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Who Were The Incas?
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The Incas are a historical enigma but one
fact that historians agree on is that they were a highly
advanced civilization.
The Incas were members of an ancient
Peruvian civilization. This native American civilization is
believed to have begun in the Andean highlands by about 1200
AD. ‘Inca’ means king and the term was used to denote both the
ruler and the people. Agriculture was the main occupation.
A mountain sanctuary of the Inca period,
Machu Picchu, is a great source of information about the
Incas. A Spanish chronicle with descriptions of the Inca
period by Juan de Betanzos, a Spanish writer, is another
source of information.
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The Spanish conquered this region of the
Andean Highlands in the 1530s. The Spaniards enslaved the
Incas after being captured.
However, by that
time the Inca empire stretched over a vast area. Their capital
was Cuzco.
A peculiar feature among
the Incas was that the rulers doubled as priests. Immense importance
was attached to the priest ruler and he was believed to be a
descendant of the Sun. He allotted duties like farming, irrigation,
mining, building and so on to certain classes of people. Everyone
had to help out in building the state’s property.
The Incas did not have a script. They used
knotted cords to keep a track of numerical records. Despite not
having a script, there is proof that the Incas practiced medicine
and surgery. They also mummified the dead.
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Ruins of the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu |
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Achievements of the Incas
Evidence of a well-developed network
of roads in the Inca empire has been found. Ironically, it was this
very network that made it easier for the Spaniards to invade and
conquer the Incas.
Another notable achievement was a twelve month solar calendar and a
lunar calendar for religious purposes. They also had a method of
sending messages from one place to another, by word of mouth through
runners employed for the purpose.
Some developments like the existence of wayside inns, referred to as
Tambos, are indicative of their innovative abilities. These inns
were built along roads connecting different towns. The distance
between two Tambos was approximately equal to the distance an
average person covered in a day on foot. These inns were truly a
delight for the tired traveler, and probably an inspiration to
walk on.
The Incas’ empire was a vast one and they had an excellent system of
administration. A hierarchy of administrative officials would be
appointed for specified areas.
Such a vast empire was bound to have lakes, rivers and streams that
needed to be crossed. Many big and small bridges built of wood and
stone slabs have been discovered.
Evidence has also been found that the Incas had built pontoon and
suspension bridges.
The Incas used llamas as beasts of burden. They
also traded in coca shells and oysters. Historians have also found
evidence of canals being used for irrigation.
The buildings constructed during the Inca period are a testimony to
their abilities as engineers. Large stone blocks were used for
construction and were fitted together, without using mortar. They
also built many fortresses, including the Inca Fortress of Pisac,
Peru, and the fortress of Sacsahuaman on a hill above Cuzco, Peru.
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