Inca Empire Worksheets
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Fact File
Student Activities
Table of Contents
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Summary
- Formation
- Demographics and Culture
- Economy and Social System
- Decline
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about the Inca Empire!
The Inca Empire was one of the largest and most powerful pre-Columbian empires. It flourished in South America from the early 13th century to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. At its peak, the empire encompassed modern-day Peru, western Ecuador, western and south central Bolivia, northwest Argentina, Colombia's southwestern tip, and a significant portion of modern-day Chile, creating an administration equivalent to Eurasia's ancient empires. The empire was known for its rich architecture such as its extensive road network and stoneworks.
Map of the Inca Empire
FORMATION OF THE INCA EMPIRE
- The Inca Empire was founded by the Andean people of modern Peru, and its capital was Cusco. The empire came about through the unity of small Andean tribes under the leadership of the Inca people. According to Inca mythology, the first leader, Manco Cápac, was sent by the sun god Inti to found the Inca dynasty. The Inca state started out very small, but alliances and military conquests expanded it.
- During the reign of Pachacuti, the empire expanded. Pachacuti is credited with transforming the Inca state from a local power to an extremely large empire that the Inca called Tawantinsuyu, meaning 'the four provinces, places or areas'. He reorganised the government, centralised administration and built Cusco into a sophisticated capital city. His military campaigns reached large parts of the area, which are now Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.
- The Qhapaq Ñan was a well-developed road system keeping the vast empire in communication and control.
- A road network was a necessity to transport goods, soldiers and various messages of differing kinds, and comprised a series of relay runners, the chasquis.
- The Incans built bridges and rest stations along them because these routes were built for efficient movement.
- The Incas largely conducted military conquests during their expansion but sometimes used diplomacy with neighbouring tribes. In return, local leaders were given positions of authority within the empire as long as they pledged loyalty to the Sapa Inca, the emperor. The Inca Empire was able to grow quickly because of its combination of military strength and diplomacy; it encompassed so many cultures and terrains.
- The formation of the empire was also based on religion. The emperor was both a political and religious figure because he was regarded as the descendant of the sun god Inti. Human sacrifices and other religious ceremonies and rituals were conducted in order to appease the gods and ensure the empire's prosperity.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND CULTURE
- The Inca Empire was a multicultural empire that ruled together multiple ethnic groups. Across the empire, the official language, Quechua, was imposed to unify its people. Local languages and customs, however, were tolerated, unless this presented a threat to the imperial interests.
- The empire was home to a variety of people, living in different social classes. The Sapa Inca was at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the nobility, religious leaders and administrators. The population consisted mainly of commoners such as farmers, artisans and labourers. Unlike the attitudes of many other societies, the Incas did not have a strict caste system, although status was primarily determined by what one contributed to the state and lineage.
- Inca culture was rich and complex, but the people were deeply tied to the natural world. The Incas had a pantheon of gods, many of them nature gods, such as Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Viracocha (creator god). The most important deity was the sun god Inti, and they felt their emperor was his direct descendant.
- Inca society was highly developed with regard to art, music and architecture. The Inca are particularly well known for a type of Inca stone masonry, whose structures, such as Machu Picchu and the walls of Cusco, show impressive engineering. These structures were built without mortar, and yet the stones joined together so perfectly they wouldn't let a blade of grass pass through.
- In the Inca Empire, education was reserved for the nobility. Specialised schools, known as yachaywasi, trained young members of the Inca elite in statecraft, religion and military tactics. Oral traditions were also used to pass down knowledge of astronomy, agriculture and medicine.
- Community activities reinforced social cohesion. Inca society relied heavily on the concept of ayllu (or extended family groups). All families belonging to the ayllu worked together all year round on the farm, building infrastructure and taking care of the older people of the family so that everyone made a contribution.
ECONOMY AND SOCIAL SYSTEM
- The foundation of the Inca economy was agriculture, with maize, potatoes and quinoa being basic staples. They even invented advanced farming techniques, such as terrace farming, that permitted the empire to grow food in such a rugged Andean landscape. Canals and aqueducts were used for irrigation systems to bring water to arid places.
- The Inca economy was intrinsically based on the principle of reciprocity, or mita. Instead of money, the economy used a labour tax system where citizens were required to give the state a part of their time for food and other goods in return. Mita labour was also used to build roads to temples and agricultural terraces. In particular, the government distributed food and goods to the population in return so that no one would go hungry.
- The Incas also devised a highly developed system of record-keeping known as quipu or khipu, with knotted strings used to record census data, taxes and agricultural production. Quipus were used to allow administrators to keep tabs on resources and labour, thereby helping to keep the empire running smoothly.
- The trade within the empire was very much regulated.
- Long-distance trade was controlled by the state, while local markets were also established.
- Artisans made goods such as textiles, pottery and metalwork and exchanged them for other necessities.
- Surplus goods were redistributed by the state to all regions that had access to essential resources.
- The Inca system was an integral part of social welfare. Those who could not work, such as the elderly, the sick and widows, received food, shelter and clothing from the state. Such systems preserved social stability and loyalty to the empire.
- In Inca society, gender roles were complementary, not hierarchical. Farming and construction were generally the work of men, while women did the weaving, food preparation and child-rearing. However, women were able to hold positions of power in religious institutions, and some groups, such as the Aclla, or chosen women, were chosen to serve the empire in religious ceremonies or were taken as wives of nobles.
Francisco Pizarro
DECLINE OF THE INCA EMPIRE
- The Spanish conquistadors' arrival in the early 16th century marked the start of the decline of the Inca Empire. The empire was weakening in the first place from internal strife. On the death of Huayna Capac in 1527, a civil war broke out between his sons Atahualpa and Huáscar for the succession to the throne. It brought the empire to ruin and divided it into opposing factions.
- In 1532, Francisco Pizarro led the Spanish to the Andes. Pizarro's army was only about 180 men strong, but it came prepared with advanced weaponry and horses that made the Inca army very vulnerable. In addition, the Spanish took advantage of the divide created by the civil war and made alliances with local tribes who had been subjugated by the Incas.
- During the Battle of Cajamarca, the Spanish captured Atahualpa, who had won the civil war.
- He gave a vast ransom of gold and silver to buy himself out, but the Spanish executed him in 1533.
- At the death of Atahualpa, the Inca leadership was in ruins, and Pizarro quickly took Cusco, the centre of the empire.
- The Inca resistance was fierce, but it was brutal as the Spanish conquered with force. Túpac Amaru was captured and executed in 1572 and was the final Inca emperor, putting an end to the Inca Empire. But for many years pockets of resistance continued, mainly in remote jungle areas.
- Lastly, the introduction of European diseases, such as smallpox, also helped bring about the decline of the empire. As these diseases spread quickly through the Inca population, so many people died that the empire was further weakened and unable to stand up to the Spanish.
- After the conquest, the Spanish introduced their own political, social and economic systems to the Andean people. Their favourite was to expel the Inca for the silver and gold they wanted. Yet their legacy did permeate the Andean region, in the form of their roads, their agricultural techniques and their cultural influence, which can still be seen today.
- The Inca Empire was an extremely orderly and very centralised state that advanced through armed expansion, efficient organisation and a strong economy based on agriculture. However, conflicts within and outside the walls ultimately doomed it to that fate at the hands of the Spanish. To this day, the legacy of the Incas is still present in South America's cultural and historical landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Inca Empire
- What was the Inca Empire?
The Inca Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. It was centred in what is now Peru and extended across western South America from the early 15th century until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Its capital was Cusco.
- When did the Inca Empire exist?
The Inca Empire rose to prominence in the early 15th century, reaching its height in the 1500s before it was conquered by Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro in 1533.
- How did the Inca Empire fall?
The Inca Empire fell due to a combination of factors, including Spanish conquest, civil war, and the introduction of diseases like smallpox, which decimated the indigenous population.