Incas
by Madison S
Who were the Inca?
The Inca was an empire that lived in the Andes Mountains, in South America. They had 1 ruler, 1 government, and they were known for their masonry (stonework). The Inca had been ruled by Pachacuti to about the mid-1400's to 1537 AD.
Inca Acheivments
The Inca had many great achievements. The Inca built great and very precise masonry, and wove very nice cloth. They made pottery and they had important oral traditions such as singing songs, and telling stories. The Inca had 2 calendars, one for harvest and the other for religious celebrations. Although, they did NOT have another form of writing.
Religion
Religion to the Inca was very important. They would make children sacrifices to please the gods. The Inca also believed that their "gods" had special powers that could bring good things. Like providing rain, and bringing spring to the Inca empire. They usually made masks and jewelry for special religious ceremonies.
How life was and Traditions
Life in the Empire for the Lower Class
The lower class contained people like farmers, servants and artists. The lower class worked everyday (except for the 5 "nothing days"). They had plain clothes, the mita (labor tax) , and the law was that they couldn't own a food surplus. They used llamas to transport their goods.
Life in the empire for the Upper class
The Upper class included the emperor, government officials and priests. They had Stone houses in Cuzco (capitol city), the best clothes, Machu Pichu retreats, and no mita. They had a very royal life. They were well treated and respected.
Traditions
The Inca had a very strong religion, and lifestyle. They had very important traditions that they would do in order to live. The Inca believed that they needed to give a sacrifice to the gods in order to have rain, sunlight, and overall life. They also had oral traditions like story telling, and singing songs with one another.
Population, Classic Age, and more
The Inca were around until at least 1537 AD, and had a population of about 12,000,000. They were known for their precise masonry. They only had one ruler at a time and one government. The Inca were sadly, eventually conquered by Pizarro (spanish man).