The IncasTribe of Royal Blood
The Inca Landscape•Became fully
developed in the late 1430’s
•The last great South American civilization
•Located in Equador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile
Inca Religion• creation myths fueled the
idea of god chosen rulers and explanation of physical world around them
• Elaborate ritual calendar of festivals to worship gods and reigning monarch
• Worshipped the dead and different geological features
Inca Religion• They understood the
relationship between star and earth movement
• Winter and Summer solstices were of utmost importance
• Architecture was often based on sun and star directions
Inca Religion•Inti, The Sun God
was divine ancestor of Inca Royalty
•Virgins of The Sun – were “chosen women” who were caretakers for mummies and tended to royal family
Inca Society• The “Sapa Inka” or Son
of Sun God was ruler
• His full-blood sister was the queen but he took advantage of the “chosen women”
• When he died, he lived on by mummification for future visits by next ruler
Inca Hierarchy1. Sapa Inka
2. Chosen relatives and friends
3. Herders and venders
4. Prisoners of War
Inca Social Structure• Agriculture was
mainstay of civilization
• All aspects of life was strictly controlled
• Civil disobedience was harshly punished by hanging, stoning or pushed off cliffs
The Inca Empire• Covered from Quito to
Cusco to almost Santiago
• All able-bodied males served in the Incan army
• The Incas first invited outside territories to join them, but conquered them if they did not agree
• Locals would maintain the 30,000 km of roads/trails
Inca Stonework• Built for style, strength
and longevity
• Used everything from limestone to granite
• Stone tools used as well as wooden wedges to split rocks
• Only one side of stone is carved until the end of the wall
Inca Cities: Machu Pichu (Peru)
Inca Cities: Choquequirao (Peru)
Inca Cities: Sacsayhuamán (Peru)
Inca Cities: Vilcabamba (Equador)
Inca Cities: Ollantaytambo (Bolivia)
Inca Conquest• In 1532, Pizarro
marched on the first Inca city but was met by 30,000 Incas
• Ambushed them during a peaceful meeting killing all the warriors and capturing the Sapa Inka.
• Pizarro used him for ransom of gold and silver
Inca Conquest• After filling a room
with gold, Pizarro killed the Incan ruler
• Pizarro acted quickly to destroy the rest of the “headless empire”
• Pizarro marched on to Cuzco where he became Governor of the city
The IncasTribe of Royal Blood