Cusco Peru - Capital of the Inca Empire Read the Spanish version Cusco, Cuzco or Qosqo are some of the names that this ancient Incan capital is known by. It is a study site for archeologists from all over the world who flock to Peru to marvel at Machu Picchu and the rest of the Inca ruins scattered throughout the valley. Cusco was the administrative center of the Spanish Empire's Viceroyalty of Peru. A vast amount of art and colonial architecture remains throughout the city, especially in the Plaza de Armas. Currently, Cusco is the greatest tourist region of the country and receives over a million visitors a year. Cusco, Peru , is the most ancient urban settlement in all of the Americas, officially over 3,000 years old, but pre-ceramic artifacts have been found there that date back 5,000 years. The true history of the first inhabitants of the city has been lost to Incan legends that claim the city to have been founded by the Incas: Manko Qhapaq and Pachakuteq.

Cusco started to gain importance with the Incan society, in the year 1,200 A.C., although as previously mentioned the city existed much before that. Cusco reached its peak at the height of the Inca Empire's expansion, around 1.400 A.C., and its decline began with the arrival of the Spanish in 1533. The Spaniards moved the capital to Lima where the colonial culture flourished. Cusco maintained a relative importance as the administrative center of the Viceroyalty of Peru, as the region was called under the Spanish administration. During this period, Incan nobility maintained certain privileges in the valley of Cusco which allows them to live in relative peace and mix with the arriving Spaniards. We say “relative” because there were some uprisings led by Manko Inka in 1536 that continued until 1572 when the last descendent of the ancient Incan Dynasty, Túpac Amaru I, was executed. During this period, Incan nobility maintained certain privileges in the valley of Cusco which allows them to live in relative peace and mix with the arriving Spaniards.

We say “relative” because there were some uprisings led by Manko Inka in 1536 that continued until 1572 when the last descendent of the ancient Incan Dynasty, Túpac Amaru I, was executed. In 1821, after many rebellions throughout all of Latin America , Peru gained independence and maintained Lima as the country's capital. Cusco, however, was chosen as the “Archaeological Capital of South America” in recognition of its historic importance to not only Peru but the whole continent. In 1983 the city was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . Along the Inca Trail near Cusco is the sacred city of Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain” in the Quechua language), archaeological ruins of incomparable beauty located on the mountain summit. It is believed that the city was a holiday residence of Pachacútec, the first Incan emperor who lived from 1438 to 1470. The city played two functions: one of a palace and one as a religious sanctuary.

Machu Picchu is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new recognized Wonders of the World. Contact us Cuzco, Capital City - The Inca Empire for Kids Cuzco, Capital City FAQ, About Us Cuzco was the capital city. It was tucked high in the Andes Mountains of South America. Like all Inca cities, it was beautiful. There were temples and houses and government buildings and gardens and a huge central square for festivals and gatherings. The streets were paved. The nobles enjoyed it. The commoners only entered the city plaza on festival days. The Temple of the Sun, the famous Inca building, was designed with six chapels around a courtyard. The stone of the buildings were covered with sheets of gold. It must have been quite a site. A new palace was built each time a new Sapa Inca (the emperor) came to power. That's because the old palace was still in use. The Incas mummified their emperors and left them inside their palace. Live servants and all of his family continued to live in the palace to wait on them. (Even though they were dead.) Peru. Explore By Yourself!

- Cusco – the capital of the Inca Empire Peru. Explore By Yourself! Interesting Facts Cusco – the capital of the Incan Empire Cusco (Cuzco, Qusqu, Qosqo) is a city with a rich history. It was the capital of the great Incan Empire for 200 years, but excavations indicate that it was inhabited as much as 3000 years ago. The Inca referred to their empire as Tawantinsuyu, (in Quechua Tawantin Suyu, Tawantinsuyu means "four parts together”) The empire was divided into four suyus, whose corners met at the capital, Cusco (Qosqo). They did not know other countries, did not travel beyond the seas; their land was the entire world and Cusco was the centre of this world. This explains one of the versions of the word “Cusco”. It can be translated as the “Centre of the World; the Navel of the Earth” from Quechua. Another version of translation of the name is “The Place of Ashes”, i.e. the place of ritual sacrifice.

All main temples of Incas were in Cusco and all significant religious ceremonies were also held here. How did the Spanish conquistadors see Cuzco upon arrival to this country in 1533? It was a prosperous city with magnificent temples, squares, and wealthy houses of the royal family, with their attendants and other nobles. Saphi River crossed through the central square and divided the city into two sectors: upper (Hanan) and lower (Urin). Many believe that the city was planned as an effigy in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal. The head of the puma was the Saqsaywaman sector, located above all other parts of the city. After arrival to Cusco the Spanish invaders changed the entire image of the city. The Spanish destroyed many Incan buildings, temples, and palaces. They used the remaining walls as the foundation for the construction of a new city. The Spanish churches were built using the stones from demolished Incan buildings. The incredible colonial constructions built upon Inca foundations, have created a unique mestizo style of architecture, and this influence can be seen throughout the city’s culture and art.

History of the city There are many legends about the origin of Cusco. One of them tells how, Manco Capac and his sister and wife Mama Ocllo emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca with the mission to look for the promised land where the gold staff given to him by his father the Sun, would sink in the ground as a sign of fertility. In another version of this legend the Incan ancestors – four siblings and their sister-consorts emerged from the cave in one of the islands of Titicaca Lake. One of them was Manco Capac who founded the city of Cusco and laid the foundation of the Incan Empire. Cusco is the place of foundation and end of the great Tawantinsuyu Empire. In 1572 the last Inca stronghold was conquered, and the last ruler, Tupac Amaru, Manco's son, was captured and executed. This was the fall of the Inca Empire. There are many interesting museums in Cusco.

Here are some of them: Incan Museum (Museo Inca) The Museo Inka (Incan Museum), also known as the Archaeological Museum of Cusco, contains artifacts that trace Peruvian history from pre-Inca civilizations and Inca culture to the impact of the Conquest and colonial times on these native cultures. The mansion was built on top of an Inca palace at the beginning of the 17th century and was once the palace of Admiral Francisco Aldrete Maldonado. Museum is open every day Address: 103 Cuesta del Almirante, Cusco, Peru Koricancha (Qoricancha) Temple The extraordinarily crafted Temple of the Sun at Koricancha (Koricancha means "courtyard of gold" in Quechua) was the most sumptuous temple in the Incan Empire. Dedicated to worship of the sun, the most important deity in the Inca's naturalistic pantheon, the temple complex was a glittering palace. In addition to hundreds of gold panels lining its walls, there were life-size gold figures, solid-gold altars, and a huge golden sun disc.

The mummies of the Incan nobles were kept here and used during the religious ceremonies. After the Spaniards looted the temple and emptied it of gold, the exquisite polished stone walls were used as the foundations of the Dominican Convent of Santo Domingo, but some parts of the original temple still remain. The museum is open every day. Address: Plaza Intipampa (between Av.El Sol and Calle Santo Domingo), Cusco, Peru. Cusco Coca Museum (Museo de la Coca) This small, but informative museum tells a fascinating account of the now infamous coca leaf. Your journey begins with the pre-Inca cultures to whom the leaf was considered sacred. Medicinal values and benefits are well explained before moving through to the modern day and the dramatic impact of the cocaine industry. Address: Calle Suytuccatu 705, San Blas, Cusco, Peru. Cusco Planetarium The Cusco Planetarium is located in the city of Cusco 3350 meters above sea level, and brings the city nearer to the sky and the Gods. Stars played a significant role in the development of all great civilizations and the Incan Empire was one of them.

'Planetarium' is a company that offers night outings to the place where you can observe the stars. They will tell you about Incan astronomy, the constellations that were most important to them, and how the movement of stars regulated the life of the Incas. Excursions are organized every day, but require a prior booking. Website of the Planetarium: The chocolate world in Cusco (Choco Museo) Peru is a producer and exporter of the cacao beans. In 2010 Peru won a prestigious award from the Salon du Chocolat in Paris for the most aromatic cacao beans. In chocolate museum in Cusco you will learn about the process of making chocolate and even try the chocolate bars or hot chocolate. The museum organizes workshops where people can learn how to make their own chocolate and offers tours to cacao plantations. Website of the museum: Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Sacsayhuaman is located on a steep hill high above Cusco and was one of the districts of the city during the Incas time.

Some writers also believe the complex was built specifically to represent the head of a puma, the effigy shape which Sacsayhuaman together with Cusco forms when seen from above. There are different versions about the destination of this district. For many years it was considered the fortress. However modern researches think that this was the residential area for wealthy nobles and had rich houses, temples and squares for religious ceremonies. Although the Spanish demolished the buildings and used the stones for construction of churches, the ruins of the district are still impressive! The walls with perfectly fit stones are about 6 meters tall. The estimated volume of stone is over 6,000 cubic meters. Estimates for the weight of the largest limestone block vary from 128 tons to almost 200 tons! It is assumed that about 20,000 people were working on the construction of the complex. Today, on 24 June, Peruvians celebrate Inti Raymi, the annual Inca festival of the winter solstice and New Year, near Sacsayhuaman.

Statue of Christ – White Christ (Cristo Blanco) The statue of Cristo Blanco (White Christ) is located on top of a hill high above Cusco, Peru, near Sacsayhuaman. Cristo Blanco was built by a group of Christian Palestinians that were seeking refuge in Cusco in 1945. It was a symbol of their gratitude toward the city, and was their parting gift when they finally returned to their home country. Kenko (Quenco, Q'inqu) Located 6km from Cusco towards the Sacred Valley, Qenko is a strange Incan temple carved out a huge stone. Q’enko comes from the Quechua language and means “Labyrinth.” This name was given by the Spanish conquistadors due to its underground galleries in a form of maze. Kenko is built in a form of the amphitheatre and could be an altar or a tribune – the exact purpose of the place is not known. Tambomachay Tambomachay in Quechua means place of rest. The name comes from Incan times. This “water resort” for Inca was built in 5-6 km distance from Cusco.

In Incan times, this was a sacred site used for worship of the water deity and had magnificent channels, aquaducts, and waterfalls. The great engineering skills allowed the builders to intervene a fall and divide it into two identical water falls. It has even been proven that the same amount of water falls in each fall in a certain time – if you put a bottle under each fall they will be filled at the same time What is the best time to visit the Andes? Dry season in the Andes is from April to September and this is the best time for traveling. In the wet season (October to March), you can expect showers three to four afternoons a week, but they still organize tours. However, if you are planning to travel to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail, you must remember that this route is closed in February. How to get there There are numerous flights from Lima to Cusco, the flight usually takes about an hour. There are no direct bus routes, the shortest route is via Nazca and takes about 24 hours. The list of local airlines:: Cuzco, Peru: The Inca Capital City Updated December 01, 2016.

About Cuzco - the Inca capital city: The visitor to Cuzco, alternately spelled Cusco, Qosqo or Qozqo, can’t help but be awed and impressed by a city that was the capital of the Inca Empire. Today’s Cuzco combines the ancient city, the colonial additions and the modern buildings and amenities in a splendid reflection of culture and tradition-and reminds us that the sophisticated Incan civilization was not erased by the colonial invaders. Or tourists. Qosqo, meaning navel or bellybutton in Quechua, is located in a fertile valley that supported civilization before the Incas, but it is more closely associated with the organized society in which everyone had a role to play, and a function to perform. Ama Sua, Ama Quella, Ama Lulla was the greeting to visitors to the city, and exhorted them “Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t be lazy.” The results of their artisanry and building techniques are seen everywhere, and have outlasted numerous earthquakes.

continue reading below our video America's Best Foodie Cities Inca builders laid out the city in the form of a puma, with the fortress of Sacsayhuaman as the head, the plaza of Huacaypata as the belly, or navel, and the converging Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers as the tail. The ancient plaza was the core of the suyos, the Four Regions of the Inca Empire reaching from Quito, Ecuador to northern Chile. The plaza was the site of official and ceremonial buildings and residences of ruling officials and was the locus for the famous road network where swift runners carried communications to all parts of the empire. Surrounding the city were areas for agricultural, artisan and industrial production. When the Spanish arrived, they destroyed many of the structures, and what they couldn't raze, they used as foundations for many of their churches and buildings. Getting and Staying at the Inca Capital City: Getting to Cuzco today is easier than for the Incas or the colonial forces under Francisco Pizarro, who imposed the colonial city on top of the existing city beginning in March of 1534 after plundering and looting the city.

There are domestic and international flights, public transportation, bus service to and from multiple locations, and of course, the train to Machu Picchu. Cuzco enjoys a temperate climate, with the rainy season from November to March and the dry season from April to October. Check today's weather . Things to Do and See: As the Inca capital city, Cuzco is both colonial and modern. It entices visitors to stroll and discover the juztaposition of Inca architecture, the fabled wall of many angles, colonial red roofs, whitewashed walls and blue doors and windows. Take the time to see the many churches and explore the museums. Marvel at the masonry artistry described in Geometry Step by Step from the Land of the Incas . From the Plaza de Armas, a walking tour takes you to the Cathedral, San Blas church, the Art School and Q'oricancha, the site of the Sun Temple. Major atttractions of Cuzco and its outer region are: Qorikancha - the famous sun temple of Qosqo. When it is illuminated at night, we can get an idea of what it must have looked like when it was covered in gold.

La Companía Church - Cusco's masterpiece on what was once Inca Huayna Capac's palace The cathedral was built over the ruins of the palace of the Inca Viracocha. Saqsaywaman or Sacsayhuaman – these photos tell the story. Q'enqo – This labyrinth with a temple dedicated to Mother Earth is a unique center of worship and for ceremonies. Also called Kenko . Puca Pukara – the Fortress Watchtower on a strategic point along the road to the Antisuyo, or Amazonian region of the empire. it also served as a checkpoint on the Inca road and was a military and administrative center. Outside Cuzco: This article about Cuzco - The Inca capital city was updated November 30, 2016 by Ayngelina Brogan. Tambomachay – the Inca Baths believed to be an important center for the worship of water. The architecture and design display the Inca’s building talents and knowledge of hydraulics.

photo Laqo, Lanlakuyoq And Kusilluchayoq – thought to be observatories or ceremonial sites, these sites have felines, serpents and birds carved into the rock. Machu Picchu – either by train to Aguas Calientes for a bus ride up the mountain, or to the drop off point at the beginning of the Inca Trail to the “Lost City.” Additional sights and excursions: Pickillacta – the City of Fleas, an important city of the Wari or Huari civilization. See Tipón, Pikillacta and Andahuaylillas Chincheros – the Sunday market day is set in the middle of a town where Incan design and architecture are still maintained. Valle Sagrado - the Urubamba River Valley flowing through a narrow, winding valley from east of Pisac to Ollantaytambo at the western end of the valley. Maras – these salt flats on the side of a mountain were a commercial enterprise even before the Incas. photo .

Rafting on the Vilcamayu river from Huambutyio or Pachar Inca Empire for Kids: Cuzco City Cuzco was the capital and birthplace of the Inca Empire. The emperor, or Sapa Inca, lived in a palace in Cuzco. His top leaders and closest advisors also lived there. Where is Cuzco located? Cuzco is located in the Andes Mountains of what is today southern Peru . It sits high in the mountains at an elevation of 11,100 feet (3,399 meters) above sea level. When was Cuzco founded? Cuzco was founded by Manco Capac around 1200 AD. He established the Kingdom of Cuzco as a city-state that ruled the surrounding lands. Center of the Inca Empire In 1438 Pachacuti became the Sapa Inca of the Inca people. He greatly expanded the lands that Cuzco controlled. Soon Cuzco was the center of the vast Inca Empire. Who lived in the city of Cuzco? The city of Cuzco was a place for nobles to live during the Inca Empire.

Commoners did not live in the city. The only exceptions were the servants of the nobles as well as artisans and builders who were working on buildings or other items for the nobles. Many of the high ranking nobles were required to live in Cuzco. Even the governors of the four major regions of the empire were required to have a home in Cuzco and to live one fourth of the year in the city. The most important person that lived in Cuzco was the emperor, or Sapa Inca. He lived in a huge palace with his family and queen, the coya. The Buildings of Cuzco Emperor's Palace - Perhaps the most important building in Cuzco was the emperor's palace. There were actually a number of palaces in Cuzco because each new emperor built his own palace. The palace of the previous emperor was occupied by his mummy. The Inca believed that the spirit of the old emperor inhabited the mummy and they often went to consult the mummies of previous emperors. Coricancha - The most important temple in Cuzco was the temple of the Sun god Inti. It was called the Coricancha which means "Golden Temple".

During the time of the Inca Empire the walls and floors of the temple were covered in sheets of gold. Sacsayhuaman - Located on a steep hill on the outskirts of the city was the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. This fortress was guarded with a series of huge stone walls. There are individual stones in the walls so big they are estimated to weigh nearly 200 tons! Walls of the Sacsayhuaman ruin at Cusco by Bcasterline Interesting Facts about the Inca city of Cuzco A common greeting used in the city was "Ama Sua, Ama Quella, Ama Lulla" which meant "Don't lie, don't steal, don't be lazy". This was also the cornerstone of the Inca law. The Killke people lived in the area before the Inca and may have built some of the structures that the Inca used. The city of Cuzco is still a large city today with a population of around 350,000. Many of the stones in the walls of Sacsayhuaman fit so closely together that you cannot even slide a piece of paper between them.

The city of Cuzco is often spelled with an "s" as in Cusco. The Constitution of Peru officially designates the modern city of Cuzco as the Historical Capital of Peru. Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro said of Cuzco "it is so beautiful and has such fine buildings that it would be remarkable even in Spain". Activities Take a ten question quiz about this page. Aztecs NOVA - Official Website | The Lost Inca Empire NOVA Posted 11.01.00 NOVA "Land of the Four Quarters" or Tahuantinsuyu is the name the Inca gave to their empire. It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest. At the height of its existence the Inca Empire was the largest nation on Earth and remains the largest native state to have existed in the western hemisphere.

The wealth and sophistication of the legendary Inca people lured many anthropologists and archaeologists to the Andean nations in a quest to understand the Inca's advanced ways and what led to their ultimate demise. The Inca's engineering of roadways and agricultural terraces in mountainous terrain was one key to the expansion of the empire. Enlarge Photo credit: © rest/iStockphoto opulent wealth To imagine oneself living in the world of the Inca, one would have to travel back 500 years into a magnificent society made up of more than 10 million subjects. Cuzco, which emerged as the richest city in the New World, was the center of Inca life, the home of its leaders. "The riches that were gathered in the city of Cuzco alone, as capital and court of the Empire, were incredible," says an early account of Inca culture written 300 years ago by Jesuit priest Father Bernabe Cobo, "for therein were many palaces of dead kings with all the treasure that each amassed in life; and he who began to reign did not touch the estate and wealth of his predecessor but ....

built a new palace and acquired for himself silver and gold and all the rest." Money existed in the form of work—each subject of the empire paid "taxes" by laboring on the myriad roads, crop terraces, irrigation canals, temples, or fortresses. In return, rulers paid their laborers in clothing and food. Silver and gold were abundant, but only used for aesthetics. Inca kings and nobles amassed stupendous riches which accompanied them, in death, in their tombs. But it was their great wealth that ultimately undid the Inca, for the Spaniards, upon reaching the New World, learned of the abundance of gold in Inca society and soon set out to conquer it—at all costs. The plundering of Inca riches continues today with the pillaging of sacred sites and blasting of burial tombs by grave robbers in search of precious Inca gold. While some remnants of the Inca's riches remain intact, many were destroyed as looters melted them down for their raw metal.

Enlarge Photo credit: © Eduardo Mariano Rivero/iStockphoto Growth of an Empire The first known Incas, a noble family who ruled Cuzco and a small surrounding high Andean agricultural state, date back to A.D. 1200. The growth of the empire beyond Cuzco began in 1438 when emperor Pachacuti, which means "he who transforms the earth," strode forth from Cuzco to conquer the world around him and bring the surrounding cultures into the Inca fold. Consolidation of a large empire was to become a continuing struggle for the ruling Inca as their influence reached across many advanced cultures of the Andes. Strictly speaking, the name "Inca" refers to the first royal family and the 40,000 descendants who ruled the empire. However, for centuries historians have used the term in reference to the nearly 100 nations conquered by the Inca. The Inca state's domain was unprecedented, its rule resulting in a universal language—a form of Quechua, a religion worshipping the sun, and a 14,000 mile-long road system criss-crossing high Andean mountain passes and linking the rulers with the ruled.

Referred to as an all-weather highway system, the over 14,000 miles of Inca roads were an astonishing and reliable precursor to the advent of the automobile. Communication and transport was efficient and speedy, linking the mountain peoples and lowland desert dwellers with Cuzco. Building materials and ceremonial processions traveled thousands of miles along the roads that still exist in remarkably good condition today. They were built to last and to withstand the extreme natural forces of wind, floods, ice, and drought. This central nervous system of Inca transport and communication rivaled that of Rome. A high road crossed the higher regions of the Cordillera from north to south and another lower north-south road crossed the coastal plains. Shorter crossroads linked the two main highways together in several places. The terrain, according to Ciezo de Leon, an early chronicler of Inca culture, was formidable.

By his account, the road system ran "through deep valleys and over mountains, through piles of snow, quagmires, living rock, along turbulent rivers; in some places it ran smooth and paved, carefully laid out; in others over sierras, cut through the rock, with walls skirting the rivers, and steps and rests through the snow; everywhere it was clean swept and kept free of rubbish, with lodgings, storehouses, temples to the sun, and posts along the way." the beginning of the end With the arrival from Spain in 1532 of Francisco Pizarro and his entourage of mercenaries or "conquistadors," the Inca empire was seriously threatened for the first time. Duped into meeting with the conquistadors in a "peaceful" gathering, an Inca emperor, Atahualpa, was kidnapped and held for ransom. After paying over $50 million in gold by today's standards, Atahualpa, who was promised to be set free, was strangled to death by the Spaniards who then marched straight for Cuzco and its riches. Ciezo de Leon, a conquistador himself, wrote of the astonishing surprise the Spaniards experienced upon reaching Cuzco.

As eyewitnesses to the extravagant and meticulously constructed city of Cuzco, the conquistadors were dumbfounded to find such a testimony of superior metallurgy and finely tuned architecture. Inca walls show remarkable craftsmanship. The blocks have no mortar to hold them together yet stay tight because of their precise carving and configuration. Enlarge Photo credit: © Bartosz Hadyniak/iStockphoto Temples, edifices, paved roads, and elaborate gardens all shimmered with gold. By Ciezo de Leon's own observation the extreme riches and expert stone work of the Inca were beyond belief: "In one of (the) houses, which was the richest, there was the figure of the sun, very large and made of gold, very ingeniously worked, and enriched with many precious stones....They had also a garden, the clods of which were made of pieces of fine gold; and it was artificially sown with golden maize, the stalks, as well as the leaves and cobs, being of that metal....Besides all this, they had more than twenty golden (llamas) with their lambs, and the shepherds with their slings and crooks to watch them, all made of the same metal.

There was a great quantity of jars of gold and silver, set with emeralds; vases, pots, and all sorts of utensils, all of fine gold....it seems to me that I have said enough to show what a grand place it was; so I shall not treat further of the silver work of the chaquira (beads), of the plumes of gold and other things, which, if I wrote down, I should not be believed." Machu Picchu and Living at Heights What remains of the Inca legacy is limited, as the conquistadors plundered what they could of Inca treasures and in so doing, dismantled the many structures painstakingly built by Inca craftsmen to house the precious metals. Remarkably, a last bastion of the Inca empire remained unknown to the Spanish conquerors and was not found until explorer Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911. He had found Machu Picchu, a citadel atop a mountainous jungle along the Urubamba River in Peru. Grand steps and terraces with fountains, lodgings, and shrines flank the jungle-clad pinnacle peaks surrounding the site.

It was a place of worship to the sun god, the greatest deity in the Inca pantheon. The survival of Machu Picchu over hundreds of years, on a mountaintop subject to erosion and mudslides, is a testament to Inca engineering. Enlarge Photo credit: © Bartosz Hadyniak/iStockphoto Perhaps most unique about Inca civilization was its thriving existence at altitude. The Incas ruled the Andean Cordillera, second in height and harshness to the Himalayas. Daily life was spent at altitudes up to 15,000 feet and ritual life extended up to 22,057 feet to Llullaillaco in Chile, the highest Inca sacrificial site known today. Mountain roads and sacrificial platforms were built, which means a great amount of time was spent hauling loads of soil, rocks, and grass up to these inhospitable heights. Even with our advanced mountaineering clothing and equipment of today, it is hard for us to acclimatize and cope with the cold and dehydration experienced at the high altitudes frequented by the Inca. This ability of the sandal-clad Inca to thrive at extremely high elevations continues to perplex scientists today.

The Conquest How did Pizarro and his small army of mercenaries, totaling less than 400, conquer what was becoming the world's largest civilization? Much of the "conquest" was accomplished without battles or warfare as the initial contact Europeans made in the New World resulted in rampant disease. Old World infectious disease left its devastating mark on New World Indian cultures. In particular, smallpox spread quickly through Panama, eradicating entire populations. Once the disease crossed into the Andes its southward spread caused the single most devastating loss of life in the Americas. Lacking immunity, the New World peoples, including the Inca, were reduced by two-thirds. With the aid of disease and the success of his initial deceit of Atahualpa, Pizarro acquired vast amounts of Inca gold which brought him great fortune in Spain. Reinforcements for his troops came quickly and his conquest of a people soon moved into consolidation of an empire and its wealth. Spanish culture, religion, and language rapidly replaced Inca life and only a few traces of Inca ways remain in the native culture as it exists today. Indigenous people of Peru today retain some echoes of the Inca way of life, but most of the culture has vanished.

Enlarge Photo credit: © Bartosz Hadyniak/iStockphoto This feature originally appeared on the site for the NOVA program Ice Mummies . Related Links Experience the Capital of the Inca Empire and Legendary Machu Picchu | Luxury Tours Machu Picchu | Best Travel Peru Journey to the Salt flats of Uyuni Experience the Capital of the Inca Empire and Legendary Machu Picchu Explore the ancient Inca Empire and the stunning landscapes throughout the Sacred Valley. You'll visit the most important sites close to Cusco such as Saqsayhuaman, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo before heading off to the world wonder that is Machu Picchu. Here, you'll get both a private tour as well as plenty of time to experience it on your own. As you return to Cusco, you'll stop off at other Inca sites such as the terraces of Moray, not on the typical tourist route. Detailed Itinerary - 8 Days / 7 Nights Day 1: Welcome to Peru Upon your arrival in Lima, you will be welcomed by your Kuoda host and escorted to the Costa Ramada del Sol Hotel right at the Lima airport to rest for your early morning flight to Cusco.

Day 2: Journey to the Sacred Valley After being assisted with your check-in at the Lima airport, you will fly to Cusco, a journey of about 80 minutes. You will be welcomed on arrival to the ancient Inca capital and, on your way to the beautiful Sacred Valley to acclimate, you will first visit the archaeological site of Sacsayhuaman. Just above the city of Cusco, it is an amazing example of the impressive Inca stonework. Heading out of the city, you'll stop off at Awanakancha, a great opportunity to learn about traditional weaving techniques from local women and get your first primer on the four types of camelids found in Peru: the Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuña. From here, you will continue deeper into the Valley to your luxurious hotel in Urubamba. Day 3: Pisac Ruins and Market A short drive takes you to the Pisac ruins and traditional market. You'll have ample time to explore this fascinating site high above the town with its beautiful vistas of the valley. Following, you will have time to continue your explorations, this time of the quaint town itself.

Here, you'll find a marketplace famous for its handmade crafts, including textiles, jewelry and ceramics. Afterward, there will be ample time to explore the town with its small adobe homes and peruse the lively market for handmade textiles, ceramics, jewelry and crafts. On your way back to your hotel, you'll enjoy a gourmet lunch at one of Urubamba's two gourmet restaurants– Tres Keros or El Huacatay. Day 4: Visiting the Agricultural After a scrumptious breakfast in your hotel we will visit the Inca ruins at Moray. Experts today believe these ancient amphitheaters served as an agricultural laboratory, the ascending terraces creating variations in temperature and soil type. We will continue through the small town of Maras, which boasts beautiful colonial doorways, before arriving at the unbelievable salt pans. Still in-use, each of thousands of flat white pools that terrace the hillside has been passed down through families since pre-Incan times. The intricate network of waterways and white evaporation pools seem like a work of modern art. We will then have lunch at the Casa de Barro, where you can sample some of the treats of the region.

After lunch, we will take you to visit our friends in a small Sacred Valley village. Surrounded by towering mountains and hugging the shore of the breathtakingly blue Lake Piuray, agriculture dominates life in this close-knit place. The women of the village are weaving masters, using Incan techniques, materials and patterns. They will happily explain their craft to you. You will also meet some of the local children who attend Kuoda's after-school program. The kids love to show off their drawings and computer skills! This town is far off the beaten-track, so you won't see other tourists here. You will get to meet some of the friendliest people in Peru and to glimpse a more traditional way of life. At the end of the day, we will return to your hotel. Day 5: The Lost City of the Incas: Machu Picchu Prepare for a climactic day! In the morning, we will board the train in Ollantaytambo for our journey to Machu Picchu. Watch the cloud jungle pass by through the large glass windows! After a bus ride to the gates of this wonder of the world, we will fortify ourselves with a savory lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge.

You will then ascend stone steps, through heavy tree cover to finally emerge at the top of the world – Machu Picchu! The incredible Inca stone construction will be spread below, alternately hidden and revealed by clouds. Your expert guide will give you a private tour of the ancient city. You will return for an evening in Aguas Calientes and your guide will give you advice and answer questions about how you might use your following free day. Day 6: Machu Picchu on Your Terms This is your day to relax and enjoy Machu Picchu. The adventurous can climb to the citadel from town or hike the steep Huayna Picchu for the postcard view of the city. (These tickets need to be purchased along with the Machu Picchu entrance so you will need to decide ahead of time if you wish to make this climb. Only 400 people are allowed on, half at 7 am and half at 10 am.) In the afternoon, you will descend to Aguas Calientes for your train back to Cusco. We will be waiting in the station for you and will bring you to your hotel for a night's rest.

Day 7: Cusco On day seven, you will take a private walking tour of one of Peru´s most attractive, fascinating cities: Cusco. Your guide will illuminate past and present, from the Inca walls and sun temple to the Pre-Columbian Art Museum to the ancient churches and cathedrals to the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas to the bustling modern market in San Pedro. The afternoon will be free so you can explore Cusco on your own. Day 8: Return Home In the morning, you'll be taken to the airport for your flight back to Lima. If your flight is later in the day, we will provide you with a car and driver to take you to some of the main sights of the city. If you like, your trip can also be extended, allowing you to further enjoy the capital city, particularly the many fine restaurants. All trips are private and will be customized to suit your individual interests and schedules. Please contact us at (800) 986-4150 for more information about our customized private tours to Peru. Costs will vary according to your specific itinerary, the number of people traveling and the type of accommodations you prefer.

Memberships: 13833 Wellington Trace E4-Ste 442 Wellington, Florida 33414 1 561 283 1727 (Customer Service) +51 984 078907 (Emergency contact) +51 984 116839 (Emergency contact) The Incas: History of Andean Empire The Incas: History of Andean Empire By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | November 19, 2013 05:47pm ET MORE Villagers in Cuzco, Peru, dressed in colorful shawls, or chompas, mingle with city-folk and tourists during a festival.. Credit: Jesse Lewis The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572 when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured.

The Incas built their empire without the wheel, powerful draft animals, iron working, currency or even what we would consider to be a writing system. One of the Inca civilization's most famous surviving archaeological sites is Machu Picchu , which was built as a retreat for an Incan emperor. The Incas called their empire Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Corners,” and its official language was Quechua. The empire was divided up into four “suyu,” which intersected at the capital, Cuzco. These suyu in turn were divided into provinces. By the time of the Spanish conquest, much of the Inca Empire was made up of numerous non-Inca groups. The empire reached its peak after the conquests of Emperor Huayna Capac, who reigned from 1493 until around 1527, when he apparently died of smallpox. At its peak, the empire extended from “the border of Ecuador and Colombia down to about 50 miles [80 kilometers] south of modern Santiago, Chile,” said Terence D'Altroy of Columbia University, in a 2007 PBS Nova interview .

“In terms of square miles, we're probably talking something like 300,000 square miles [more than 775,000 square km],” he said, adding that its population was as high as 12 million people. To support this empire, a system of roads stretched for almost 25,000 miles (roughly 40,000 km), about three times the diameter of the Earth. As the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire, they were impressed by what they saw. “Inca cities were as large as those of Europe, but more orderly and by all accounts much cleaner and more pleasant places in which to live,” writes Gordon McEwan of Wagner College, in his book “The Incas: New Perspectives” (ABC-CLIO, 2006), also noting that the road and aqueduct systems the Spanish encountered in the Andes were superior to those in Europe. Inca origins The Inca Empire originated at the city of Cuzco in what is today southern Peru. It appears to have started out as a small local state until it rapidly expanded into a vast empire during the 15th century A.D.

The origins of the Inca are murky, but McEwan points that, in pre-Inca times, Cuzco was located at a nexus point between two earlier empires, one called the Wari and another based at the city of Tiwanaku . This central location gave the Inca a number of advantages when they were able to expand, one of the most important being the availability of infrastructure, which these earlier empires had already created. “The hydraulic and highway systems of the earlier empires would have provided the basis for rapid expansion of the early Inca state,” McEwan writes. Inca oral history, recorded by the Spanish, suggests that the expansion of the Inca began in earnest during the reign of the emperor Pachacuti, who reigned 1438-1471. Oral traditions say that he became emperor after he halted an invasion of Cuzco that was being carried out by a rival group called the Chancas. Subsequently, he worked to expand the territory the Inca controlled, extending their influence beyond the Cuzco region. D'Altroy notes that the Inca tried to get their rivals to surrender peacefully and only used military conquest as a last resort.

They “worked very hard in diplomacy, negotiating relationships with neighbors or with people who were targets for incorporation into their expanding territory, and they tried to work out amicable relationships through gift exchanges, marital exchanges, or political alliances. Failing that, they would threaten those people with military conquest, and that having failed, they would actually undertake military conquest,” he said in the PBS interview. While the Inca did not develop what we would consider a formal system of writing, they did use recording devices, the best known being quipu, a cord with strings suspended from it. While modern-day scholars are unable to read them, it is known that they would have been used for creating records such as a census. Cuzco The Inca capital, Cuzco, was ordered rebuilt by Pachacuti, who allegedly had the city completely razed so that it could be rebuilt in the shape of a puma.

“The animal was represented in profile, with the residential blocks of the city forming its body … the great fortress or temple complex on the hill above Cuzco representing its head, and the confluence of the Tullu and Saphi rivers representing its tail,” McEwan writes, paraphrasing the account recorded by the Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos. “Between the fore and hind legs of the puma were located the two great plazas of Cuzco, where the highways to the four imperial quarters of the empire, called suyus, converged.” McEwan adds that commoners were not allowed to live in the city and had to reside in the outlying settlements.

Perhaps the greatest religious sanctuary in Cuzco was a sun temple called “Coricancha.” The Spanish chronicler Bernabé Cobo wrote (in translation), “This temple was called Coricancha, which means ‘house of gold,’ because of the incomparable wealth of this metal which was embedded in the temple’s chapels and wall, its ceilings and altars.” (From “Ancient Cuzco” by Brian Bauer, University of Texas Press, 2004) The presence of gold led the Spanish to plunder it thoroughly, but Cobo did record that it was dedicated to the Sun god Inti with other Inca deities also being honored in the temple. After the Spanish conquered Cuzco, they built a new city in its place, one that survives to present day. Cuzco: Religious and Political Heart of the Inca Empire By K. Kris Hirst Updated April 08, 2016. Cuzco, Peru (and alternatively spelled Cozco, Cusco, Qusqu or Qosqo) was the political and religious capital of the vast empire of the Incas of South America.

"Cuzco" is the most common spelling, and it is the Spanish transliteration of what the natives called their city: at the time of the conquest in the 16th century, the Inca had no written language as we'd recognize it today. But! read about the Inca's string language Quipu Cuzco is located at the northern end of a large and agriculturally rich valley, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru at an elevation of 3,395 meters (11,100 feet) above sea level. It was the center of the Inca Empire and the dynastic seat of all 13 of the Incan rulers . The marvelous stonework still visible in the modern city today was primarily built when the 9th Inca, Pachacuti [ruled AD 1438-1471, gained the throne. Pachucuti ordered that the entire city be rebuilt: his stonemasons and their successors are credited with inventing the " Inca style of masonry ", for which Cuzco is justly famous.

continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Cuzco's Role in the Empire Cuzco represented the geographical and spiritual center of the Inca empire. At its heart was the Qoricancha , an elaborate temple complex built with the finest stone masonry and covered in gold. This elaborate complex was at the crossroads for the entire length and breadth of the Inca empire, its geographic location the focal point for the "four quarters", as Inca leaders referred to their empire, as well as a shrine and symbol for the major imperial religion. But Cuzco is filled with many other shrines and temples (called huacas in the Inca language Quechua), each of which held its own special place. Among the buildings you can see today there is was Q'enko , an astronomical shrine nearby, and the mighty fortress of Sacsaywaman . In fact, the entire city was considered sacred, surrounded by huacas, with sacred items and locations holding critical roles defining the lives of the people who lived along the vast Inca road , and central to the Inca pilgrimage network, the ceque system .

Founding of Cuzco Cuzco was founded, according to legend, by Manco Capac, the founder of the Inca civilization. Unlike many ancient capitals, at its founding Cuzco was primarily a governmental and religious capital, with few residential structures. Cuzco remained the Inca capital city from the mid 15th century until it was conquered by the Spanish in 1532. By then, Cuzco had become the largest city in South America, with an estimated population of 100,000 people. The central sector of Inca Cuzco is made up of a large plaza divided into two parts by the Saphy River. Carefully dressed blocks of limestone, granite, porphyry and basalt were used to build Cuzco's palaces, temples and central fortresses. The stone was inset without cement or mortar, and with a precision that came within fractions of a millimeter. The stonemason technology was eventually spread to many different outposts of the empire, including Machu Picchu .

The Coricancha The most important archaeological structure in Cuzco is probably the one called the Coricancha (or Qorikancha), also called Golden Enclosure or the Temple of the Sun. According to legend, the Coricancha was built by the first Inca emperor, but certainly it was expanded in 1438 by Pachacuti, who built also built Machu Picchu. The Spanish called it "Templo del Sol", as they peeling the gold off its walls to be sent back to Spain. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish built a church and convent on its massive foundations. Read more details about the Coricancha The Inca part of Cusco is still visible, in its many plazas and temples as well as massive remnant earth-quake proof walls. For a closer look at Inca architecture, see the Walking Tour of Machu Picchu. Archaeologists and others associated with the past of Cuzco include Bernabe Cobo, John H. Rowe, Graziano Gasparini, Luise Margolies, R. Tom Zuideman, Susan A. Niles, and John Hyslop.

Sources This glossary entry is part of the About.com Guide to the Inca Empire and the Dictionary of Archaeology . Bauer BS. 1998. The Sacred Landscape of the Inca: The Cusco Ceque System. Austin: University of Texas Press. Kuznar LA. 1999. The Inca Empire: Detailing the complexities of core/periphery interactions. In: Kardulias PN, editor. World-Systems Theory in Practice: Leadership, production, and exchange. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. p 224-240. Protzen J-P. 1985. Inca Quarrying and Stonecutting. The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 44(2):161-182. Pigeon G. 2011. Inca architecture: the function of a building in relation to its form. La Crosse, WI: University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Inca Civilization - Ancient History Encyclopedia Inca Civilization by Mark Cartwright published on 15 September 2014 The Inca civilization flourished in ancient Peru between c.

1400 and 1533 CE, and their empire eventually extended across western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south, making it the largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the largest in the world at that time. Undaunted by the often harsh Andean environment, the Incas conquered people and exploited landscapes in such diverse settings as plains, mountains, deserts, and tropical jungle. Famed for their unique art and architecture, they constructed finely-built and imposing buildings wherever they conquered, and their spectacular adaptation of natural landscapes with terracing, highways, and mountaintop settlements continues to impress modern visitors at such world famous sites as Machu Picchu . Historical Overview As with other ancient Americas cultures, the historical origins of the Incas are difficult to disentangle from the founding myths they themselves created. According to legend, in the beginning, the creator god Viracocha came out of the Pacific Ocean, and when he arrived at Lake Titicaca , he created the sun and all ethnic groups. These first people were buried by the god and only later did they emerge from springs and rocks (sacred pacarinas) back into the world.

The Incas, specifically, were brought into existence at Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) from the sun god Inti , hence, they regarded themselves as the chosen few, the 'Children of the Sun', and the Inca ruler was Inti's representative and embodiment on earth. In another version of the creation myth, the first Incas came from a sacred cave known as Tampu T'oqo or 'The House of Windows', which was located at Pacariqtambo, the 'Inn of Dawn', south of Cuzco . The first pair of humans were Manco Capac (or Manqo Qhapaq) and his sister (also his wife) Mama Oqllu (or Ocllo). Three more brother-sister siblings were born, and the group set off together to found their civilization . Defeating the Chanca people with the help of stone warriors (pururaucas), the first Incas finally settled in the Valley of Cuzco and Manco Capac, throwing a golden rod into the ground, established what would become the Inca capital, Cuzco. Advertisement 40,000 Incas governed a territory with 10 million subjects speaking over 30 different languages.

More concrete archaeological evidence has revealed that the first settlements in the Cuzco Valley actually date to 4500 BCE when hunter-gather communities occupied the area. However, Cuzco only became a significant centre sometime at the beginning of the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1400 CE). A process of regional unification began from the late 14th century CE, and from the early 15th century CE, with the arrival of the first great Inca leader Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ('Reverser of the World') and the defeat of the Chanca in 1438 CE, the Incas began to expand in search of plunder and production resources, first to the south and then in all directions. They eventually built an empire which stretched across the Andes, conquering such peoples as the Lupaka, Colla, Chimor , and Wanka civilizations along the way. Once established, a nationwide system of tax and administration was instigated which consolidated the power of Cuzco. The rise of the Inca Empire was spectacularly quick.

First, all speakers of the Inca language Quechua (or Runasimi) were given privileged status, and this noble class then dominated all the important roles within the empire. Thupa Inca Yupanqui (also known as Topa Inca), Pachacuti 's successor from 1471 CE, is credited with having expanded the empire by a massive 4,000 km (2,500 miles). The Incas themselves called their empire Tawantinsuyo (or Tahuantinsuyu) meaning 'Land of the Four Quarters' or 'The Four Parts Together'. Cuzco was considered the navel of the world, and radiating out were highways and sacred sighting lines (ceques) to each quarter: Chinchaysuyu (north), Antisuyu (east), Collasuyu (south), and Cuntisuyu (west).

Spreading across ancient Ecuador, Peru, northern Chile, Bolivia, upland Argentina, and southern Colombia and stretching 5,500 km (3,400 miles) north to south, 40,000 Incas governed a huge territory with some 10 million subjects speaking over 30 different languages. Government & Administration The Incas kept lists of their kings (Sapa Inca) so that we know of such names as Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (reign c. 1438-63 CE), Thupa Inca Yupanqui (reign c. 1471-93 CE), and Wayna Qhapaq (the last pre-Hispanic ruler, reign c. 1493-1525 CE). It is possible that two kings ruled at the same time and that queens may have had some significant powers, but the Spanish records are not clear on both points. The Sapa Inca was an absolute ruler, and he lived a life of great opulence. Drinking from gold and silver cups, wearing silver shoes, and living in a palace furnished with the finest textiles, he was pampered to the extreme.

He was even looked after following his death, as the Inca mummified their rulers. Stored in the Coricancha temple in Cuzco, the mummies (mallquis) were, in elaborate ceremonies, regularly brought outside wearing their finest regalia, given offerings of food and drink, and 'consulted' for their opinion on pressing state affairs. Remove Ads Advertisement Inca rule was, much like their architecture, based on compartmentalised and interlocking units. At the top was the ruler and ten kindred groups of nobles called panaqa. Next in line came ten more kindred groups, more distantly related to the king and then, a third group of nobles not of Inca blood but made Incas as a privilege. At the bottom of the state apparatus were locally recruited administrators who oversaw settlements and the smallest Andean population unit the ayllu, which was a collection of households, typically of related families who worked an area of land, lived together and provided mutual support in times of need. Each ayllu was governed by a small number of nobles or kurakas, a role which could include women.

Local administrators reported to over 80 regional-level administrators who, in turn, reported to a governor responsible for each quarter of the empire. The four governors reported to the supreme Inca ruler in Cuzco. To ensure loyalty, the heirs of local rulers were also kept as well-kept prisoners at the Inca capital. The most important political, religious, and military roles within the empire were, then, kept in the hands of the Inca elite, called by the Spanish the orejones or 'big ears' because they wore large earspools to indicate their status. To better ensure the control of this elite over their subjects, garrisons dotted the empire, and entirely new administrative centres were built, notably at Tambo Colorado, Huánuco Pampa and Hatun Xauxa. For tax purposes censuses were taken and populations divided up into groups based on multiples of ten (Inca mathematics was almost identical to the system we use today).

As there was no currency in the Inca world, taxes were paid in kind - usually foodstuffs, precious metals, textiles, exotic feathers, dyes, and spondylus shell - but also in labourers who could be shifted about the empire to be used where they were most needed, known as mit'a service. Agricultural land and herds were divided into three parts: production for the state religion and the gods, for the Inca ruler, and for the farmers own use. Local communities were also expected to help build and maintain such imperial projects as the road system which stretched across the empire. To keep track of all these statistics, the Inca used the quipu , a sophisticated assembly of knots and strings which was also highly transportable and could record decimals up to 10,000.

Remove Ads Advertisement Although the Incas imposed their religion and administration on conquered peoples, extracted tribute, and even moved loyal populations (mitmaqs) to better integrate new territories into the empire, the Incas also brought certain benefits such as food redistribution in times of environmental disaster, better storage facilities for foodstuffs, work via state-sponsored projects, state-sponsored religious feasts, roads, military assistance and luxury goods, especially art objects enjoyed by the local elite. Most splendid were the temples built in honour of Inti and Mama Kilya - the former was lined with 700 2kg sheets of beaten gold. Cuzco The Inca capital of Cuzco (from qosqo, meaning 'dried-up lake bed' or perhaps derived from cozco, a particular stone marker in the city ) was the religious and administrative centre of the empire and had a population of up to 150,000 at its peak. Dominated by the sacred gold-covered and emerald-studded Coricancha complex (or Temple of the Sun ), its greatest buildings were credited to Pachacuti.

Most splendid were the temples built in honour of Inti and Mama Kilya - the former was lined with 700 2kg sheets of beaten gold, the latter with silver. The whole capital was laid out in the form of a puma (although some scholars dispute this and take the description metaphorically) with the imperial metropolis of Pumachupan forming the tail and the temple complex of Sacsayhuaman (or Saqsawaman) forming the head. Incorporating vast plazas, parklands, shrines, fountains, and canals, the splendour of Inca Cuzco now, unfortunately, survives only in the eye-witness accounts of the first Europeans who marvelled at its architecture and riches. Inca Religion The Inca had great reverence for two earlier civilizations who had occupied much the same territory - the Wari and Tiwanaku. As we have seen, the sites of Tiwanaku and Lake Titicaca played an important part in Inca creation myths and so were especially revered.

Inca rulers made regular pilgrimages to Tiwanaku and the islands of the lake, where two shrines were built to Inti the Sun god and supreme Inca deity, and the moon goddess Mama Kilya. Also in the Coricancha complex at Cuzco, these deities were represented by large precious metal artworks which were attended and worshipped by priests and priestesses led by the second most important person after the king: the High Priest of the Sun (Willaq Umu). Thus, the religion of the Inca was preoccupied with controlling the natural world and avoiding such disasters as earthquake, floods, and drought, which inevitably brought about the natural cycle of change, the turning over of time involving death and renewal which the Inca called pachakuti. Sacred sites were also established, often taking advantage of prominent natural features such as mountain tops, caves, and springs. These huacas could be used to take astronomical observations at specific times of the year. Religious ceremonies took place according to the astronomical calendar, especially the movements of the sun, moon, and Milky Way (Mayu). Processions and ceremonies could also be connected to agriculture, especially the planting and harvesting seasons.

Along with Titicaca's Island of the Sun, the most sacred Inca site was Pachacamac , a temple city built in honour of the god with the same name, who created humans, plants, and was responsible for earthquakes. A large wooden statue of the god, considered an oracle, brought pilgrims from across the Andes to worship at Pachacamac. Shamans were another important part of Inca religion and were active in every settlement. Cuzco had 475, the most important being the yacarca, the personal advisor to the ruler. Inca religious rituals also involved ancestor worship as seen through the practice of mummification and making offerings to the gods of food, drink, and precious materials. Sacrifices - both animals and humans, including children - were also made to pacify and honour the gods and ensure the good health of the king. The pouring of libations, either water or chicha beer , was also an important part of Inca religious ceremonies. The Incas imposed their religion on local populations by building their own temples and sacred sites, and they also commandeered sacred relics from conquered peoples and held them in Cuzco.

Stored in the Coricancha, they were perhaps considered hostages which ensured compliance to the Inca view of the world. Inca Architecture & Roads Master stone masons, the Incas constructed large buildings, walls and fortifications using finely-worked blocks - either regular or polygonal - which fitted together so precisely no mortar was needed. With an emphasis on clean lines, trapezoid shapes, and incorporating natural features into these buildings, they have easily withstood the powerful earthquakes which frequently hit the region. The distinctive sloping trapezoid form and fine masonry of Inca buildings were, besides their obvious aesthetic value, also used as a recognisable symbol of Inca domination throughout the empire. One of the most common Inca buildings was the ubiquitous one-room storage warehouse the qollqa. Built in stone and well-ventilated, they were either round and stored maize or square for potatoes and tubers. The kallanka was a very large hall used for community gatherings. More modest buildings include the kancha - a group of small single-room and rectangular buildings (wasi and masma) with thatched roofs built around a courtyard enclosed by a high wall .

The kancha was a typical architectural feature of Inca towns, and the idea was exported to conquered regions. Terracing to maximise land area for agriculture (especially for maize) was another Inca practice, which they exported wherever they went. These terraces often included canals, as the Incas were expert at diverting water, carrying it across great distances, channelling it underground, and creating spectacular outlets and fountains. Goods were transported across the empire along purpose-built roads using llamas and porters (there were no wheeled vehicles). The Inca road network covered over 40,000 km and as well as allowing for the easy movement of armies, administrators, and trade goods, it was also a very powerful visual symbol of Inca authority over their empire. The roads had rest stations along their way, and there was also a relay system of runners (chasquis) who carried messages up to 240 km in a single day from one settlement to another.

Question: Which city was the capital of the Inca Empire?
Answer: CUSCO