The Inca Empire: Rise and Fall

Introduction

• Centered in western South America, surrounded by Earth's driest desert, the largest rainforest, and second-highest mountain range.
• Largest pre-Columbian empire, unique for its vertical expansion.
• No written language, wheel, or money.

Geography and Population

• Known as "Tahuantinsuyu" or "The Land of the Four Quarters".
• Covered parts of modern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
• Populated by over 10 million people across numerous ethnic groups.

Cultural Characteristics

• Developed in near isolation, lacking draft animals, steel, iron.
• Mastered metals like gold, silver, and bronze.
• Used "khipu" (knots) for record-keeping, now indecipherable.
• History mainly derived from Spanish historians or oral traditions.

Early Civilization and Rise of the Inca

• Ancient Peru: cradle of civilization with domestication of llamas, alpacas, and crops.
• Emergence of complex cultures: Tiwanaku, Wari, and Chimú.
• Cusco: small kingdom that evolved into the Inca Empire.

Inca Origin Myth

• Viracocha, the creator god, brought forth founders from three caves.
• Manco Capac, the first Inca, led settlers to Cusco.
• Mythologies adapted for political integration.

Expansion and Governance

• Pachacuti, the "Earthshaker": first notable historical Inca king.
• Expanded empire from Bolivia to Ecuador, utilizing spies and persuasion.
• Federalist system with four "suyus" managed by provincial governors.
• Cusco transformed into an imperial city with highways and royal estates.

Military Organization

• Highly organized military using a decimal system.
• Armies raised from local provinces, well-trained in cotton and alpaca armor.
• Diverse weaponry from different regions.

Economy and Society

• No market system; goods distributed by central government.
• Taxes collected through labor ("mit'a").
• Llamas and alpacas essential for transport and textiles.
• State warehouses for goods storage and distribution.

Engineering and Agriculture

• High-altitude farming with terraces and irrigation canals.
• Terraces supported diverse crops due to ecological variety.
• Highways over 40,000 km facilitated communication and movement.

Religious Beliefs and Mummification

• Belief in spirit realm influencing the living world.
• Mummification of important figures who were treated as living.

European Conquest and Inca Decline

• Smallpox devastated Inca population before Pizarro's arrival.
• Atahualpa vs. Huascar: civil war weakened the empire.
• Spanish conquest: Pizarro captured Atahualpa and demanded ransom.
• Atahualpa executed, leading to Spanish control.

Manco Inca's Rebellion

• Initially a puppet ruler under the Spanish.
• Fled Cusco and led a major uprising.
• Siege of Cusco: tens of thousands of Inca warriors vs. Spanish fortifications.
• Use of terrain to counter Spanish cavalry.

Aftermath and Legacy

• Manco Inca retreated and continued guerrilla warfare.
• Spanish expansion continued, leading to the final collapse.
• Inca culture and infrastructure influenced post-conquest South America.

Conclusion

• Despite impressive engineering, administrative, and military achievements, the Inca Empire couldn't withstand European diseases and conquest.
• Legacy remains in cultural influences and archaeological marvels like Machu Picchu.