines. Under Spanish governance, indigenous groups lost a large degree of
Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans, these were three of the largest ancient civilizations in the western hemisphere, beasts of their time. They all had amazing qualities, the Aztecs were the fearsome warriors, the Incas were agricultural geniuses, and the Mayans were impeccable inventors. They all brought so much to the table and left so much behind for us to uncover. But, the question of who truly was the best of these three immaculate cultures? I believe that the Inca civilization is the superior of the three other major civilizations. This is true because of their resourceful farming methods, high-caliber art, and innovational architecture.
Francisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro, and Hernando de Luque led the Spanish discovery and conquest of the Inca Empire (Hudson and Hanratty Page 7). After many years of Incan conquest, the empir...
Before any conquistador had ever step foot in Inca lands, issues that would lead to the Inca’s downfall had been buil...
Culture is a very precious resource that has been taken for granted many times over the course of history. Humanity will never truly understand the value of culture, and as a race, humans have destroyed multiple precious cultures. One of these societies whose culture has been destroyed is the Inca Empire. Like other societies untouched by outside influences, the Inca Empire had blossomed into its own unique culture. They had their own societal order that functioned in a fashion that was equal in efficiency to other cultures that, at the time, considered themselves more advanced. One of these empires that considered themselves superior was the Spanish Empire. The Spanish went through an era of expansionism. One of their main excursions during
When Francisco Pizarro set out on his quest, he arrived in Peru in 1532. Upon his arrival, Pizarro found the Inca civilization in a fragile state due to a civil war. Two Inca brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar were in a power struggle to become the absolute ruler of the Inca Empire. In the end Atahualpa was victorious, however the empire was weaken and in its prime for a take over. In 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his army of 180 soldiers took advantage of the situation by kidnapping Atahualpa and holding him for...
The South Coast of Peru is an ideal environment for breeding llamas and alpacas. There were plentiful sources of wool for weaving which explains why there was such a prominence of this craft. The skills that the South Coast peoples obtained in spinning, dyeing, and weaving techniques are considered to be among the greatest artistic accomplishments of the world (Bennett & Bird, 1964, 195). Moreover, the quantity of woven fabrics found in archeological digs is shocking.