Inca
The Inca controlled a vast empire covering parts of modern
day Peru, Ecudor, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Find the Incan
Empire on
your map and
color it in.
Cuzco was the capital of the Inca
Empire. Quechua was the language.
Any conquered or joining groups had
to learn this language.
Label Machu Picchu
and Cuzco (Cusco)
on your map
Machu Picchu
Panoramic View
*Incan empire stretched more
than 2,500 miles.
*Rainless desserts, towering
mountain ranges, rain forests.
*Climate varied from tropical
to polar.
*6 MIllion people to feed
Built in the mid 1400's
for the Sapa Inca
Sapa Inca and Nobles
lived here and there
were great temples
for worship.
Terracing and irrigation
used to farm
Grew: Quinoa (grain),
potatoes and corn
Agricultural Techniques
Terracing allowed the Inca to provide
food for more than six million people.
Terraces are typically 5 - 13 feet high with
varied length and width according to the
steepness of the mountain. Usually they
are wider at the bottom of the incline and
get narrower as they go up the mountain.
To irrigate the fields they built channels to
bring water from the glacier-fed rivers.
They also straightened rivers, filled or
drained marshes as needed, and channeled
water into deserts.
Inca grew corn, potatoes, and
quinoa (a grain). Potatoes were
the main food eaten daily. We
can thank the Inca for introducing
us to this food!
Communication
Ruling an empire of this size
required good communication.
The telephone didn't exist, so
messengers had to travel from
town to town. Although they never
used the wheel, the Inca built
over 14,000 miles of road, much of
it paved. Many of these roads still
exist and are used today.
You needed special permission to travel
on the roads since they belonged to
the government. The army would use
the roads to quickly stop rebellions or
protect themselves from intruders.
Llama trains would travel the roads
delivering food or other resources.
The Andes mountains did not make
travel easy. Messengers had to cross
deep gorges and rivers. So the Inca
built suspension bridges, pontoon
bridges and sometimes hung a basket
on a cable to pull people across the
gorge.
Building roads was one way farmers could pay their "service tax"
to the government. Suspension bridges were made of woven reed
and were replaced every other year.
These pictures are of the Qeswechaka bridge near Cuzco, the
last surviving Inca rope bridge. It is still rebuilt annually out of
grass. Villiagers gather for four days to continue this 700 year
old tradition.
Quipu
The Inca had no writing or
number system. Instead they
used the quipu to record
information. This was a series of
knotted, colored strings hung
from one main cord. Each color
had a meaning, such as "corn" or
"speeches by the king." Knots
were tied in each string to
indicate numbers in a decimal
system.
Religion
Believed in Polytheism (many gods and goddesses)
Believed that on each mountain peak a god or goddess lived.
Priests presided over human sacrifices
Social Structure