The Inca's Culture

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The Inca was a tribe that had lived in South Eastern Coast of South America in what is now Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and northern Chile, also known as the Andes Mountains. The Inca also settled in Ingapirca. The Inca capitol, Cuzco, was founded in 1200. The Incan empire became the largest empire in America. The Inca tribe was built in war and conquest. As they conquered many areas their population rose to over 9 million people.

The housing of the Inca tribe was unique. Most of the Inca houses were built with cane walls and a roof. However, in the highlands, the houses were stone set in mud with a thatched roof. In walled courtyards there were usually several houses grouped together. The nobles lived in palaces made of fine stone.

The Inca did not use money for trade. Instead they made very nice cloth, pottery, items of precious stone, and metalwork in silver, gold, and bronze. They also used wool and cotton to weave textiles. The pottery they made had geometric designs in black, brown, red, white, and yellow. To please the sun god, they also made temple ornaments and wonderful jewelry.

The Inca hunted, fished, and farmed for food. Most of the farmers were commoners. They ate guinea pig, llama, alpaca, and cuy. They used llamas for carrying goods over long distances. Most of the animals provided wool for clothing and meat to eat and trade. They also ate vegetables and many different fish. They farmed on mountainous lands with terraces, or broad platforms. Some of the crops they grew were cocoa, maize, peanuts, walnuts, berries, peppers, chili peppers, basil, capuli cherries, tomatoes, highland papayas, squashes, cotton, corn, potatoes, a root crop called oco, and a grain called quinoa. The Inca bui...

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...le were allowed to participate in government as long as they did not resist. Those who did resist were dealt with very harshly. People had to work in the farms of the ruling family members. The men had to work on construction projects such as bridges, roads, canals, toil in mines, or serving in the army.

The Inca spoke a language called Quechua, eventually it became the language of the entire empire. The Inca also developed a way to keep records called quipus.

The Inca became a very vast and rich empire. However, Francisco Pizarro eventually came to the land of the Inca and conquered it. He had his army of 180 men and they took over the Inca army. It was easy because many men in the Inca army died during the first wars between these two armies. The Inca Empire was very unique and interesting. The Spanish conquest was the reason that the Inca Empire declined.

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