The Inca

Location: South America; Peru, Ecuador & parts of Bolivia

Potatoes! Potatoes were the staple food of the Inca, originally domesticated in Peru

The Inca Trail: 14,000 mile road system including stairs and bridges Traversed mountains, jungles & deserts Guesthouses Tied empire together Message system Troop movement

1200’s Inca tribe established itself in Cuzco Valley

1483 Pachacuti became Inca leader. He was brilliant and ambitious; conquered neighboring lands

1500 By 1500, The Inca ruled a vast empire that stretched 2,500 miles along the West coast of South America

1525 Inca leader died, Atahualpa became new emperor, civil war tore apart the Inca empire

1532 Inca emperor Atahualpa surrendered to Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro

Quechua (language spoken throughout the empire) Capital: Cuzco, Peru Language: Quechua (language spoken throughout the empire) Government: Empire/theocracy. Welfare state; government cared for people, people worked for government

Pachacuti "He who remakes the world." He began an era of conquest that expanded the Inca empire Sometimes referred to as "The Napoleon of the Andes“ Centralized, well-organized government

Quipu The Incan system of accounting Cords of various colors were attached to a main cord with knots. The number and position of knots as well as the color of each cord represented information about commercial goods, resources, and census Archeologists are now suggesting that authors used the quipu to compose and preserve their epic poems and legends.

Terrace Farming The Inca geography was mountainous Incans adapted to their terrain by creating flat terraces for farming

Inca Economy Almost all aspects of the Inca economy were owned or controlled by the government. No private enterprise People didn’t own stores or farms, the government did

Many resources spent on religious activities Traits of Inca Civilization Strength Weakness Religious beliefs & theocracy -united culture -Loyal to the emperor Many resources spent on religious activities Major road system Connected empire, helped control empire Enemy could also use road to move troops Welfare state & large bureaucracy All people in empire cared for in good & bad times People unable to care for themselves without government