the inca: cultural achievements and leaders
The Inca are well known for their mastery of metalwork and artistic weaving. The Inca were skilled metalworkers, mainly in the mediums of copper, tin, bronze, silver, and gold. In fact, a great site of the Inca Empire is the life sized field of corn the Inca artisans forged from gold and silver in their temple courtyard. For weaving, the Inca used cotton and the wool of their llamas and alpacas to make clothing, textiles, and accessories. Their weaving had three levels of quality: first was the "plain" weaving that was used around commoners' households; then was the "fine" weaving that was used to pay taxes through barter and to trade; lastly was the "special" weaving that was commissioned for the wear of royalty or used during religious ceremonies. However, metalwork and weaving were not the only cultural advances the Incas made. The Incas meticulously kept records of their empire, just as they kept record and control over their people. The Incas kept a detailed census of their people by using the quipus--this census included births and deaths, and from its records the Incan government could determine each person's wealth, if he or she was a widow, if he or she had paid his or her taxes, and how many men were available to fight if a war occurred. The quipus was especially helpful for the tax system, as each person listed had to pay a tax, usually in the form of the mita--people paid their taxes in military service and physical labor.
Some of the public works that the laborers constructed were the famously well-built road network across the Inca Empire and the Incan suspension bridges. The network of roads spanned nearly 14,000 miles in total. These roads were completely under government control, meaning that no one could travel the roads without special permission, allowing the government to control even the movements of its people. The Incan suspension bridges also served for transport across the empire. The suspension bridges traveled across the gorges that were dramatic geographical barriers amidst the empire. These bridges were strategically made of rope, reeds, and vines so that they could be set fire to if the Incas spotted an enemy approaching from the other bank. Furthermore, the Incas made practical advancements in medicine. They used the practice of cleaning the area they were to operate on, a procedure much like the modern procedure of antiseptics. The Incan doctors also gave their patients drugs to make him or her unconscious, a procedure mimicking the modern process of giving patients anesthesia.
The founder of the Inca dynasty was the obscure leader, Manco Capac. Manco Capac lived from 1022 to 1107. At the beginning of his reign over the newly created Inca dynasty, he declared himself Sapa Inca, the divine son of the Sun. As a skilled warrior and leader, he served as the empire's chief religious leader and military commander.
However, Pachacuti, arguably the most powerful, successful Incan ruler, is credited with the founding of the Incan dynasty, though he comes after Manco Capac. Pachacuti, whose coronation was in 1438, usurped the throne from his brother, Inca Urcon. After his coronation, Pachacuti used his great military skill to advantage the empire by beginning the greatest period of expansion for the Inca Empire. Pachacuti used propaganda and the incentive of rewards such as land, laborers, military honors, and government offices, to keep his army determined on the course of conquest. Pachacuti was an efficient military leader without sacrificing his empathy--Pachacuti was generous to those provinces who submitted to his rule without resistance, and he showed his kindness by not acting brutally to the subjects of such provinces. Pachacuti's lenience promoted the peaceful assimilation and expansion of provinces into his empire. Though he was undeniably successful in his military campaigns, Pachacuti turned over his army to his brothers and son in order to focus on the governance of his empire after a portion of conquest. Pachacuti proved to be as efficient a governor as he was a military leader. Pachacuti understood that his empire could only function once it had been united. Consequently, Pachacuti set in preventative measures to ensure that revolts did not break out among his newly conquered subjects. One technique Pachacuti used to solidify his empire, and thus prevent revolts, was to establish both an official language, Quechua, and religion for the entire empire so that all subjects felt connected. The absolute power of the Sapa Inca, and his claim over all the land, herds, mines, and people in the empire because of his divine lineage (the Sapa Inca was believed to be the son of the Sun god) also helped discourage unrest among the subjects, as they were all united under a single, unchallengeable ruler. Pachacuti also instituted concrete measures of unity. Pachacuti began the policy of sending his own loyal government officials to rule the conquered provinces so that the leaders of the provinces could not direct their subjects against the Incan government. Such preventative measures also included breaking up local communities by sending members to work in more productive areas as part of the labor levy, or mita. The displacement of the conquered people also allowed Pachacuti to construct grand public works to assert the dominance of his empire. He first developed Cuzco, his capital city, from a scattered town into a planned city with temples, plazas, canals, baths, estates, and stone houses. After his massive building projects at Cuzco, Pachacuti went on to order the building of Machu Picchu, one of the best surviving examples of Incan engineering and architecture, a monument you will explore on your journey through America. One a more practical level, Pachacuti applied new engineering to the landscape around his cities to improve the agricultural potential of the land to best feed his people. He applied new farming methods to the areas around his cities to adapt to the rugged terrain and elevation of the area--the main new technique he applied was terrace farming, cutting into the side of the hills to create flat growing surfaces.
Some of the public works that the laborers constructed were the famously well-built road network across the Inca Empire and the Incan suspension bridges. The network of roads spanned nearly 14,000 miles in total. These roads were completely under government control, meaning that no one could travel the roads without special permission, allowing the government to control even the movements of its people. The Incan suspension bridges also served for transport across the empire. The suspension bridges traveled across the gorges that were dramatic geographical barriers amidst the empire. These bridges were strategically made of rope, reeds, and vines so that they could be set fire to if the Incas spotted an enemy approaching from the other bank. Furthermore, the Incas made practical advancements in medicine. They used the practice of cleaning the area they were to operate on, a procedure much like the modern procedure of antiseptics. The Incan doctors also gave their patients drugs to make him or her unconscious, a procedure mimicking the modern process of giving patients anesthesia.
The founder of the Inca dynasty was the obscure leader, Manco Capac. Manco Capac lived from 1022 to 1107. At the beginning of his reign over the newly created Inca dynasty, he declared himself Sapa Inca, the divine son of the Sun. As a skilled warrior and leader, he served as the empire's chief religious leader and military commander.
However, Pachacuti, arguably the most powerful, successful Incan ruler, is credited with the founding of the Incan dynasty, though he comes after Manco Capac. Pachacuti, whose coronation was in 1438, usurped the throne from his brother, Inca Urcon. After his coronation, Pachacuti used his great military skill to advantage the empire by beginning the greatest period of expansion for the Inca Empire. Pachacuti used propaganda and the incentive of rewards such as land, laborers, military honors, and government offices, to keep his army determined on the course of conquest. Pachacuti was an efficient military leader without sacrificing his empathy--Pachacuti was generous to those provinces who submitted to his rule without resistance, and he showed his kindness by not acting brutally to the subjects of such provinces. Pachacuti's lenience promoted the peaceful assimilation and expansion of provinces into his empire. Though he was undeniably successful in his military campaigns, Pachacuti turned over his army to his brothers and son in order to focus on the governance of his empire after a portion of conquest. Pachacuti proved to be as efficient a governor as he was a military leader. Pachacuti understood that his empire could only function once it had been united. Consequently, Pachacuti set in preventative measures to ensure that revolts did not break out among his newly conquered subjects. One technique Pachacuti used to solidify his empire, and thus prevent revolts, was to establish both an official language, Quechua, and religion for the entire empire so that all subjects felt connected. The absolute power of the Sapa Inca, and his claim over all the land, herds, mines, and people in the empire because of his divine lineage (the Sapa Inca was believed to be the son of the Sun god) also helped discourage unrest among the subjects, as they were all united under a single, unchallengeable ruler. Pachacuti also instituted concrete measures of unity. Pachacuti began the policy of sending his own loyal government officials to rule the conquered provinces so that the leaders of the provinces could not direct their subjects against the Incan government. Such preventative measures also included breaking up local communities by sending members to work in more productive areas as part of the labor levy, or mita. The displacement of the conquered people also allowed Pachacuti to construct grand public works to assert the dominance of his empire. He first developed Cuzco, his capital city, from a scattered town into a planned city with temples, plazas, canals, baths, estates, and stone houses. After his massive building projects at Cuzco, Pachacuti went on to order the building of Machu Picchu, one of the best surviving examples of Incan engineering and architecture, a monument you will explore on your journey through America. One a more practical level, Pachacuti applied new engineering to the landscape around his cities to improve the agricultural potential of the land to best feed his people. He applied new farming methods to the areas around his cities to adapt to the rugged terrain and elevation of the area--the main new technique he applied was terrace farming, cutting into the side of the hills to create flat growing surfaces.