The Incas Geography and Cities The Homeland of

The Incas

Geography and Cities

The Homeland of the Inca • What continent did they live on? • Spread all the way from Colombia to Peru • What mountain range is here?

How does this compare to the Aztecs and Mayans? • Aztecs and Mayans – Central America and Mexico • Incas – South America

The Homeland of the Inca • Deserts • Fertile valleys • Some rain forests • Andes Mountains

What were some major cities? • Cuzco • Machu Picchu • Chimu

Cuzco (today)

Machu Picchu

Inca Homes The Incas were master builders! They had VERY well planned cities. Laid out in a grid Had a central plaza with major temples and buildings surrounding it. • Houses for the common people surrounded the central area. • They were built with huge blocks of stone. • •

Inca Food • They grew a great variety of crops. . • Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, strawberries, peanuts, cashews, squash, beans, pineapples, chocolate, etc. • The potato was the most important food. • Corn was also a very important Incan crop.

Primary Crops

Inca Social Structure • The Inca society had two main social classes. Upper Class • Emperor • Government officials • Priests Lower Class • Farmers • Artisans • Servants

Inca Government • “Inca” was the title of the ruler/king of the Incan empire. • They believed their king was a descendant of the gods. • A council would chose the most promising son to become the next king. • The king was carried around on a platform made of gold. • The rulers, priests, and generals (who were usually relatives of the king) helped the king govern.

Incan Religion • They worshipped MANY gods and goddesses. • Most important god – Viracocha (god of nature) • The sun god was also very important.

Incan Religion

Religious Ceremonies • Religious festivals every month • Dancing, feasts, games, songs, parades, and sacrifices • Often sacrificed animals, like llamas and guinea pigs • At times, they sacrificed children

Inca Arts and Culture • • • Weaving blankets, ropes, clothing Metalwork Bronze statues of rulers Masks, plates, jewelry in silver Pottery

Inca Clothing • Your clothing was based off of your place in society. • If you looked at a person, you could tell their social class. • Clothing was made of cotton or woven from wool. • Men usually wore large tunics, a large cloak, sandals, and carried a small bag. Inca men cut their hair, leaving it short in front, medium long behind,

Inca Clothing • Woman wore a one-piece dress that combined skirt and blouse, reaching to the ankles and bound at the waist by a long, wide, woven, and ornamental sash. • At the top, it reached to the neck, the upper edges fastened together over the shoulders by long pins and passing under the arms at the sides. • These pins of copper, silver, or gold, have large heads of various types, sometimes in the form of animal or human figures. • The women wore sandals and head bands similar to the ones men used. Usually they wore a large piece of folded cloth on the head. • They did not cut their hair but parted it in the middle and wore it hanging down the back; it was cut, however, as a sign of mourning.

Inca Writing System…. A mystery! They never developed a system of writing!

Inca Math / Counting System • Their counting system was a base ten system. • They used a quipus to remember numbers. • The color of the strings and the distance between the knots had special meaning.

Accomplishments. Incan Roads • Roads stretched over 12, 000 miles • Didn’t use wheeled vehicles - they walked on foot or took llamas

Accomplishments. Incan Causeways and Bridges • They built causeways to elevate the roads in swampy areas • The also built amazing bridges, called chacas • They also built bridges by tying reed boats together

Accomplishments - Incan Farming • Invented terrace farming • Cut steps into a hill • Nutrients would wash down the side of the hill

Llamas

Who killed many Incans? The Spanish, led by Francisco Pizzaro

More Details… • Francisco Pizarro and a small group of conquistadors came to the Inca Empire in 1531. • There, a smallpox epidemic had killed many Incas. Pizarro took advantage of the chaos in the empire. • He invited Atahualpa, the emperor, to a friendly meeting and then had him imprisoned. • Atahualpa arranged for a ransom that added up to almost 20 tons of gold and silver. • This was said to be the largest ransom in history. • However, Pizarro did not honor his end of the bargain. He rejected the Inca ransom and ordered Atahualpa killed, with that the Inca Empire was defeated.

What else killed many Incans?