5.3 The Incas

The Incas Create an Empire While the Aztecs were ruling Mexico, the Inca Empire arose in South America. They began as a small tribe in the Andes where their capital was Cuzco in what is now Peru.

MAP QUESTION…Why was Cuzco a better location than Quito for the Inca capital?

Mid-1400s a ruler named Pachacuti began expanding Inca territory. By the early 1500s the Inca Empire was huge. It stretched from present-day Ecuador south to central Chile. 12 million people with a strong central government.

Inca Social Classes There were two main social classes in Inca society: The Upper Class  the emperor, government officials, and priests. They lived in stone houses in Cuzco and wore the best clothes. They did not have to pay taxes and enjoyed many luxuries. For example  Inca rulers could relax at Machu Picchu (a royal retreat high in the Andes Mountains)

The Lower Class  farmers (most Incas), artisans, and servants The Lower Class  farmers (most Incas), artisans, and servants. (there were no slaves because the Incas didn’t believe in slavery) Farmers grew all sorts of crops depending on which part of the empire they lived. (maize and peanuts in the warm valleys and potatoes in the cooler mountains) Incas also raised llamas for wool and meat. The lower class people dressed in plain clothes and lived simply. They could not own more goods than just what they needed to survive and had to give most of what they made to the upper class.

Religion Incas thought their ruler was related to the sun god and never really died. As a result, priests brought mummies of former kings to many ceremonies. People gave these royal mummies food and gifts.

Inca ceremonies included sacrifices, but unlike the Aztec and Maya, they rarely sacrificed humans. They sacrificed llamas, cloth, or food instead.

In addition to practicing the official religion, people outside Cuzco worshipped other gods at local sacred places. The Incas believed certain mountaintops, rocks and springs had magical powers.

Achievements Stone temples  they were masters at masonry (stonework) so their temples did not need cement to hold the stones together. Art  pottery, gold and silver jewelry

The Incas had no written language. They instead kept records with knotted rope called quipus. Knots in the rope stood for numbers and different colors represented information about crops, land and other important topics.

Pizarro Conquers the Incas In 1532 Spanish soldiers led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the Inca Empire. When the Inca king, Atahualpa came to meet the group, the Spanish attacked. Since the Spanish had caught the Inca by surprise they quickly captured Atahualpa and killed thousands of Inca soldiers.

Francisco Pizarro organized expeditions to explore the west coast of South America. His first two trips were mostly uneventful. But on his third trip, Pizarro met the Incas. With only about 180 men, he conquered the Inca Empire, which had been weakened by disease and civil war. In 1535 Pizarro founded Lima, the capital of modern Peru. Francisco Pizarro (1475–1541)

To win his freedom, Atahualpa asked his people to fill a room with gold and silver for Pizarro. Despite this huge payment, the Spanish killed Atahualpa.

By 1537 Pizarro had defeated the last of the Incas ending their empire in South America. The Spanish ruled the entire Inca Empire for the next 300 years.