Empire at the Top of the World

Machu Pichu

Inca History1200 CE 1200 CE 1200 CE 1200 CE ---- City of Cuzco is City of Cuzco is City of Cuzco is City of Cuzco is formed. formed. formed. formed. MancoMancoMancoManco Capac is the Capac is the Capac is the Capac is the first ruler. first ruler. first ruler. first ruler.

1400140014001400----1500 CE 1500 CE 1500 CE 1500 CE ---- Incas conquer Incas conquer Incas conquer Incas conquer other tribes. Expand Empire to other tribes. Expand Empire to other tribes. Expand Empire to other tribes. Expand Empire to 2500 miles long and about 500 2500 miles long and about 500 2500 miles long and about 500 2500 miles long and about 500 miles wide miles wide miles wide miles wide

1525 CE 1525 CE 1525 CE 1525 CE ---- Civil War Civil War Civil War Civil War

1531 CE 1531 CE 1531 CE 1531 CE ---- Pizarro brings Pizarro brings Pizarro brings Pizarro brings Spanish to the Inca Empire. He Spanish to the Inca Empire. He Spanish to the Inca Empire. He Spanish to the Inca Empire. He kills Emperor Atahualpa kills Emperor Atahualpa kills Emperor Atahualpa kills Emperor Atahualpa ---- the the the the Inca ruler. Inca ruler. Inca ruler. Inca ruler.

Incredible Workers of Stone: Roads

Inca roads are still in use today. This one is part of a tourist trip to Peru, called the Incan Road. They worked so well in stone that their roads are still

largely intact with very little damage. It connected their long narrow empire and allowed the Inca to administrate it.

Even mountainsides had these roads that haven’t been hurt by time and numerous earthquakes.

Incredible Workers of Stone: Cities

Road

Terraced fields were a common sight throughout the Incan Empire. They made the mountainsides grow the food that they needed to survive. Notice the steepness of the terraces above. You can see the remnants of those fields and irrigation on the left. Many are still in use today by the Incas who still live, and farm in the region once dominated by their Empire. Their language is still a living language!

Farming Methods being revived!Most of the crops that were native to the region were forcibly changed to crops that the Spanish wanted. Today the native crops are being researched and revived and farmed in much the same way that their ancestors would have farmed, including ditches for watering.

In both of these pictures, the locals are repairing an Incan canal system to use with their revived crops.

Clothing and Art still alive todayTraditional Incan way of carrying a baby in a sling on the back of their mother.

Traditional dress in a Incan festival in Cuzco.

Incan metal work was of even better caliber than their stonework.

Many of the original gold statues were melted down and stolen by the Spanish.

Inca Empire in Decline: Francisco PizarroPizzaro failed twice in trying to conquer the Inca’s in both 1524 and 1526, but when he found the natives of Northern Peru rich in precious metals he planned a third expedition. He tried first to get the governor of Panama to help, but was refused. So Pizzaroappealed directly to King Charles I and was granted license and considerable authority over any conquered lands.

Atahualpa's refusal, to pay tribute to the Spanish, led Pizarro and his force to attack the Incan army in what became the Battle of Cajamarca on 16 November 1532. The Spanish were successful and Pizarro executed Atahualpa's 12-man honor guard and took the Inca captive at the so-called ransom room. Despite fulfilling his promise of filling one room (22 feet (7 m) by 17 feet (5 m))[5] with gold and two with silver, Atahualpa was convicted of killing his brother and plotting against Pizarro and his forces, and was executed by garrote on 26 July 1533.

Captured!Even though the Spanish were greatly outnumbered (just under 200 troops versus 3000 to 8000 lightly armed guards.) surrounded and captured Atahualpa.

Even though Atahualpa fulfilled the bargain with Pizarro in regards to the precious metals, Pizarro wished to kill him without angering the Incan people. He contrived to convict him of plotting treason against Pizarro and he was strangled on 26 July 1533.

Amazing Innovations

In Lake Titicaca, one whole tribe called

the Uros of the Incas survived by

building their cities on floating reed pads

like the one to the left. They still do so

today, with only a few of the villages

actually accepting visitors as tourists.

The reeds of the village are constantly rotting and need to be replaced. The houses are designed to be easily taken down and rebuilt on the newly laid reed floor.