History of the Incas:

Who were the Incas?

The Incas were a tribe of people native to South America in the Andes, they were living in the Andes between 1200 and 1532.

Where did they live?

The Incas lived in the Andes in South America, they lived in the mountain, where there was very harsh conditions. The Andes went from Ecuador, through Peru and into Chile.

Family Life:

Most of the Incas were farmers so everyone in the family would work on the farm. The Incas would live in extended families which meant that many families would all live together. The head of the clan would be called “Mallcu”, who would be helped by a group of advisers. Much like many other ancient tribes the Incas would have the men work on the farm all day, while the women look after the children. They would not get an education. All the families would help each other.

Working life:

The Incas had a social pyramid starting with the emperor and his family, then aristocracy, administrators, nobility, artisans and last is the common folk. The common folk would work on farms but farming only takes 65 days a years so they also have to work on the Emperor’s fields, build bridges, roads, temples, or work in the mine. The Incas would only plant enough to eat and were taxed on their land. They would work for most of the day while only stopping to eat or sleep. The commoners wouldn’t receive an education and when old enough would be given a job of which they will have for the rest of their life.

Architecture:

The Incas were amazing architects and were able to build giant temples and pyramids some bigger than the Egyptians. The Incas created roads stretching for thousands of kilometres. They were able to create magnificent structures with absolutely no understanding of physics, gravity or architecture. Many people were assigned to be builders as their job and would usually live on the site of the construction until it was done, then move to another site. The Incas were very specific as to what they would build with and would only use selected ashlars of white granite, this gave the temples a look of security and safety. The Incas were able to construct a drain pipe which went from under the houses away from the village.

Agriculture:

Agriculture was second only to architecture as supreme interest of the Incas. Many of the agricultural fields in the Incan territory wasn’t there naturally and the soil had to be assembled. The Incas were one of the first tribes to understand the usefulness of the fertilizer and became very efficient farmers. They would grow many different types of potatoes and other vegetables. The Incas were also the first to understand the benefits of the medical herbs, although through this they also discovered cocaine which was used in much the same way steroids are used today in sports.

Inca Clothing:

In the mountains the Incas would wear warmer clothes which were usually made from wool or in the later stages of the Inca inhabitancy cotton. The clothes were either knitted or woven; this job would usually be assigned to the women. The Inca Emperor would only ever wear a piece of clothing once. The Emperor’s dress was made of the finest wool and was ornamented with jewels. The common people would often only where tunics for men or dresses for women while the nobles and the higher social groups would often wear a rich costume.

Religion:

The Incas believed in many different gods but Viracocha was the supreme god. The Incas believed that places and objects were sacred but this differed from family to family. They believed in the afterlife and would worship the spirit of their ancestors. The bodies of dead Emperors were put in sacred shrines and were looked after as if the ruler was still alive. More common folk would mummify their ancestors and put them in a tomb with many gifts and food. They had many traditions and rituals some of which would be disallowed today. For example: if there was a natural disaster in the area where it struck each family would sacrifice their first born child. The Incas had priests who could tell the future. The priests also attended to the sick.

Crime and punishment:

Crime in the Incan society was highly unusual because everyone had what they needed and so stealing was very rare. The worst offences in the Incan kingdom were murder, offending the Emperor, or saying bad things about the gods. The punishment was being thrown off a cliff which helps keep most of the citizens not committing crimes. Adultery was punished by being chained to a wall and starved to death. Smaller crimes were punishable by chopping off hands or feet depending on the severity of the crime. Due to these drastic punishments not many crimes were committed during the Incan empire was ruling.