Objective: To examine the culture of the Inca empire.

Do Now: Use the maps below to determine which modern countries were a part of the Inca Empire.

• At its height, the Inca empire covered parts of the modern-day countries of:

• Peru• Chile• Bolivia• Colombia• Argentina• Ecuador

• It stretched approximately 2,500 miles down the western coast of South America!

The Inca Empire

• The Incas built their ancient civilization in the 1200s high up in the Andes Mountains.

• The Inca capital was located in Cuzco, Peru.

• One of their greatest achievements was the construction of a “hidden city” high up in the mountains called Machu Picchu.

• Inca masonry (stonework) is some of the best in the world – they didn’t use anything to hold their stones together!

• Just like the Aztecs, the Incas formed an empire by conquering neighboring tribes.

• As their empire expanded, they built an amazing system of ancient roads for their runners to travel with news and orders!

• Their empire eventually included around 14,000 miles of roads that reached over 10 million people!

In order to survive, the Inca had to figure out a way to farm on the steep mountain sides on which they lived.

How did they do this?

• The Incas developed a system of “terrace farming”.

• A few more impressive facts … scientists now believe that the Inca performed some sort of brain surgery (based on skulls that have been found)!

• Creating such a large empire of course meant that the Incas had MANY warriors … 40,000 by the height of the Inca Empire in the early 1500s!

Inca warriors

Incan Religion

• The Incas believed in polytheism, or the belief in many gods.

sun god

snake god

water god

gold god

• The Incas also believed that their emperor was a descendant of the sun god.

Atahualpa, the last of the Incan emperors.

• Gold was not only for wealth, but also for religion. The Incas, like many native people, worshipped the sun -- gold represented the tears of the sun.

While it was tough to farm there, the Andes mountains did provide one very important resource … GOLD!

• It was also worn by nobles and priests in order to honor the sun god.

A example of a fully dressed Inca royal or nobleman

• Gold was used in palaces and temples.

Spanish Conquistadors who conquered the ancient Inca Empire reported that in a temple at Cuzco they were breathless when they beheld an image of solid god inlaid with emeralds and other gems which covered a total wall of 50feet. When struck by the rays of sunlight the rooms brilliantly illuminated the interior of the building. It also caught the moonlight.

Gold knife handle

Golden alpaca Gold drinking cups

Gold necklace

… to conquer it!

Little did the Inca know what was coming their way

As soon as explorers back in Spain heard about a native civilization that had more gold than they could even imagine, of course they set out to find that empire and …

Francisco Pizarro, future conqueror of the Incas