Incan People

Reagan Hart

Back in the 1400s-1500s there were people who lived and thrived off of a simple lifestyle that
consisted off of family, farming and The Sun God. People who lived thousands and thousands of
feet up into the mountains in South America, where the winters are frigid and summers getting
increasingly warmer. These people are the Tawantinsuyu, or the The Four Regions? What
about The United Provinces? Dont recognize it? In English, these were the Inca people. The
famous warriors and architects. The ones who built Machu Picchu, an abandoned city on top of a
mountain in Peru where you get to fully experience the amazing architecture of the Incan people,
the dry-stone walls built with massive pieces of stone and blocks with no evidence of mortar
used. Intrigued yet?

These people thrived only the short period in the 13th century, mid-1400s through the mid-
1500s. (1438-1533). Incan people became the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, where
they sprouted from the highlands of Cusco but spread all throughout the west side of South
America. Cusco is now modern day Peru, but their empire spread down through Chile, Ecuador,
Bolivia and Argentina.
The Incan people did not have a President like we do, they had an Emperor who was considered
Child of the Sun. He had the majority of the power. Given that the Incas had a totalitarian like
government, there was also a small minority of nobles that were under the Emperor. Their
government didnt govern like we do, they didnt punish like we do. For instance, the crime
wasnt bad at all because all clans had and provided for themselves, therefore stealing was not a
large factor. Most crimes consisted of murder or insulting the Gods, which those punishment is
simple You are thrown off a cliff. Crimes like adultery, the convicted are tied together by
hands and feet and strapped to a wall naked and left to starve. Now obviously not all crimes are
murder or adultery, so for smaller infractions the punishment was cutting off ears, fingers, hands,
feet, noses, or the gouging of eyes.
The Incans also did not have Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, they had Huacas. The almighty,
invincible, all powering, everlasting God to the Inca was Wiraqocha (The Sun God). Their
beliefs consisted of that all deities were created by The Sun God and he was sovereign over all
things.
Inca people were very intelligent. For living in such an early time, they had outstanding
education and creativity. Their official language for everyday usage and trading was Quechua,
which is based off of nature. Being known for their amazing advanced hydraulic engineering,
agricultural techniques, architecture and building, ironworks and ceramics, it is clear they were
not ignorant ancient people living up in the mountains. Take Machu Picchu for example, a stone
built city up in the mountains that are still standing and no proof of any mortar to hold the blocks
together are shown. This ancient city still stands without complete understanding of its use when
it was a used location.
The Inca people had a different sorts of jobs varying from a basket weaver to sorcerers to
warriors and all in between. Considering that all women were married by 17, they stayed home
and cooked, fed, made clothing and gathered wild berries, vegetables, and edible plants.While
the men did more of the strenuous, rugged jobs such as defending the clan, hunting, fishing, and
traveling for trade.
I have mentioned the word clan quite a few times throughout my paper, and no, clan is not
some slang work for what the Incan people called their families or social groupings. Allyu is the
literal term but clan is the term people actually understand. Allyu or clan is how these people
grouped themselves, which usually consisted of the man and wife and their children, extended
family (grandparents), and possibly other families. Each clan was supervised by a chief which
was normally the alpha male of the clan.
Some fun facts or things you may not know about the Inca are things like, they heavily relied
on sundial. Sundials help them keep track of the months and growing seasons. Incan people were
always fascinated by people of the Western World, so much so that it is rumored that an Incan
clan once rummaged through the belongings of Spanish conquistadors and took anything of any
value, leaving this developing economy in tatters as they scrambled to get back on their feet
financially. One last thing to blow your mind, given that these people live thousands of feet into
the mountains, the winters are HARSH. It still perplexes scientists on how somehow the Incas
not only lived but THRIVED in these conditions because even with the best technology we have
ever had today, it still takes our bodies a while to acclimate to that kind of weather. Incan people
didnt have heavy, thick, and insulated Patagonia hiking material, they had animal fur that was
hand wove. Mind blown! So the next time you get grouchy about your mother not buying you
the exact color shirt you wanted from American Eagle, consider if you had to have made it from
your own hands? These amazing, marvelous people definitely keep you humble and thankful.