# Inca Empire

| Inca Empire*Tawantinsuyu*  (Quechua) |
| --- |
| 1438–1533/1572 |
|

Inca imperial banner |
| The Inca Empire at its largest size c. 1525 |
| Capital | Cusco |
| Official languages | Quechua |
| Religion  | Inca religion |
| Government | Divine, absolute monarchy semi-diarchy |
| Historical era | Pre-Columbian era |
|  |
| • Pachacuti created the Tawantinsuyu  | 1438 |
| • Civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa  | 1529–1532 |
| • Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro  | 1533/1572 |
| • End of the last Inca resistance  | 1572 |
|  |
| Area |
| 1527 | 2,000,000 km2 (770,000 sq mi) |

Location of the Inca EmpireA view of Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas," now an archaeological site
The **Inca** were a pre-Columbian country and empire in the Andes of South America. The word 'Inca' can also mean the emperor or king of the Inca people. The Inca Empire was called Tawantinsuyo in Quechua, which means "four regions".

It was the largest empire in the Americas, and was large even by world standards. It existed shortly before Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas. It lasted for 100 years, until it was conquered by Spanish soldiers in 1532 AD.

## Overview

The Inca were ruled by an Emperor known as the *Sapa Inca*. Their main language was Quechua, but since there were many different groups in the Empire, there were probably many different languages as well.

The Empire was supported by an economy based on the collective ownership of the land.

## Location

The Inca ruled along the western coast of South America for a little over 100 years, until the Spanish invasion in the 16th century.

The empire was centered around the city of Cuzco, or Qosqo, in what is now southern Peru. This was the administrative, political and military center of the empire. In later years, it became centered around Quito.

## History

### Growth

The Inca Empire began around Lake Titicaca in about 1197. From 1438 to 1533, the Incas used conquest and non-violent assimilation to gain a large portion of western South America. Their empire centered on the Andean mountain ranges. It included large parts of what is now Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

### Road network

Throughout their empire, they built a network of roads and rope bridges to make travel between their communities easy.

### Beginning of Spanish rule

In 1533, Atahualpa, the last sovereign emperor, was executed by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro. That marked the beginning of Spanish rule in South America.

## Also see

* Inca road system
* Inca rope bridge
* Inca Civil War

* Popenoe, Hugh *et al* 1989. *Lost crops of the Incas*. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
* De la Vega, Garcilaso 1961. *The Incas: the royal commentaries of the Inca*. New York: The Orion Press.
* McNeill, William H. 2006. How the potato changed the world's history. Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine *Social Research* **66** 1.

## Other websites

* Conquest of Peru, Prescott, 1847 Archived 2006-07-08 at the Wayback Machine Full text, free to read and search, a definitive history of the Incas. One of the most readable and engaging history books of all time. Humankind lost a civilization of impressive societal value.
* Inca Land by Hiram Bingham (published 1912–1922)
* Inca Artifacts, Peru, and Machu Picchu Archived 2007-01-29 at the Wayback Machine 360 degree movies of inca artifacts and Peruvian landscapes.
* Inca civilization and other ancient civilizations by Genry Joil.
* Inca stone cutting techniques: theory on how the Inca walls fit so perfectly.
* Ancient Civilizations - Inca Archived 2007-02-04 at the Wayback Machine Great research site for kids.
* Incan Ice Mummies NOVA site based on their series about the 1996 expedition that discovered Incan ice mummies.
* Incan Religion Archived 2007-03-05 at the Wayback Machine