The Incas     
Last Updated 11/4/2007      9/28/2007     11/13/2005     10/22/2005

The Inca Empire was located in the Andes mountains of what is now Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.

History
The Incas started out as farmers and shepherds.
They built villages in the Andes Mountains.

Inca
He ruled everything and made the laws.
He put his relatives in high positions.
The government officials were members of the Inca's family and the nobility.
His palace was the size of a town.
There were 100's of rooms and 1000's of servants.
The Inca's bodyguards wore gold armor.

Army
40,000 men.

Cities
The capital city of the Inca empire was Cuzco.
Machu Picchu is located in the Andes mountains was built between 1460 and 1470.
It was constantly being remodeled.
Builders, attendants, planters, priests, artisans, worked on the palace.

Social Classes
Sapa Inca
Supreme Council
Provincial Governors
Officials
Tax collectors
Workers

Language & Writing
Quechua was the official Inca language.
There was no written language.
A quipus was a counting device used in accounting.

Occupations
Engineers
They would make sure the roads were properly laid out.

Herders
They raised aplacas and llamas.

Weavers
Made blankets, coats, rope, baskets, and cable for bridges.

Craftsmen
They made necklaces for the rich of gold and pearls.
They made many religious items. 
They made weapons.

Roadrunners
Roadrunners carried orders and news from one end of the Inca Empire to the other. 
They were the mailmen of the Incan Empire. 
If a message was not accurate the roadrunner was punished.
Messages traveled about 250 miles a day.

Potters
Made pottery by hand

Metalworkers
They nmade bronze by combining copper and tin.
They made statues, knives, weapons, and tools.
They made shawl pins.
They mined precious metals.

Sorcerers
Could cast spells and read omens.

Chosen Women
They lived in the temples.
They were taught household duties.
They studied religion.
They worked in the houses of rich people.
Some were sacrificed to the gods and buried on the tops of the mountains.

Clothing
Everyone dressed in the same fashion in the Inca Empire.
Rich and poor dressed alike.
Men wore sleeveless knee-length tunics, with ponchos or cloaks.
Women wore long dresses and capes.
All clothes were made of woven cotton or wool cloth.

Hairstyles 
Hairstyles for men was very important.
Each noble ayllu had a unique hairstyle.
The hairstyle told others your position in Inca society.

Religion
Religion was central to Inca life.
The Incas had many gods.
Inti was the sun god.
Incas called themselves the "Children of the Sun."

Mummies
Shawl pins were used to id the sex of mummies.

Coming of Age Ceremony
When boys turned 14 they had to demonstrate their physical and military skill.
They boys had their ears pierced.
A gold plug would be inserted in their newly pierced ears.
Next, they were presented to the sun god
Finally, they took their place as adults.
Boys from noble families worn special clothes mad from feathers.

Earplugs
Men wore decorative earplugs of shell or metal.  
Bigger disks were constamtly being added.
These were called earplugs.
Earlobes stretched until they sometimes rested on the shoulders.

Common People
They had no freedom.
They could not own or run a business.
They could not own luxury goods. 
Either they were celebrating a state approved holiday, working in the fields, or sleeping.
Only a small amount of time was allotted for bathing and eating.

Houses
Homes of common people were made of sun-baked brick with thatched roofs.
There were no doors and no windows.
Goods were stored in baskets.
On cold nights, people slept on mats, near the stone stove.

Laws
Breaking a law usually meant the death penalty.
Very few people broke the law.

Education
The children of the common people were not educated.
When old enough a child would be assigned a job.

Farming
They grew corn and potatoes as their main crops.
They grew vegetables: tomatoes, avocados, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and beans
They grew fruit: strawberries, pineapple, bananas
THey grew peanuts and spices.
They grew coco leaves to make chocolate.
Most families farmed, cutting terraces or "steps" into the mountainside.

Taxes
Farmers had to pay taxes on the land they worked.
Tax was paid by working for the Inca.
Building roads was one way farmers and common people could pay their labor tax.
Farmers could also work in the mines.

Roads
Huge system of paved roads.
14,000 miles
No one could travel the roads without special permission.
Only soldiers and government officials could use the roads.
Rest houses were built every few miles.
Travelers could spend the night, or cook a meal, or feed their llamas.
There were many storehouses along the roads.
Storehouses stored food, clothing, and weapons for the military.
There were road signs every few miles.
Army used the road for military reasons.
Many of the Incan roads are still in use today.

Bridges
Incas built rope suspension bridges to cross canyons.
They built bridges to cross rivers.

Inca Rulers

Inca Time Line