The Inca Civilization

The Incas originated as a tribe in 1200 B.C. in the Cuzco area of southeastern Peru. However, in 1438 A.D., under the command of Pachacutec, the Inca people defeated the neighboring Andean tribes and laid the foundation of the Inca Empire. The descendants of Pachacutec continued the expansion of the Empire and made it the most powerful civilization of South America, that spread from Equador to Chile.

Rise of the Inca Civilization
The meteoric rise of the Incas was bolstered by the fact that not only were they great warriors but they were also shrewd rulers. They used diplomatic tactics, negotiated with neighboring tribes with gifts, and marital or political alliances. In case everything failed, they carried out military conquests. It's true that there were no tribes that could match the Incas, either in size of population or in military strength, but they built their administrative and economic systems largely on regional structures. This gave their leadership a local semblance that made it easier for the indigenous tribes to accept their rule. Let us see how was the Inca Civilization was organized.

The Social Structure
The Inca Civilization had a strict hierarchical structure with the King at the top. The king was supposed to be the son of Sun and hence was held in great regard by the people. The king was known as the Sapa Inca which means the Unique Inca. The Sapa Inca owned all the land and wealth of the empire. He kept some land unused to build temples and gave the rest to the farmers to produce crops for themselves.

The class below the Sapa Inca was the Nobility, which included the descendants and relatives of the emperor. These royal blood Incas held the most important posts in the government, military and religious departments. Sometimes, these included the nobles of the conquered tribes who were trained in the Inca way of administration. They were called The Curacs.

At the lowest rung were the farmers and the craftsmen. The farmers worked on the land given to them by the king. They in turn had to pay taxes and work in temples or on construction projects, like building roads and bridges. The craftsmen made objects of gold, copper and silver. The Inca stonemasons were so highly skilled, that their bricks did not even need mortar to bind together.

The unit of Inca society was The Ayllu. Each Ayllu would be given a portion of land by the emperor. The Ayllu included a group of families that tilled the land given to them. This land was divided among the families on the basis of the family size and was rearranged with changes in the number of family members. Besides working on the allotted fields, each Ayllu worked on additional fields to support the Emperor.

The Political Organization
The political structure of the Incas was complex and tightly controlled. The Emperor was the supreme ruler of the state. The Empire was divided into four quarters known as the four Suyus. Hence the Incas called their empire The Ttahuantin-suyu, which means 'land of the four quarters'. Each quarter was placed under a governor who reported directly to the king. The king ruled the Inca Empire from his seat in the capital city of Cuzco. These governors were blood relatives of the king. Under every governor there were 10 district governors each having 10,000 peasants. The offices were further divided with smaller units of peasants under each official of descending rank. At the lowest level, an official had only 10 peasants under him.

Religion
The Incas were polytheists, though their most important god was the Sun God, The Inti. They had a host of priests and priestesses who worshiped the gods and goddesses in the temples throughout the state. The Incas believed in offering sacrifices to appease the Gods. These sacrifices would usually be llamas or guinea pigs. However, on very sacred occasions, children and women were also sacrificed. The Incas believed in afterlife and held their ancestors in great respect. They placed the bodies of their ancestors in tombs that they regularly replenished with food and precious goods.

Science and Arts
Although healing ceremonies were commonly used by the priests to cure diseases, they also carried out a number of successful surgeries that included amputations. The patients were rendered unconscious using herbs, intoxicants or hypnotism. The Incas measured time according to the lunar calendar. They had standard units of measurements and used a balance beam to weigh objects. The site of Machu Picchu is an incredible testimony to the architectural feats that the Inca Civilization had achieved. It has buildings made up of blocks of stones that are so well-cut that no mortar has been used to hold them together.

The Incas were famous for their gold. They were marked craftsmen of gold and silver. However, it is ironic that the gold that they considered as 'sweat of the sun' brought their end close, when their wealth was discovered by a fortune seeker, Pizzaro, in 1532.

Education
The Incas did not know the art of reading or writing. They passed on their knowledge orally. They kept records by means of a quipu which was a series of long, knotted strings. The education system was different for the common man and the nobility. While the nobility received high levels of formalized education, the general population received vocational training.

The Fall
The Inca Civilization came to an end when a Francisco Pizzaro, a Spanish conqueror discovered immense wealth (gold) of the Incas. Subsequent invasions by the Spanish soldiers led to the death of this remarkable civilization.

The Inca Civilization has not only dazed the world with its military power and wealth but has also left behind a remarkable example of how a single government could rule a number of diverse tribes, of which some lived in the most inaccessible mountain hideaways of the Andes.