The Inca civilization was a pre-Columbian empire located in western South America, with its capital at Cusco, Peru. The Inca ruled along the western coast of South America from the 12th century to the 16th century CE, when the Spanish invaded and conquered the empire. At its height, the Inca Empire stretched over 2 million square kilometers and had an estimated population of 10 million people. It featured advanced architecture, road systems, agriculture, and a complex bureaucracy centered on the Sapa Inca ruler.

1. INCA CIVILIZATION
Sources:
https://kids.kiddle.co/Inca_Empire
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/incas/
https://www.ducksters.com/history/aztec_maya_inca.php
https://easyscienceforkids.com/inca-empire/
The Inca were apre-Columbian civilization.Their empire was in the Andes of South America.
The word Inca can also mean the emperor or king of the Inca people. 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.
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
centred around the city of Cusco, or Qosqo, in what
is now southern Peru. This was the administrative,
political and military center of the empire. In later
years, it was also centred around Quito. The Inca
were ruled by an Emperor known as the Sapa Inca.
Throughout their empire, they built many roads and
bridges to make travel between their communities
easy.
The Inca Empire was called Tawantinsuyo in
Quechua, which means "four regions". The empire only lasted for about 100 years as the

2. arrival of the conquering Spaniards in 1532 AD marked the end of their
reign. Their main language was Quechua, but as the Empire was made
up of many different groups there were probably many different
languages as well.
The empire covered an area of 2 million square kilometers. The remote
ancestors of Incas were Stone Age hunters who crossedthe Bering Strait
from Asia to Alaska. This empire lasted about 100 years, from 1438 to
1532. There were atotal of 13 Incarulers and they ruled about 10 million
people.
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.
In 1533, Atahualpa, the last sovereign emperor, was executed by the
conquistador Francisco Pizarro. That meant the beginning of Spanish
rule in South America. The Inca Empire was supported by an economy
based on the collective ownership of the land.
Government
When the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 1500s the Inca Empire was
huge. It stretched for over 2000 miles from the north to the south
and had a population of an estimated 10 million people. The Inca
needed a sophisticated and organized government to maintain an
empire this large.
Monarchy - The Inca government was called the Tawantinsuyu. It
was a monarchy ruled by a single leader called the Sapa Inca, the
emperor or king of the Inca Empire was calledthe Sapa Inca, which
means "sole ruler". He was the most powerful person in the land
and everyone else reported to the Sapa Inca. His principal wife,
the queen, was called the coya.
Inca Government Organization - Below the Sapa Inca were
several officers who helped to rule the empire. High ranking officials were often relatives of
the emperor and were always part of the Inca class.

3. Mythology and Religion
The religion of the Inca was closely tied into the
everyday life of the Inca as well as with their
government. They believed that their ruler, the Inca
Sapa, was part god himself. The Inca believed that
their gods occupied three different realms: 1) the
sky or Hanan Pacha, 2)the inner earth or Uku Pacha,
and 3) the outer earth or Cay pacha.
Inca Gods and Goddesses
Inti - Inti was the most important of the gods to the Inca. He was the god of the sun. The
emperor, or Inca Sapa, was said to be a descendent of Inti. Inti was married to the Goddess
of the Moon, Mama Quilla.
 Mama Quilla - Mama Quilla was the goddess of the Moon. She was also the goddess
of marriage and the defender of women. Mama Quilla was married to Inti the god
of the Sun. The Inca believed that lunar eclipses occurred when Mama Quilla was
being attacked by an animal.
 Pachamama - Pachamama was the goddess of Earth or "Mother Earth". She was
responsible for farming and the harvest.
 Viracocha - Viracocha was the first god who created the Earth, the sky, the other
gods, and humans.
 Supay - Supay was the god of death and ruler of the Inca underworld called the Uca
Pacha.
Machu Picchu
Archeologists believe that the city was first built at the peak of the Inca Empire around the
year 1450. Construction likely continued on the site until the empire was conquered by the
Spanish in the mid 1500s.

4. Why was it built? Machu Picchu was built as the
royal estate for the ninth Inca King, Pachacuti.
Archeologists aren't sure why he built it, however.
There are a number of theories as to why he had
it built. One theory is that it was a vacation retreat
for the king. It is in a warmer spot than the capital
city of Cuzco. It also is in a beautiful location and
would have been a nice getaway for the king.
Another theory is that it was built as a sacred
religious site. Perhaps it was a combination of
both theories.
How was Machu Picchu built? Most of the
buildings are built with stones that are fitted
together tightly without the use of mortar. This
style of construction helped the buildings to stay
intact during earthquakes. The Inca didn't use the wheel or have heavy beasts of burden,
so most of the hard work was done by people. It would have taken hundreds of laborers
using grass ropes and levers to move the large stones around the site. Cuzco City
Cuzco
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.
Whereis 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.
Science and Technology

5. The Inca Empire was a complex society with an
estimated population of 10 million people. They had
large stone cities, beautiful temples, an advanced
government, a detailed tax system, and an intricate
road system.
The Inca, however, didn't have a lot of basic
technologies we often consider important to advanced
societies. They didn't use the wheel for transport, they
didn't have a writing system for records, and they didn't
even have iron for making tools. How did they create
such an advanced Empire?
Below are some of the important scientific innovations
and technologies used by the Inca Empire.
 The messengers who ran on the roads were punished harshly if the message was
not accurately delivered. This rarely happened.
 The Inca built avariety of bridges including suspensionbridges and pontoon bridges.
 One of the main forms of medicine used by the Inca was the coca leaf.
 The Inca developed aqueducts to bring fresh water into town.
 The basic unit of distance used by the Inca was one pace or a "thatki".
Daily Life of a Peasant
The daily lifeof a peasant in the Inca Empire was full of hard
work. The only time peasants were allowed not to work
was during religious festivals. Other than that, they were
expected to be working when they were not sleeping.
Most of the peasant men worked as farmers. They didn't
own their own farms, but worked land owned by the
government. They alsohad to pay taxes to the government.
The women worked hard at the home during the day. They
cooked, made clothes, and took care of the children. Most
girls were married by the time they were twelve years old.

6. Daily Life of a Noble The Inca nobles lived a much easier lifestyle. They
stillhad to work, but had important jobs in the government. They could
own land and didn't have to pay taxes.
What type of clothes did they wear? The men wore long sleeveless
shirts or tunics. The women wore long dresses. Both men and women
would wear capes or ponchos to keep them warm during the winter.
The peasants and the nobles wore similar fashions. Of course the
clothing of the rich was made from finer cloth and was more decorated.
Quick Facts
 The very first Inca ruler Manco Capac declared himself Sapa Inca, divine son of the
Sun.
 Quechua was the officiallanguageof the Inca Empire. They had no written languages
and kept their history alive through passing stories from one generation to another.
 They worshiped many gods and goddesses. Viracocha, the god of nature was the
major Incan god.
 Cusco was the capital of this empire because of it had fertile valleys alongside the
Maranon River. It was also surrounded by the Andes Mountains.
 The Incans built thousands of well-paved roads of more than 30,000 km. but they
never invented the wheel.
 They believed strongly in lifeafter death. They mummified
dead people and buried them with treasures to be used in
their afterlife.
 They also sacrificed humans at royal funerals to
accompany the dead to the next life.
 The civilization ended in 1532 when the Spanish arrived.
 Machu Picchu was the only city of the Incan Empire that
was never discovered and destroyed by the Spaniards.
Quiz:
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/quiz/history/take-intriguing-incas-quiz/