Post on 06-May-2015
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Andean AmericaAndean America
The Inca and Their DescendantsThe Inca and Their Descendants
The Inca: An IntroductionThe Inca: An Introduction
• One of the world’s largest empires
• Lacked writing
• An administrative socialistic economy
• Stone architecture without pulleys, draft animals, or metal tools
• Longest highway in the ancient world
Location of Inca EmpireLocation of Inca Empire
• In South America (Inset):
• The empire extended from the Pacific coast
• Through the Andes into Amazon forest
• It extended from Colombia in north
• To Chile in south.
Map of Inca EmpireMap of Inca Empire
• The capital, Cuzco, was in the center of the empire
• Machu Picchu, the sacred center, was northeast of Cuzco
• The empire was 2800 miles long
• Tiahuanaco was the main city of the minority Aymara
• Other centers: Moche, Chan Chan, Nazca, Huari
Inca: Road SystemInca: Road System
• The road system kept the empire together
• Extent: Quito to north to Santiago to the south
• Runners maintained communication in the empire
• Tampus (garrisons) spaced one day apart enforced central control
Ecological Map of Central Inca Ecological Map of Central Inca EmpireEmpire• The empire covered
diverse ecological zones:• Light orange: dry coastal
area• Purple: foothill forests• Yellow: Andes highlands• Green: Amazonian
rainforest• Empire exploited resources
of each ecological zone
Andean Region: Coastal ClimateAndean Region: Coastal Climate
• Coastal regions were extremely dry• Inversion prevented rainfall on the coastal plains• Most of rainfall occurred in Andes• 10% rainfall drained in coastal rivers, only
source of water on coast• The southward current produced an upwelling of
coastal Pacific, yielding • Rich plankton and other nutrients, which• Sustained a rich supply of fish and shellfish• First settlements began on the coast
Andean Regions: MountainsAndean Regions: Mountains
• Andes Mountains comprises:• Peaks of mountains and • Valleys, including with grassy flatlands (punas)• Andes received most of the rainfall• Snowmelt watered both interior habitations and
coast• Wet, vegetated montaňas were on the eastern
side of the Andes• Amazonia; tributaries received most of the
rainfall
Plant and Animal DomesticationPlant and Animal Domestication
• Plants:• Potatoes: a tuber highly adapted to
cold climates• Quinoa: a grain made into breads• Maize introduced about 4,000 BC• Animals• Llama: Beast of burden, also used for
wool and meat• Alpaca: Valued mainly for its wool• Site: Telemarchay rock shelter shows
sequence from hunting to animal domestication
Pre-Inca Regional EmpiresPre-Inca Regional Empires
• The Andes were dominated by regional empires
• Chan Chan and Moche were dominant in the northern Andes
• Sipán and Chan Chan were coastal empires
• Nazca and the Aymara Tiahuanaco dominated the southern Andes
Inca Empire ExpansionInca Empire Expansion
• In the heart of the empire, • Cuzco started as village ca AD 1000• Probably developed into Inca capital
around 1440 • When troops under the first emperor
Pachakuti (map) defeated the rival Chanca state
• Incas then expanded northward and southward
• As they defeated each state, the Inca ,• Allowed the people to retain their
organization and culture• Map shows three phases of Inca
expansion
Road System: Transportation and Road System: Transportation and CommunicationCommunication
• Andean America: A well-developed highway system
• Covered the 2600 mile length of empire
• Access controlled by emperor and imperial administrators
• Tampus (storehouses, garrisons, and lodging) constructed a day’s travel apart (see map)
• Beasts of burden (llamas) carried up to 100 pounds of cargo
• Most carriers were human• Communication maintained by runners
Administrative Economy: Prototype of Administrative Economy: Prototype of Socialism?Socialism?
• Emperors had a dual system of inheritance• First born became emperor• Others royalty inherited property• Emperor thus depended on mitá, or labor tax• Every adult provided labor after meeting
subsistence needs of clan (allyu)• Clans provided labor for public works, state-
owned lands, army manpower, and road/bridge construction
• Rewards: chicha, entertainment, textiles
Making a LivingMaking a Living
• The Inca had no large draft animals except for the llama (a camelid)
• They tilled the soil using the foot plow (upper left)
• Staple crop was the potato; they also grew maize, quinoa (a grain), and others
• They raised duck, guinea pigs, and camelids (llama, alpaca, vicuña for meat)
• The camelids were also sources of wool (lower left).
Inca Warehouses and AccountingInca Warehouses and Accounting
• All products—potatoes to corn brew to meat—were warehoused
• Accounts were kept with quipus• These were knotted cords that
were used for:• Population censuses• Animals (llamas)• Warehouse contents of each
category
Quipus: A Substitute for WritingQuipus: A Substitute for Writing
• There is no evidence of writing so far. • They did have a numerical system: • Quipu System: knotted twine suspended from
main cord• The further away the knot is from the cord, the
lower the number is • It is thought to be a decimal system• Some experts think it might be a binary-based
system
Quipu System Quipu System • Lowest: ones, at string
farthest from cord• That is 3 on the diagram• Next: tens (40 in
diagram)• Next: hundreds (600) • Next: thousands toward
main cord (3000)• Explain how you get the
figure 3643 to the right
Quipus: Census by Color CodeQuipus: Census by Color Code
• Color coding system counting:
• Population, one color• Tributes of labor,
another color• Other forms of tribute• Land distribution• Military expenses• There was a color for
each category
Sociopolitical Structure of the IncaSociopolitical Structure of the Inca
• The Inca had cobbled together smaller empires: Chanca, Nazca, Moche, and others
• Emperor was said to be descended from the Sun God
• Sun was the giver of all life• Purity of the imperial lineage called for royal
incest—a emperor married his sister• Mobility was extremely limited if existent at all
Administrative ApparatusAdministrative Apparatus
• Inca: An structured administrative state
• Divided into four quarters (hence the name Tawanitimsuyu—Land of Four Quarters
• Further subdivided into waranqa of 1000 taxpayers (labor tax)
• Used a system of colonization called mitmaq to
• Exploit new resources, and to prevent revolts
• The empire was made up of diverse ethnic groups
• Administrative towns, such as Huanaco Pampa (left) also added centralized control
Public ArchitecturePublic Architecture
• Stone architecture was widespread
• Inca and Predecessors used uneven blocks of stone without mortar (left)
• They were cut without metal tools and lifted into place without pulleys
• The blocks together so precisely that a coin could not be inserted between them
• Surface of Temple of the sun was covered with a gold frieze, or decorative plate.
Conquest of the IncaConquest of the Inca
• Conquest preceded by spread of European disease (upper left)
• Pizarro, like Cortes in Mexico, used Indian allies to overthrow the Inca (lower left)
• Inca were already divided by war between Atahualpa and Huascar, the two sons of the deceased emperor, himself dead from smallpox