The World of the Incas Pages 163-167. Early Peoples of Peru Western South America ◦ Wide variety of climates & terrains ◦ Dry, lifeless desert in the.

The World of the IncasThe World of the Incas

Pages 163-167

Early Peoples of PeruEarly Peoples of Peru Western South America

◦ Wide variety of climates & terrains◦ Dry, lifeless desert in the coastal plain crossed by river

valleys occasionally◦ Andes Mountains that are snow capped rise steeply, &

level off into high plateaus◦ East of the Andes lie dense jungles stretching from Peru

into Brazil Native Americans developed many different life styles

across South America Thousands of years ago, people settled in fishing

villages along the desert coast of Peru.◦ Gradually moved inland to farm river valleys.◦ Grew corn, cotton, squash, & beans.◦ Cultivated 700 varieties of potatoes.◦ Domesticated the llama & alpaca.◦ Developed skills in pottery & weaving

Different CulturesDifferent Cultures Archaeologists pieced together a chronology of various cultures

that left their mark on the region. Chavin

◦ The earliest of these cultures◦ Named for ruins found @ Chavin de Huantar in the Andes◦ 850 BC huge temple complex built ◦ Stone carving & pottery show they worshipped a ferocious looking god that

was part jaguar & part human Mochica

◦ 100-700 AD Mochica peoples forged an empire along the arid north coast of Peru.

◦ Skilled farmers developed terracing, irrigation, & fertilization◦ Leaders built roads & organized networks of relay runners to carry

messages◦ It took 130 million sun-dried adobe bricks to build one temple.◦ They perfected textile production, gold work, & wood carving

Nazca◦ Etched glyphs in the desert of southern Peru. Glyph means pictograph.

2,000 years civilizations rose & fell in Peru. Mid-1400’s the Incas emerged from high in the Andes. Incan armies conquered an empire that stretched 2,500 miles down the Andes & along the Pacific coast.

Chavin de Huantar

Mochica & Nazca

The Incan EmpireThe Incan EmpirePachacuti

◦Skilled warrior & leader◦Founder of the Incan empire◦1438 he proclaimed himself Sapa Inca,

or emperor◦Set out on a conquest◦From his small kingdom of Cuzco, he

came to dominate a huge empire◦He & his son extended Incan rule from

Ecuador in the north to Chile in the south by enlisting subdued enemies in his army

Incan GovernmentIncan GovernmentThe Sapa Inca exercised absolute

power over the empireHe was also the chief religious leaderHe was considered a god-king like

the pharaohs of ancient EgyptHe symbol was gold The Sapa Inca lived in splendor. He

ate from gold plates & dressed in embroidered clothing

The government was efficient with every village having a chain of command

Roads & RunnersRoads & RunnersIncas imposed their language &

religion on people.They created one of the greatest

road systems in history.They were more impressive than

the Roman roads.Roads allowed armies & news to

move rapidly through the whole empire

Ordinary people were restricted from using the roads at all

CuzcoCuzcoAll roads led through Cuzco. Population was made up of reps.

from all peoples of the empire.The Temple of the Sun stood in the

heart of the city. Interior walls were lined with gold.

Precise engineering so no mortar held the stones together. Incan buildings have survived earthquakes.

Daily LifeDaily Life People lived in close knit communities called ayllus Government officials arranged marriages to ensure

that men & women were settled at a certain age. The government took possession of each harvest,

& divided it among the people & stored part of it in case of famine.

Incas were the best metalworkers in the Americas. Incas developed medical practices such as surgery

on the human skull by:◦ Cleaning the operating area & making the patient

unconscious with a drug They were polytheistic & their gods were linked to

the forces of nature. Inti- chief god was sun god