~Inca Culture~

From their capital, Cuzco, in the central Peruvian Andes, the Inca created a huge empire reaching over 2,400 miles along the length of the Andes. The supreme head of state was the king, considered a living god ruling by divine right, and the royal family controlled important areas of the government such as the army. The empire's economy was based on taxed labor. People contributed part of their labor to the state and to the state controlled religion. People farmed and herded animals, worked in mines, and produced specialized goods such as clothing and pottery. The surplus was stored in numerous warehouses for use by the army and state laborers. Inca colonists were settled in newly conquered territories as a way of managing subject peoples and spreading Inca language and customs. Local lords were enlisted into the system of government to maintain order in their provinces, rebellious communities were resettled in the Inca heartland. Inca engineers and laborers built a network of thousands of miles of roads and bridges to connect the empire. They constructed administrative centers, storehouses, and military bases. A system of runners carrying information recorded on knotted strings also linked the capital to the regions. The capital of Cuzco was the center of the Inca world. Radiating from the central plaza the four main Inca roads led to the four corners of the empire. A sacred city of temples, royal palaces, and residences for housing carefully-preserved bodies of dead rulers, early histories say the Inca likened Cuzco to the body of a puma (wild mountain cat), which was a symbol of Inca royalty. The most sacred building in Cuzco was the Coricancha, a temple which the culture completely devoted it to the sun. It was the main Inca deity of the people, and its stone walls were covered in sheets of gold to reflect the suns light. From this temple, a system of sight lines radiated outwards dividing the surrounding landscape like slices of pie. Over 300 shrines were situated at sacred places by the people along these lines, and there formed part of their sophisticated agricultural calendar. The Incas valued the Sun God most. While the Inca often tolerated or incorporated the religion of their conquered peoples, they also imposed a state of religion upon them. The Inca empire was a theocracy in which the Inca King, Sapa Inca, was the descendant of Inti, the Sun God. The Inca required tribute, especially before and after, to certain gods. Regular and general festivals punctuated the labors of the empires subjects with food, drink, and entertainments. The festival of the Sun God lasted 9 nights, during which the King would provide a maize beer to all the people who attended. All good things had to come to an end for this amazing culture sadly. The Spaniards came and conquered the Inca empire, from there on the people separated and it was never the same. Inca people are still alive, but there are not very many of them today. They reside in native Peru. It is said that they were conquered very fast because they did not use "modern weapons", and previous tribes conquered by the Incas joined the Spanish to defeat the Inca empire. From this point forward, their precious gold was stolen and melted, and many of them died in slavery and from the new diseases the Europeans brought with them. It truly is amazing what this culture did - from their beautiful cities to their advancements in science, there is not enough that can be said about this unique culture.