ANCIENT INCA CIVILIZATION

CATEGORY
1. POLITICAL SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

Monarchy
The Inca government was called the Tawantinsuyu. It
was a monarchy ruled by a single leader called the
Sapa Inca
Officers who helped to rule the empire
Viceroy - He was a close relative of the Sapa Inca and
worked as his closest advisor.
High Priest - The high priest, called the "Willaq
Umu", was also a very powerful man.
Governors of a Quarter - The Inca Empire was
divided up into four quarters. Each of these quarters
was ruled by a governor called an Apu.
Council of the Realm - The Sapa Inca also kept a
council of men who advised him on major matters.
Inspectors - The inspectors were called "tokoyrikoq".
Military Generals - These leaders were called
"Apukuna".
Other Officials - There were many other government
officials and leaders throughout the Inca Empire such
as priests, military officers, judges, and tax collectors.
The laws were made by the Sapa Inca and passed
down to the people through the tax collectors

2. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

How it is developed?

The Empire was divided up into quarters called

"suyu"
Each suyu was then further divided into provinces
called "wamani"
The smallest, and maybe the most important, division
of government was the ayllu

Upper Class
Women in these noble families had household duties
such as cooking and making clothes, taking care of
the children.
Sons of upper class families went to school in Cuzco
Lower Class
Parents taught their children to work, most didn't get
to go to school.
Some specially chosen girls got to go to school to
learn weaving, cooking and religion.
Lower class lived in houses outside of Cuzco.
They had to wear plain clothes
They couldn't own more than they needed.
3. SOCIAL CLASS

Sapa Inca
-

Most powerful person during the Inca civilization and in

other terms, was the king of the Incas

Considered to be the son of the sun and was the wealthiest
and most respected person

Royalty
-

relatives and family of the king

wealthiest and the most powerful people during the Incas
civilization and enjoyed all the luxuries

Nobility
Capac Incans-highest ranking nobles
Huhua Incans- these were not the true nobles but were still
given the status and rights
Curacas-these were the local leaders and collected taxes.
Commoner
-

Farmers
Herders

4. ECONOMY/TRADE
SYSTEM

Servants
slaves

The main industry of the Inca empire was farming

Using mit'a labor to construct irrigation canals and
carve terraces from steep mountainsides
Some crops, such as potatoes, would grow in highaltitude cool climates, while others, such as maize,
grew in the hot, irrigated lowland areas
Incas encouraged each region to set up colonies in a
variety of climate zoneshighland, lowland, coastal
so that each region could be mostly self-sufficient
The Inca economy was not based on a money system,
and it did not have commerce (or free trade
Incas invested mit'a labor: They directed terracing
and irrigation projects that enabled peasants to grow
more food
A large group of full-time artisans began to
produce pottery, metalwork, and other crafts
Inca economy was unique among the world's ancient
civilizations in that the government maintained
control of almost all exchanges and took over all
aspects of trade
The government supported the elderly and sick
Each ayllu was responsible for paying taxes to the
government
The Inca had tax inspectors that watched over the

5. TECHNOLOGIES

people to make sure that they paid all their taxes

Road & Communication
-

They did invent a network of roads and

highways that connected their territory on a
scale never seen before in South America.

The entire system was reserved for government

officials; if you were a commoner, you needed
to seek special permission to walk the CapacNan (Imperial Highway System).

Quipus

Information was relayed across the roads and

bridges of the Incan empire through the passing
of items known as khipus (sometimes spelled
"quipus") in which they believed that the
number of knots -- as well as knot types and
their position on each pendant cord -- was used
for record keeping according to a decimal
system.

Rope Bridges
Terrace Farming
-

Building stepped terraces help the Incas create

farmland, and the clever construction of each
terrace gave crops the best chance of survival.

Freeze Drying
6. KNOWLEDGE/
INVENTIONS/WRITINGS

Tambo
-

They were temporary lodgings for travelers on

the road. They also served as storehouses, where
Inca officials stored weapons, food, clothing
and other supplies. Tambos also served as
emergency bunkers needed in case of a foreign
invasion, an emergency or a natural disaster.

Intihuatana astronomical clock

-

The Intihuatana was used as a sort of calendar.

Brain Surgery
-

Skull surgery was used to relieve inflammation

from head trauma.

Medicine
-

Coca leaves were used to lessen hunger and

pain.

The Inca also used guinea pigs for not only food
but for a so-called well-working medicine.

7. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The Tahuantinsuyu, or Incan religion was pantheist (sun

god, earth goddess, corn god, etc.). Subjects of the

empire were allowed to worship their ancestral gods as
long as they accepted the supremacy of Inti, the sun
god, which was the most important god worshiped by
the Inca leadership.
The main festival was the annual sun-celebration, when
thanksgiving for the crop was given and prayers for an
even better harvest next year. Before the festival, the
people fasted and abstained from sex. Mummies of
distinguished dead were brought to observe the
ceremonies. Solemn hymns were sung and ritual kisses
blown towards the sun-god. The king, as son of the sun
god, drank from a ceremonial goblet, then the elders
also drank.
A llama was also sacrificed by the Willaq Uma, or High
Priest, who pulled out the lungs and other parts with
which to predict the future. A sacred fire was lit by
using the sun's heat. Sanqhu, a type of holy bread was
also offered.
BURIAL PRACTICES
The Inca believed in reincarnation. Those who obeyed
the Incan moral codeama suwa, ama llulla, ama
quella (do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy)went to
live in the sun's warmth.
The Inca also believed in mummifying prominent
personages. The mummies would be provided with an
assortment of objects which were to be taken into
the pacarina. Upon reaching the pacarina, the
mummies or mallqui would be able to converse with the

area's other ancient ancestors,

the huacas. The mallquis were also used in various
rituals or celebrations. The deceased were generally
buried in a sitting position.
8. ART AND
ARCHITECTURE

ARTS
The artistic style of the Inca utilized the vocabulary of
many regions and cultures, but incorporated these
themes into a standardized imperial style that could
easily be replicated and spread throughout the empire.

The simple abstract geometric forms and highly

stylized animal representation in ceramics, wood
carvings, textiles, and metalwork were all part of the
Inca culture.

The motifs were not as revivalist as previous empires.

No motifs of other societies were directly used with the
exception of Huari and Tiwanaku arts.
ARCHITECTURE
Incas are known for their stonemasonry.
The most elegant Inca architecture is simple and, for the
most part, undecorated on the outside.
Temples and palaces were constructed of precisely cut
limestone or granite blocks, some of which were
immense. They were pieced together like an intricate
and three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. They needed no
mortar to cement them together because the fit was so
perfect. These buildings are still standing five centuries
later, while earthquakes and the ravages of time have
crumbled more-modern structures.
The Incas had no iron tools for cutting the stones. Once
a block of stone arrived at the work site, a group of
workers would begin the long process of cutting the
stone to fit into the wall, probably using hard stone
instruments to chip, rub, and sculpt the blocks.

9. RIVER SYSTEM

A partially navigable headwater of the Amazon

River, it rises in the Andes to the southeast of
Cuzco.
It originates on the slopes of Khunurana in the Puno
Region, Melgar Province, near the La Raya pass.
It flows north-north-west for 724 kilometers before
coalescing with the Tambo River to form the Ucayali

10. CITY-STATE

River.
The Incas were simply a small tribe, lived in the city
of Cuzco.
Cuzco was the capital and birthplace of the Inca
Empire. The emperor, or Sapa Inca, lived in a palace
in Cuzco.
Cuzco was founded by Manco Capac around 1200
AD. He established the Kingdom of Cuzco as a citystate that ruled the surrounding lands.
North to south were the Andes Mountains - home of
the Inca civilization.
The Andes mountain created a natural barrier
between the coastal desert on one side and the
Amazon jungle on the other.
Inca built bridges across the across snow-capped
mountains were full of deep gorges, so they could
reach all parts of their empire quickly and easily.
These mountain gorges were natural barriers. If an

enemy approached, the Incas could simply burn the

bridges.

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