The Inca Empire
Kingdom of Cusco
(1197 - 1438 CE) A small kingdom located in the Andes Mountains of South America. It would later become the Inca Empire.
The Inca Empire
(1438 - 1533 CE) A large civilization in South America that stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile. The Inca excelled at engineering and developed new crops like potatoes.
Huayna Capac
(ca. 1464 - 1525 CE) The emperor of the Inca Empire who significantly expanded the empire through military conquest. He was also known for implementing and refining a large number of public works that improved the lives of his people.
A farmer living on the edge of a steep mountain would like to increase the amount of crops he can grow. Which Inca advancement would have the most use for him?
A terrace
The Inca relied on advanced mathematics for both _________________ and engineering.
Astronomy
The Inca Empire at its Height
At its height, the Inca Empire spread from southern Colombia into Chile and Argentina. Only the rain forests to the east and the ocean to the west stopped the empire from expanding farther. Although it lasted only about 100 years, the Inca Empire was one of the largest empires in the world during the postclassical era. More than 12 million people lived under Inca rule.
Into which modern country did the northernmost part of the Inca Empire extend>
Bolivia
Which of the following statements accurately describes a similarity between the Inca leaders Pachacuti and Huayna Capac?
Both invested in developing roads throughout the Inca Empire
A representative of the ___________________ government studied each conquered area carefully.
Central
Which social class in Inca society enjoyed more rights than commoners but fewer rights than nobles?
Conquered Nobles
What kind of taxes did the Inca force conquered people to pay?
Conquered people had to provide labor to the government and a portion of the goods they produced.
The Inca typically sacrificed ___________ and animals in religious rituals, except during crises or emergencies.
Crops
Six Powerful Rulers of the Inca Empire
During its short existence, the Inca Empire was controlled by six different rulers, called the Sapa Inca. The position of Sapa Inca was hereditary, passed down from father to son. Each Sapa Inca conquered land, led religious ceremonies, and ran the government. The first Sapa Inca, Pachacuti (ca. 1438), conquered the Kingdom of Chimú and other regions, incorporating them into the Inca Empire. Pachacuti collected taxes, divided the empire into administrative areas, appointed governors, and began building a system of roads to connect the empire. Although each Sapa Inca expanded the empire's territory, Huayna Capac more than doubled its size. From 1493 to 1525, he conquered large areas of southern Peru, western Bolivia and Argentina, and northern and central Chile. During his rule, the Inca Empire reached the height of its size and power. To help govern his large empire, Huayna Capac greatly expanded and improved its road system, building storehouses for food along roads to help those who were hungry.
True or False: The Inca used an elaborate system of terraces to separate common citizens from wealthy leaders.
False
Which of the following describes why the Inca economy is called "vertical"?
Farmers living at different elevations produced different crops because the steep Andes Mountains allow many different climate types to exist close to one another.
A local government leader was responsible for collecting taxes in the form of _________________________, which helped build roads and buildings.
Labor
What type of religion was practiced throughout the Inca Empire?
Polytheism
The Inca religion was ____________________, meaning the Inca worshipped _________________ gods.
Polytheistic, Many
The Inca _________________ helped the government learn about events in the empire.
Roads
The Inca Empire had a strict social system that separated people into religious, social, and job-related categories. At the top of the social order was the __________________________ who was thought to be directly related to the Sun God.
Sapa Inca
What was the official title given to supremely powerful leaders who were at the top of the Inca Empire's political and social class system?
Sapa Inca
Inca Social Classes
Sapa Inca and his family > Nobles > Conquered Nobles > Commoners
The Inca performed sophisticated __________________ in an effort to heal those with head injuries.
Surgical Procedures
How did the Chavín civilization influence the Inca?
The Inca Empire grew out of the Kingdom of Cusco, which followed many traditions of the much earlier Chavín culture.
How a Small Group Became an Empire
The Inca Empire grew out of the smaller Kingdom of Cusco, located in modern-day Peru. During the late 1300s, the Inca began to conquer neighboring groups. They attacked villages and then established military posts to control the conquered areas. During the next 100 years, the Inca conquered areas to the south and the north. To prevent resistance, they relocated thousands of conquered people throughout the new empire.
How were the Chavín and Wari's influences on the Inca different?
The Inca were influenced by the Chavín's religion and the Wari's terraced farming.
What did the Inca government hope to achieve by forcing members of conquered groups to move to different parts of the empire?
The Inco government wanted to make sure that any rebellious people in a region were split up. If only a few were sent to a city, it would be very difficult for them to cause much trouble to the Inca.
Which of these statements expresses one of the reasons the Inca tracked the movements of the planets and the stars?
The knowledge was central to their religion.
How did roads help Inca rulers maintain control of their vast empire?
The roads allowed the rulers to move troops quickly to protect the empire and prevent rebellions. The roads also allowed different government officials to communicate quickly with one another.
What Is a Vertical Economy?
The strict class system of the Inca Empire resulted in a vertical social system with the Sapa Inca on top and all other classes underneath him. Historians also describe the economy of the Inca Empire as "vertical."
Sapa Inca
The title for the ruler of the Inca Empire.
Which of the following accomplishments show the mathematical and engineering skills of the Inca?
They accurately tracked the stars' movements.
How do we know that the Inca were good architects?
They built large structures out of hand-carved stone.
Why did the Inca have representatives of the central government study the societies of newly conquered areas?
To take an inventory of their resources so they could be taxed in the most efficient way
The Inca were able to weave _________ into fine fabric.
Wool
Under the rule of Huayna Capac, the Inca Empire ________.
reached the height of its power and doubled in size
