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4
The Inca Create a
Mountain Empire
DIRECTIONS: Open this assignment in Notability. Read through the text, ANNOTATE & HIGHLIGHT important ideas using the key below. Make sure to
include the "Terms to Know" in your highlighting, and make sure to highlight at least one section per PIECES category. Submit to Google Classroom as a PDF.
KEY FOR HIGHLIGHTING IMPORTANT TERMS TO KNOW

■ POLITICAL (red) ■ CULTURAL (green) • Atahualpa • Pachacuti

■ INTERREGIONAL (orange) ■ ENVIRONMENTAL (blue) • ayllu • Quechua
■ ECONOMIC (yellow) ■ SOCIAL (purple) • mita • quipu

SETTING THE STAGE While the Aztecs ruled in the Valley of Mexico, another
people—the Inca—created an equally powerful state in South America. From
Cuzco, their capital in southern Peru, the Inca spread outward in all directions.
They brought various Andean peoples under their control and built an empire
that stretched from Ecuador in the north to Chile in the south. It was the largest
empire ever seen in the Americas.

The Inca Build an Empire TAKING NOTES

Categorizing Use a web
Like the Aztecs, the Inca built their empire on cultural foundations thousands of diagram to identify the
years old. (See Chapter 9.) Ancient civilizations such as Chavín, Moche, and methods the Inca used
Nazca had already established a tradition of high culture in Peru. They were fol- to build their vast,
unified empire.
lowed by the Huari and Tiahuanaco cultures of southern Peru and Bolivia. The
Chimú, an impressive civilization of the 1300s based in the northern coastal
region once controlled by the Moche, came next. The Inca would create an even The Inca built a
more powerful state, however, extending their rule over the entire Andean region. vast empire.
Incan Beginnings The Inca originally lived in a high plateau of the Andes.
After wandering the highlands for years, the Inca finally settled on fertile lands
in the Valley of Cuzco. By the 1200s, they had established their own small
kingdom in the valley.
During this early period, the Inca developed traditions and beliefs that helped
launch and unify their empire. One of these traditions was the belief that the
Incan ruler was descended from the sun god, Inti, who would bring prosperity
and greatness to the Incan state. Only men from one of 11 noble lineages
believed to be descendants of the sun god could be selected as Incan leaders.
Pachacuti Builds an Empire At first the Incan kingdom grew slowly. In 1438,
however, a powerful and ambitious ruler, Pachacuti (PAH•chah•KOO•tee), took
the throne. Under his leadership, the Inca conquered all of Peru and then moved
into neighboring lands. By 1500, the Inca ruled an empire that stretched 2,500
miles along the western coast of South America. (See the map on page 461.) The
Inca called this empire “Land of the Four Quarters.” It included about 80
provinces and was home to as many as 16 million people.
Pachacuti and his successors accomplished this feat of conquest through a
combination of diplomacy and military force. The Inca had a powerful military
Peoples and Empires in the Americas 459
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but used force only when necessary. They were also clever
diplomats. Before attacking, they typically offered enemy
states an honorable surrender. They would allow them to
keep their own customs and rulers in exchange for loyalty
to the Incan state. Because of this treatment, many states
gave up without resisting. Even when force was used, the
Inca took a similar approach. Once an area was defeated,
they made every effort to gain the loyalty of the newly
conquered people.

Incan Government Creates Unity

To control the huge empire, the rulers divided their territory
and its people into manageable units, governed by a central
bureaucracy. The Inca created an efficient economic system to
Pachacuti support the empire and an extensive road system to tie it
c. 1391–c. 1473 together. They also imposed a single official language,
As the second son of the Incan ruler Quechua (KEHCH•wuh), and founded schools to teach Incan
Viracocha, Pachacuti did not expect
ways. Certain social groups were identified by officially dic-
to succeed to the throne. However,
when Cuzco was attacked in 1438,
tated patterns on clothing. All of these actions were calculated Forming Opinions
Viracocha and Pachacuti’s older to unify the variety of people controlled by the Inca. Of all the meth-
brother fled the city. Pachacuti ods used to create
Incan Cities Show Government Presence To exercise
stayed and drove off the attackers. unity, which do you
control over their empire, the Inca built many cities in con- think would be
He then proclaimed himself the new
Incan ruler.
quered areas. The architecture of government buildings was most successful?
the same all over the empire, making the presence of the Why?
Pachacuti, whose name means
“World Transformer” or “Earthshaker,” government apparent. As in Rome, all roads led to the cap-
ruled for 33 years. During that time, ital, Cuzco. The heart of the Incan empire, Cuzco was a
he drew up the plans for the splendid city of temples, plazas, and palaces. “Cuzco was
rebuilding of Cuzco and established
grand and stately,” wrote Cieza de León. “It had fine streets,
the Incan system of government.
. . . and the houses were built of solid stones, beautifully
joined.” Like the Romans, the Inca were masterful engineers
RESEARCH LINKS For more on and stonemasons. Though they had no iron tools and did not
Pachacuti and other Incan rulers,
go to classzone.com
use the wheel, Incan builders carved and transported huge
blocks of stone, fitting them together perfectly without mor-
tar. Many Incan walls still stand in Cuzco today, undisturbed
by the region’s frequent earthquakes.
Incan Government The Incan state exercised almost total control over economic
and social life. It controlled most economic activity, regulating the production
and distribution of goods. Unlike the Maya and the Aztecs, the Inca allowed little
private commerce or trade.
The Incan social system was based on an age-old form of community coopera-
tion—the ayllu (EYE•loo). The ayllu, or extended family group, undertook tasks
too big for a single family. These tasks included building irrigation canals or cut-
ting agricultural terraces into steep hillsides. The ayllu also stored food and other
supplies to distribute among members during hard times.
The Inca incorporated the ayllu structure into a governing system based on the
decimal system. They divided families into groups of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000.
A chief led each group. He was part of a chain of command. That chain stretched
from the community and regional levels all the way to Cuzco, where the Incan ruler
and his council of state held court. In general, local administration was left in the
hands of local rulers, and villages were allowed to continue their traditional ways. If a
community resisted Incan control, however, the Inca might relocate the whole group
460 Chapter 16
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to a different territory. The resisters would be placed South American

Identifying
Solutions under the control of rulers appointed by the government Culture Areas, 100–1535
How would in Cuzco.

80°W

70°W
relocating trouble- The main demand the Incan state placed on its
some people help subjects was for tribute, usually in the form of labor.
government control
of an area? The labor tribute was known as mita (MEE•tuh). It
0° Equator
required all able-bodied citizens to work for the state a
n R.
certain number of days every year. Mita workers might a zo

A
Am
labor on state farmlands, produce craft goods for state

N
warehouses, or help with public works projects.

D
Historians have compared the Incan system to a
type of socialism or a modern welfare state. Citizens Chan

E
Chan 10°S
were expected to work for the state and were cared for Machu

S
Picchu
in return. For example, the aged and disabled were Cuzco
M
often supported by the state. The state also made sure
O Lake
that the people did not go hungry when there were bad Titicaca
harvests. Freeze-dried potatoes, called chuño, were

U
stored in huge government warehouses for distribution

N
20°S
in times of food shortages.

T
Public Works Projects The Inca had an ambitious

A
corn
public works program. The most spectacular project Tropic of Capri

I
was the Incan road system. A marvel of engineering,
PACIFIC

N
this road system symbolized the power of the Incan
state. The 14,000-mile-long network of roads and OCEAN

S
30°S
bridges spanned the empire, traversing rugged moun-
tains and harsh deserts. The roads ranged from paved Moche, 100–700
Chimú, 1000–1470
stone to simple paths. Along the roads, the Inca built
Inca, 1438–1535
guesthouses to provide shelter for weary travelers. A Inca roads
system of runners, known as chasquis (SHAH•skeys),
traveled these roads as a kind of postal service, carry- 40°S
0 500 Miles
ing messages from one end of the empire to the other.
The road system also allowed the easy movement of 0 1,000 Kilometers

troops to bring control to areas of the empire where GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER:

trouble might be brewing. Interpreting Maps
1. Place The lands of which earlier South
Government Record-Keeping Despite the sophisti-
American cultures were included in the Incan
cation of many aspects of Incan life, the Inca never Empire?
developed a writing system. History and literature 2. Human-Environment Interaction Look at the
were memorized as part of an oral tradition. For shape and terrain of the Incan Empire. What
numerical information, the Inca created an accounting problems related to geography might occur in
controlling the land?
device known as the quipu, a set of knotted strings
that could be used to record data. (See the “History in
Depth” feature on page 20.) The knots and their position on the string indicated
numbers. Additionally, the colors of the strings represented different categories of
Recognizing information important to the government. For example, red strings were used to
Effects count warriors; yellow strings were used to count gold. However, the meanings of
How might the the colors changed depending on the general purpose of the quipu.
Incan system of Some historians believe that the Inca also developed an elaborate calendar
record-keeping help
system with two types of calendars, one for night and one for day. They were used
support a strong
government? primarily for religious purposes. Like the calendars of the Maya and the Aztecs, the
two calendars provided information about the gods whom the Inca believed ruled
the day and time.

People and Empires in the Americas 461

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Religion Supports the State

As with the Aztecs, religion was important to the Inca and helped reinforce the
power of the state. The Inca worshiped fewer gods than the Aztecs. The Inca
focused on key nature spirits such as the moon, the stars, and thunder. In the bal-
ance of nature, the Inca saw patterns for the way humans should relate to each other
and to the earth. Chief of the Incan gods was a creator god called Viracocha. Next
in importance was the sun god, Inti. Because the Incan ruler was considered a
descendant of Inti, sun worship amounted to worship of the king.
Religious Practices Incan priests led the sun-worship services, assisted by young
women known as mamakuna, or “virgins of the sun.” These women, all unmarried,
were drafted by the Inca for a lifetime of religious service. The young women were
trained in religious activities, as teachers, spinners, weavers, and beer makers.
Young men, known as yamacuna, also served as full-time workers for the state and
in religious activities. Sacrifice of llamas and exchange of goods were a part of the
religious activities. The goods were distributed by the priests to the people as gifts
from the gods.
Great Cities The Temple of the Sun in Cuzco was the most sacred of all Incan
shrines. It was heavily decorated in gold, a metal the Inca referred to as “sweat of the
sun.” According to some sources, the temple even had a garden with plants and animals
crafted entirely from gold and silver. In fact, gold was a common sight throughout
Cuzco. The walls of several buildings had a covering of thin gold sheeting.
While Cuzco was the religious capital of the Incan Empire, other Incan cities
▼ Machu Picchu also may have served a ceremonial purpose. For example, Machu Picchu, exca-
lies some 8,000 vated by Hiram Bingham in 1912, was isolated and mysterious. Like Cuzco,
feet above sea level
on a ridge between
Machu Picchu also had a sun temple, public buildings, and a central plaza. Some
two mountain sources suggest it was a religious center. Others think it was an estate of Pachacuti.
peaks. Still others believe it was a retreat for Incan rulers or the nobility.
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Rise and Fall of the Inca

Traits of Strength Leading Weakness Leading
Civilization to Power to Decline

• Religious beliefs and • United culture • Many physical and human

theocracy • Loyalty to the Emperor resources funneled into
• Major road systems religious activities
• Connected entire empire
• Type of welfare state with and aided control • Enemy could also use
huge bureaucracy roads to move troops
• Care for entire population
during good and bad • People struggle to care
times for themselves with the
elimination of the
welfare state

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Charts

1. Forming and Supporting Opinions In your opinion, which of the three traits leading to
power was the most valuable? Briefly discuss your reasons.
2. Comparing Which trait did you find repeated in the Maya and Aztec empires?

Discord in the Empire

The Incan Empire reached the height of its glory in the early 1500s during the reign
of Huayna Capac. Trouble was brewing, however. In the 1520s, Huayna Capac
undertook a tour of Ecuador, a newly conquered area of the empire. In the city of
Quito, he received a gift box. When he opened it, out flew butterflies and moths,
considered an evil omen. A few weeks later, while still in Quito, Huayna Capac
died of disease—probably smallpox.
After his death, the empire was split between his sons, Atahualpa
(ah•tah•WAHL•pah) and Huascar (WAHS•kahr). Atahualpa received Ecuador, about
one-fifth of the empire. The rest went to Huascar. At first, this system of dual emper-
ors worked. Soon, however, Atahualpa laid claim to the whole of the empire. A bitter
civil war followed. Atahualpa eventually won, but the war tore apart the empire. As
you will learn in Chapter 20, the Spanish arrived in the last days of this war. Taking
advantage of Incan weakness, they would soon divide and conquer the empire.

SECTION 4 ASSESSMENT

TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• Pachacuti • ayllu • mita • quipu

USING YOUR NOTES MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING

2. Which of these methods for 3. How were the Inca able to 6. IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONS How did the Inca overcome
unification were acceptable to conquer such a vast empire? geographical obstacles in building and ruling their
the conquered people? 4. What methods did the Inca use empire?
Explain. to create unity among the 7. ANALYZING MOTIVES Why do you think the Inca used the
diverse peoples in their ayllu system as the basis for governing in the empire?
empire? 8. COMPARING AND CONTRASTING How were Incan and
The Inca built a
vast empire. 5. What role did the mita play in Aztec religious practices similar? How were they different?
building the Incan Empire? 9. WRITING ACTIVITY POWER AND AUTHORITY Write a short
description of one of the great public works projects
completed by the Inca.

CONNECT TO TODAY CREATING AN ORAL REPORT

The Incan Empire has been compared to a modern welfare state. Study the government of
one such state—Sweden, for example. In an oral report, compare the Incan government with
the government of the country you studied.

People and Empires in the Americas 463