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THE INCA PEOPLE OF PERU

The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America.

THE INCA PEOPLE OF PERU

19/06/2024

THE INCA PEOPLE OF PERU

The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The civilization emerged in the 13th century and lasted until it was conquered by the Spanish in 1572. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was located in Cusco (also called Cuzco) in modern Peru. From 1438 to 1533, the Incas used a variety of methods, from conquest to peaceful assimilation, to incorporate a large portion of western South America. Beginning with the rule of Pachacuti-Cusi Yupanqui, the Incas expanded their borders to include large parts of modern Ecuador, Peru, western and south-central Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, northern and north-central Chile, and southern Colombia. This vast territory was known in Quechua (the language of the Inca Empire) as Tawantin Suyu, or the Four Regions, which met in the capital of Cusco.

Inca architecture and masonry.

The architecture illustrates the sophistication and technical skills typical of the Inca Empire. The prime example of this resilient art form was the capital city of Cusco, which brought together the Four Regions. The Incas used a mortarless construction technique, called dry stone wall, which fitted the stones together so well that you couldn't put a knife through the stone. This was a process first used on a large scale by the people of Pucara (c. 300 BCE-300 CE) to the south on Lake Titicaca, and later in the large city of Tiwanaku (c. 400–1100 CE) in the present. Bolivia The rocks used in the construction were sculpted to fit exactly together by repeatedly lowering one rock onto another and cutting away sections of the rock below where there was compression or the pieces did not fit exactly. The tight fit and concavity in the lower rocks made them extraordinarily stable.

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. It is a rare example of this architectural construction technique and remains in remarkable condition after many centuries. The construction of Machu Picchu appears to date from the time of the two great Inca emperors, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438–1471) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472–1493), and was probably built as a temple for Emperor Pachacutec. Machu Picchu was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572, as a late result of the Spanish conquest, possibly related to smallpox.

TEXTILES, CERAMIC AND METALWORK

Textiles were one of the most prized products of Inca culture and denoted a person's social status and often their profession. Brightly colored patterns on a woolen tunic represented various positions and achievements. For example, a black and white checkerboard pattern topped with a pink triangle denotes a soldier. Because textiles were so specific to a person's class and employment, citizens could not change their wardrobe without express permission from the government. Textiles were also made that could only be used for certain tasks or social settings. A coarser textile, spun from llama wool and called awaska, was used for everyday household tasks. On the other hand, a very soft and very fine cloth made of vicuña wool could only be used in religious ceremonies.

While textiles were considered the most precious product in Inca culture, the Incas also considered ceramics and metalworking to be essential products of the economy and class system. Inca pottery was distinctive and typically had a spherical body with a cone-shaped base. Pottery would also frequently include curved handles and animal heads, such as jaguars or birds. These ceramics were painted in bright colors, such as orange, red, black, and yellow.

The Incas also required each province to mine precious metals such as tin, silver, gold, and copper. The intricate metalwork of the Incas was heavily influenced by the Chimú culture, which was conquered and absorbed into the Inca culture around 1470. This metalwork included detailed friezes and patterns embedded in the metal. Fine silver and gold were made into intricate decorative pieces for emperors and elites based on these Chimú metalworking traditions, and often included animal motifs with butterflies, jaguars, and llamas etched into the metal. Skilled metallurgists also transformed bronze and copper into agricultural implements, blades, axes, and pins for daily activities.

Agriculture and diet

The Inca culture had a wide variety of crops, totaling around seventy different strains in total, making it one of the most diverse crop cultures in the world. Some of these tasty vegetables and grains include:

  • Potatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Corn
  • Cotton
  • The tomatoes
  • Goose
  • Quinoa
  • Amaranth

These crops were grown in the high-altitude Andes by building terraced farms that allowed farmers to use the mineral-rich mountain soil. The rapid change in altitude on these mountain farms also utilized the microclimates of each terrace to grow a wider range of crops. The Incas also produced bounties in the Amazon rainforest and on the drier coast of modern-day Peru.

Along with vegetables, the Incas supplemented their diet with fish, guinea pigs, camelid meat, and poultry. They also fermented maize, or maize, to create the alcoholic beverage chicha.

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