The Inca or Quechua civilization, better known as the Inca civilization, was the last civilization that remained as an independent state at the time of the conquest of America. The Incas, as they are commonly known, were located in the territories of Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.
But this is only the beginning, because if you want to know more about the Incas, their empire and civilizations, you should consult today’s post, in which we will discuss who the Incas were, the history of the Incas, the Empire of the Incas and the Incas as civilization. Everything you want to know about this interesting civilization in a single entry, don’t miss it!
Who were the Incas
The first question that may come to mind is who were the Incas? Well, the Incas were a pre-Columbian society that based their construction in rows of terraces (platforms) in mountainous areas. An example that illustrates this section and that his remains are still present in Machu Picchu.
In this way they managed to develop a better hydraulic and irrigation system. Society gathered in urban centers and on road networks. The administration of the Inca society was based on the work of metal refinement, architecture, fabric crafts and pottery. All this artistic expression hit bottom in 1532, when the Spanish, under the orders of Francisco Pizarro, put an end to the Inca empire.
The advanced techniques used by the Incas allowed them to base the economy on agriculture. The typical culture of the Incas is corn, cassava, potatoes, tobacco, coca, beans, cotton, etc. From the point of view of livestock, they were able to develop a herd of South American camelids (alpaca and llama). On the other hand, the paths along which the merchandise circulated (fish and salt, mainly) had an excellent construction.
Inca history
The history of the Incas goes back even to the years before Christ. Is pre-columbian civilization it was quite advanced in culture compared to the other existing ones, before the Europeans discovered it. The extension of his empire went from the north of Ecuador to the center of Chile. The origin of the Inca society belonged to a Peruvian tribe, whose communication language they used was Quechua. The domain in this area by the Inca empire was extended to the closest towns in the year 1100 BC. However, the maximum splendor of this culture was obtained in the fifteenth century.
The beginning of this military expansion began with the war and victory against the Chankas in 1430, of the Andean regions. As he was defeating the nearby towns, he was incorporating the different cultures in his territory, in addition to imposing his model of life. However, this moment of maximum splendor was brief, since it did not last more than a century.
The Inca Empire
The empire of the Incas was controlled by the Sapa Inca or emperor. In the event of the death of the maximum leader of this empire, a council meeting was held by the governors of the four regions. with the aim of choosing the successor of the Inca empire. It should be noted that this leader only inherited the position and the wealth derived from his position went directly to his descendants. For this reason, the first actions of the emperor focused on the conquest of territories.
The economy of the Inca society was sustained by the tributes: a type of tax derived from work, that is, the law established that each person who belonged to the ayllu had to work a number of hours per year for the State. Among the most common tasks we find the tillage of state land, the construction of public monuments or the army.
the imperial hierarchy
As we have mentioned before, the Sapa Inca was the highest position he could have within the Inca culture. This governor combined in a single position all the political power, but at the same time he also ruled the religious power. To understand us, it is as if it were the Pope and a king at the same time.
Due to this great power, all the subjects paid homage to him without hesitation. They assumed his orders directly, assuming that his vast power also gave him the necessary wisdom to lead an entire civilization. In fact, he performed tasks as dobernador at the same time that he assumed audiences with the subjects and administered the issues related to justice.
To carry out all their tasks, each Sapa Inca was ordered to build a new and own castle in Cuzco. From there, with his identifying masapaicha (red wool tassel on his head), he faced the day-to-day life of the position he held. From time to time he also undertook trips throughout the empire to find out first-hand what ordinary citizens needed.
Below the Sapa Inca were the Auqui or crown prince; the Imperial Rabbit formed by four political figures who shared the territory, the apunchic or territorial governors and the tucuiricuc, supervisors. At street level there were the curaca, they were chiefs of the different communities who exercised control and justice tasks.
The Decimal Base of Management
One of the main curiosities of the Inca civilization is its decimal base of administration. They did not fully trust the good work of their officials as is the case now. For this reason they used systems that allowed them to maintain a certain control to guarantee the proper functioning of the entire empire.
Each official was in charge of 10 of the employees who were below him in a kind of pyramid organization. For every 10 officials of a rank there was a superior that focused on their good organization and ensured that the work went ahead.
And so on until reaching the Sapa Inca who, as we have seen, was the highest power within the Inca civilization.
transportation system
Within the transport system of the Incas, what stands out the most is the Camino Real or Qhapaq Ñan. An engineering work that was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014.
This road measures more than 5,000 kilometers and was ideal to join all the secondary roads that were part of the Inca civilization. These secondary contents made up a total of 20,000 kilometers They covered every inch of ground.
One of the most powerful features of the Inca transportation system is that they never gave up when it came to making a path. Instead of avoiding trouble when they were building the road, They were looking for a way to solve each obstacle to move forward by joining the two points they wanted to join.
In order to solve all these problems they had solutions such as:
- Bridges: They built them floating and hanging to be able to pass through any terrain. They covered the space above rivers or other accumulations of water.
- Drums: They were used to store things on the sides of the roads. A kind of urban pantries. There they could store weapons, food, clothing or any other material that was necessary to cover a piece of land.
- snaps: An efficient and very fast mail transport system.
The Qhapaq Ñan, which had all these elements just like the secondary roads, was made up of two different branches. One of them was cost and the other was interior, and they were built to connect all the towns in a comfortable and efficient way.
As you have been able to deduce after seeing the great organization of power and administration, the Inca civilization had very marked social strata.
On one side was the noble part of civilization. The nobility was made up of two different types of people. There was the consanguineous nobility that reached these high positions thanks to being children or relatives of other nobles. And there was also the nobility by privilege. These came to power thanks to their services to the State. They could get power thanks to participating in wars and achieving great deeds or for religious reasons.
If you weren’t part of the nobility then you were part of the people. This was made up of three types of people. The hatunrunas were what can be translated as common people. The mitimaes were especially faithful to the Sapa Inca and had the task of colonizing new areas. Finally, the yanacunas were the lowest stratum and served as servants and servants all their lives.
The economic organization
The Incas were a very hard-working society. a reflection of this is the pyramidal decimal organization that we have seen before. They left nothing to chance and dedicated a lot of time and effort to achieving all the goals and objectives set.
The Inca economy is based on agriculture, livestock, fishing and trade. The territory was divided based on the functions and jobs that they could carry out and the work was highly segmented among the entire population.
The Incas as a civilization
Before moving on, it is necessary to make a brief summary of the social organization. The society of the Incas as a civilization was divided into different social groups. The first of these was the royal nobility, made up of warriors, officials, and priests.
On the other hand, we find the curacas (provincial nobles), whose function was based on governing the region. The communities they governed were known as ayllu.
And finally we find the last social classes, the artisans and servants (yanas). The first of them worked for the State in exchange for food, clothing and tools to carry out his work. And the servants, uprooted from the ayllu, who worked for the emperor or whoever he decided through donations. Anecdotally, the organization of the Inca empire had a type of police, known as tucuyricu (What does it mean the one who sees everything), whose function was based on ensuring the correct compliance with the laws, supported by the advisors, known as Michues.
Under the economical point of view, the ayllu was the economic, political and social nucleus, and was formed by groups of families. This community had various pieces of land that were part of society as a collective. Therefore, each person, as a member of the ayllu, can access these collective goods. However, he had some obligations in return, such as attending religious celebrations and common work.
The political organization of the Inca society is known worldwide for the empire they formed. In the fifteenth century, they achieved the largest extension of the territory, in which they dominated through the conquest of the peoples of the other areas. At the head of the empire was the emperor or Inca and the second command belonged to the curacas (governors), whose mission was dedicated to governing the areas of conquest.
What did the Incas leave us?
The Inca legacy has been very extensive. We no longer only refer to what is palpable, to monuments or constructions. We also refer to the entire imprint they left on a cultural and social level. In the end, Due to the subsequent colonization of America, its lessons and wisdom have ended up reaching any part of the world.
If we focus on the tangible…