Before the Europeans even thought about finding a way to China and accidentally found the America, a group of Indians lived in South America. These Indians were called the Incans. Incans ruled the West side of South America. The empire ran through parts of many present day countries: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The Incan Empire was a great civilization that thrived for many years and paved the way for modern civilation.
There are many legends that are told about how the Incan Empire came to be. One is that the Incans lived without houses until the Son of the Sun appeared. The Son taught agriculture and masonry. The people became so successful that they had enough food for everyone in the entire empire. Ten million people went without hunger and all had clothing. The second myth is that Manco Capac, First Inca King, and his seven siblings came from the caves of Pacariqtambo. These first Incans were created by the sun god Inti. Their mission was to bring civilization to the world. The final legend is that the god, Viracocha, created man out of clay and stone at Tiwanaku. Viracocha then led the people that he created to Cuzco. Viracocha left the humans to reign from the heaves. Viracocha gave deities to control the lives of humans. The dispute still continues on whether Viracocha, or Inti is the supreme god of the Incans.
Society in the Incan Empire was made up of clans and families who lived and worked together. The social structure of the Incas had the Ruler and his wives at the top. Then came the High Priest and Army Commander in Chief. Next were the Regional Army Commanders, then the Temple Priests, architects, administrators and Army Generals. Next were the artisans, musicians, army captains and the...
... middle of paper ...
...art of the Incan culture. Mining was required in all provinces. The Incans did not value metal as much as fine cloth. Shortly after the fall of Chimu, metalworkers were sent to Cuzco. Copper, steel, and gold were all obtained from the mines. Copper and Bronze were used for farming tools and Gold and Silver were used for decorations.
The Incan Empire was a great was a great civilation that thrived and paved the way for modern society. The Incans were a very intelligent people, as shown with the conquistadors not finding Machu Picchu because of its great height. They did many great things and built even more. They could travel along a mountainside that the road was only eighty centimeters long. They were very hard workers and they were about what was better for the population. These are the people that humans of the modern day should learn from and strive to be like.
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”
The Incan Empire was older than the Aztec empire and included over five million people before the Spanish arrived. The strength of the empire was impressive considering most of the empire's terrain was mountainous and they had only llamas and people to transport goods. One of the systems that the Incas had in place that allowed their road systems to flourish was that every young poor male had to work for their government building villages, roads, etc. After the Spanish arrived, many Incas died from disease. It is believed that the similarities between the Spanish religious and political systems and the Mesoamerican political/religious systems allowed for an easier takeover of the empires for the Spanish. The Spanish had originally come to the "New World" in search of gold and they found little of it, however, they found a surplus of silver, especially in the mountain practically made of silver in Peru. The responsibility of mining for the silver fell to the natives, despite the mercury poisoning and the deadly conditions in the mines. Spain did eventually become rich from the silver, but inflation and the cost of their wars left them damaged. China had also suffered inflation after they developed paper money and they changed their tax system to require that taxes be paid in silver, which meant their people gave up agricultural jobs for jobs that usually involved silk (which paid in
The Aztec’s and Incas seemed like a very well devoted tribe to one another. Even though they only lived a few thousand miles away from each other and didn’t know about each other they were well known. The artifacts left behind shows that they were very advanced, and the food they ate they knew how to take care of their bodies. The Aztec and Inca’s also knew how to prepare for war also. These two tribes are some of the best warriors known to man.
The Inca civilization started around 1200A.D. and was found in the Andes mountains in what is now Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
The Aztecs and Incas served an important role in the primal Native American civilizations. They were similar and different with the treatment of women, the economy, and intellectual achievements. Economically, both civilizations used trade, tribute, and agriculture to build their economy. However, the Aztecs had a more mixed economy, used trade more frequently than the Incas, and had a merchant class whereas the Incan civilization had more governmental control. Intellectually, both civilizations achieved in fields such as architecture, and art; however, the Incan empire had a wider range of achievements, disregarding their lack of writing. Throughout both civilizations, women had a tough life and were underappreciated but comparing the two, Incan women had it better off due to parallel descent.
Huayna Capac made sure that there was no such question over who had unreserved control nor allow his future heir to be afflicted with opposition to his legitimacy. Like all Incan Emperors, after first coming into power, each went on an expedition around his kingdom and its peripheries, in its entirety, to understand exactly where his boundaries are. After his excursion, he continued the expansion that his father began, and did so through a 5 step c...
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.
Their religion also emphasized ancestor worship. At its basis,Incan religious beliefs were intimately connected with nature and included the belief that Inca rulers were direct descendants of the sun god, Inti.”The Inca Empire, also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, and possibly the largest empire in the world in the early 16th century. One of the Inca civilization's most famous surviving archaeological sites is Machu Picchu, which was built as a retreat for an Incan emperor”. The Incas called their empire Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Corners,” and its official language was Quechua.The city proper had a population of around 40,000 with another 200,000 in the surrounding area at the time of the Spanish conquest. Cuzco was also an important component in the propaganda of Inca rule. It was encouraged to be venerated by Inca subjects as a sacred
...c used a slash and burn style of farming and they relocated once the nutrients of the land were used up. The Incas were much more advanced. Labor specialization was common, especially in the large densely populated areas like Cuzco. The Incas made roads, had irrigation channels, fortresses, and mines. They used crop rotation and terracing and other advanced agricultural methods.
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.
A series of independence movements had marked most of South America, or “Nueva Granada” in particular during the vast time period of the early 16th century up until the late 18th century – early 19th century. An introduction of the time period which dates back to the late 15th century, illustrates how the Southern portion of the now Colombia had become a part of the Incan Empire whose central base had been located deep into Peru. Only the enlightened historians and those that have done thorough research of the time period have noted the existence concerning the various Indian tribes that roamed freely throughout portions of the land much before the emergence of the Spaniards into the territory.
The Maya didn’t discover metallurgy until late in the Classic period and used it only to produce jewelry and decorations for the elite. Artists and their numerous assistants cut and filled the stones used for palaces, pyramids, and housing, aided only by levers and stone tools. Each wave of construction represented the mobilization of thousands of laborers.
Ancestor worship was common among all classes during the Inca Empire. It was a major part of their religion to connect past and present religions. The way people worshipped depended on who they were honoring. The Inca mummified the dead to preserve them.
Each Maya City governed it's surrounding area and some large cities each controlled one or more smaller cities. A Maya City ruler would be succeeded by his younger brother or son. This led generations of a single family to rule for hundreds of years. Inca leaders kept their power by giving entertainment and luxurious goods as gifts to the people. The citizens paid taxes in return for these gifts. In the Inca culture, the emperor married his sister and his generals would be his relatives. The Inca rulers were allowed to govern independently. The Aztec power was held together by land ownership. A few families shared a piece of land and part of the land was given to the state as a tax.
In the thirteenth century a tribe in the Cusco region of present-day Peru formed the Inca civilization. In 1200c.e their leader Manco Capac and his family inhabited and built the civilization into a small city-state over time. Many years after Capac’s death in 1438c.e, Pachacuti presumed leadership as emperor of the Inca people. Although Capac laid a successful foundation, Pachacuti felt that it was essential to expand Inca influence outward. He began uniting neighboring tribes with his people into one community all under the Inca civilization. The Inca Empire grew into a successful civilization that was populated with about thirty-two million people, while covering about 772,204 square miles. Inca Empire crossed many boundaries as it dominated several countries and areas through invasions to peaceful assimilation. Organization of society, religion, and government lead to the Inca Empire gaining such a large part of South America which surrounds present day countries such as Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and the area in which the Incas was formed which is Peru.