1. The Inca Empire
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2. Objectives
Describe the ways the Inca adapted the environment to their needs
Trace the growth of the Inca Empire
Identify and describe major achievements of the Inca Empire

3. Mountains of South America
Built empire along Andes Mountains
Stretched from what is today Ecuador to central Chile
To put that in perspective: that distance is the same as NYC to the Panama Canal!

4. The Inca Like the Aztec, they worshipped the sun
Depended on maize as a major crop
Organized a strong army
Created a system of government

5. Cuzco Where the Inca Empire got started
Cuzco is in a fertile valley of what is today Peru
Around the year the Inca settled here to crow crops
At first “Inca” was the name for the ruler
Later the word applied to all people

6. Drought: Reduced Farmland
Inca took over neighbors’ land
During the 1300s the Inca ruled most of the Cuzco Valley and demanded tributes from the other people living there

7. Pachakuti Ruler in 1438 Greatly extended the Inca borders
Controlled land west to the Pacific Ocean and south to the area of Lake Titicaca
Inca army seemed “unstoppable”!

8. Pachakuti = Sapa Inca Sapa Inca = Supreme Inca (“supreme ruler”)
Pachakuti organized his new land:
Forced conquered people off their land
Allowed people who were loyal to the Inca to settle there

9. Inca Religion Spread under Pachakuti
Religion was based on the worship of an ancient Inca god called Viracocha
Conquered people were forced to worship Viracocha and provide offerings of food
Inca also let people continue to worship their own gods as well

10. Temples
Pachakuti built a temple with a gold sculpture of the god Viracocha
Temple was located in Cuzco
The most important temple honored Inti, the sun god
The Inca considered Inti to be their parent and often called themselves “Children of the Sun”

11. Life in Cuzco
Cuzco served as the center of government, religion, and trade in the Inca empire
Buildings were constructed of stone blocks
Wealthy people were easy to recognize because they wore special headbands and earrings
Outside Cuzco, farmers lived in small mud huts with high windows

12. Inca Agriculture Grew potatoes, maize, and peppers
In hilly areas, built terraces – level platforms of earth that climbed each hill like a staircase
In rocky areas, dug huge pits (20 feet deep!)
Farmers enriched soil by placing fish in the pits
In dry areas, Inca brought water through a system of canals and aqueducts
Raised llamas as pack
animals
Raised wild sheep for wool
Hunted deer for food
and clothing

13. Traveling
Nothing was more important to keeping the empire together than the huge network of roads
Built more than 19,000 miles of roads

14. Quipu Quipu messages were carried through the empire by runners
Messengers stopped every few miles to pass on messages to the next runner

15. Machu Picchu Located on a mountaintop “Why it was built” - theories:
Forgotten until it was discovered again in 1911
“Why it was built” - theories:
Special religious town
Used as a fortress during war

16. Spanish Soldiers Spanish soldiers conquered the Inca in the 1500s
Quipu records remain