Inca Empire
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As the Spanish conquered Peru, they found riches filled all over the land of the Inca Empire. The streets were not filled with gold, but the temples surely were, the Coricancha, or Temple of Gold had ornamental gardens where maize plants were planted and decorated with silver and gold. Close by there is a flock of 20 golden llamas and lambs with a solid gold shepherd and all around Inca nobles walked around with sandals that had silver soles to protect their feet from the rough streets of Cuzco. The empire was named Tahuantinsuyu, or Land of the Four Quarters for the land stretched to be 2,500 miles from Quito, Ecuador, all the way to Santiago, Chile. Within the land it included coastal settlements, mountain valleys, tropical forests, and the driest of deserts. The empire had over 10 million people that spoke a hundred different languages, making it the largest empire on Earth during the time. When Pizarro took control of the empire, it was only 50 years old. According to one legend, four brothers came from Lake Titicaca and over a long journey all disappeared except one. Manco Capac was the one to survive as he threw a golden staff into the ground where Rios Tullamayo and Huantanay meet and he became the founder of the sacred city of Cuzco. Cuzco is built into a mountain valley 10,000 feet above sea level that formed the center of the Inca Empire. Pachacuti was the first emperor of the Incas and made the city from a modest village into a great city in the shape of a puma. The first emperor also interpreted Inti, the Sun God as the Inca’s official patron as he built the god his own temple. To help expand the Inca Empire, the emperor did something great; he established that when a ruler died, his son would receive all the earthly power, but not possessions. In this case all the land, buildings, and servants went to his panaqa, or other male relatives. His relatives would then use it to preserve his mummy and keep his political influences. When a new ruler took control he had to create his own income and the only way to do that was to conquer new land, take control of more people, and expand the empire.
The Inca people were excellent builders as they loved to use stone. At Machu Picchu, images are carved into the rock and shapes are carved into slabs to represent the mountains of the land. Highways allowed for communication within the Inca emperors to control their subjects. One network of highways ran down the middle area of the Andes and another along the coast. The builders would cope with anything the land gave them, using paths cut into the mountain sides and installing rope suspension bridges over large ravines. For every mile and a half, stations were built as a resting place and messages could be transferred up to 1200 miles away under a week. Everyone in the empire was expected to contribute to the empire, in the form of paying taxes as tribute. The land was divided into three sections; one third was worked for the emperor, one third was for the gods, and one third was for the people to keep. Tax collectors and bureaucrats would keep track of things with quipu, or knotted strings. With the strings varying in color, length, knot-types, and positions, it allowed them to collect lots of information. When Pizarro executed the last emperor, the empire started to collapse as a Christian god replaced the Children of the Sun. But the people tried to adapt to their new conditions as they took what they had to from their masters and tried to hold onto the old customs and cultures.
The Inca people were excellent builders as they loved to use stone. At Machu Picchu, images are carved into the rock and shapes are carved into slabs to represent the mountains of the land. Highways allowed for communication within the Inca emperors to control their subjects. One network of highways ran down the middle area of the Andes and another along the coast. The builders would cope with anything the land gave them, using paths cut into the mountain sides and installing rope suspension bridges over large ravines. For every mile and a half, stations were built as a resting place and messages could be transferred up to 1200 miles away under a week. Everyone in the empire was expected to contribute to the empire, in the form of paying taxes as tribute. The land was divided into three sections; one third was worked for the emperor, one third was for the gods, and one third was for the people to keep. Tax collectors and bureaucrats would keep track of things with quipu, or knotted strings. With the strings varying in color, length, knot-types, and positions, it allowed them to collect lots of information. When Pizarro executed the last emperor, the empire started to collapse as a Christian god replaced the Children of the Sun. But the people tried to adapt to their new conditions as they took what they had to from their masters and tried to hold onto the old customs and cultures.