INCA SOCIETY

DAILY LIFE

Most Inca were commoners who were farmers, herders, and soldiers. Each age group had a different job. For instance, girls aged 9-12 had the job of gathering wild plans, while boys around the same age herded llamas and alpacas. Men between the ages of 25 and 50 did most of the heavy labor. Some women were chosen at 16 to train for state service. The “Chosen Women” did special jobs like weaving cloth for the Inca nobles. Everyone was required to help in some way, even the elderly were expected to do light weaving and other tasks.

Families lived in homes made out of sunbaked bricks with thatched roofs. Commoners homes did not include windows, and no homes, even that of the noble class, had doors. Inca citizens wore simple clothing made from alpaca wool. They had plenty of leisure time, though. Inca citizens spent almost a third of the year celebrating ceremonies and festivals.

Inca house, probably that of a noble. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Sapa • Warrior-king Believed to be decedent of sun god, Inti. Inca • • Close relatives of the ruling family Nobles by • Had most elaborate houses, ate best food, wore finest clothing Birth • Held highest positions in government

• Those who were made nobles as a reward for service to empire Appointed Nobles • Enjoyed many of the privileges of birth nobles

• Non-Inca chiefs whose lands had become part of the Inca Empire Non-Inca Chiefs • They kept ruling privileges and some noble benefits

• Divided into categories Commoners based on age and gender

INCA RULE

The Inca emperor, the Sapa Inca, owned everything in the Inca Empire. The Sapa Inca was a warrior-king. Everything done within the empire was for the benefit of the king and the empire. Inca commoners had no personal freedoms. They could not own anything beyond what was needed for their job, and were not allowed to travel on roads.

Commoners were divided into communities called ayllus. Administrators of the Sapa Inca regulated when a person worked and how often. Breaking laws was meant with harsh consequences, usually the death penalty. People rarely broke the law.

The state divided land into three parts: one for the government, one for religious purposes (the priests), and one for the ayllu. It was the job of commoners to farm for the government first, their families second.

Citizens also had to pay a labor tax, or mita. The Inca loved gold and silver but had no use for it as a currency. People paid their tax with labor to benefit the empire. This labor allowed the Inca to expand very quickly. The mita also included military service, which also helped the Inca to expand.

INCA ECONOMY

The Inca had no money, and instead, used the barter system. Since the government owned everything, there was very little use for trade. This also meant that that gaining wealth was near impossible. Simple markets existed for some trade, but overall, people produced what Peruvian corn. they needed. Wool, potatoes, maize, peppers, tomatoes, and other food goods were traded in these markets. Of course, gold was the favorite item for trade. The Inca also built seagoing ships called balsas to move goods from one end of the empire to the other.

Peruvian Balsa Ship.

CASE STUDY: MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu sits almost 8,000 feet above sea level, high up in the Andes Mountains where it meets the Amazon Basin. The area is a tropical forest, filled with flora and fauna. The site was built at the height of the Inca civilization and was abandoned when the Spanish invaded in the 16th century. Machu Picchu sat hidden for centuries until a Peruvian guide led a Yale professor named Hiram Bingham to the site in 1911. Locals had never forgotten Machu Picchu, but to Western scholars, it was known as the “lost Incan city.” The Spanish Conquistadors had heard of the place, but also never found it.

The site’s approximately 200 structures (used for religious ceremonies, housing, and astronomical sightings) were separated from the almost 700 terraces used for farming. These were all connected by crisscrossing roads and trails and scattered with many irrigation canals for water.

Scholars are still trying to uncover the mysteries of Machu Picchu. The site sits at the center of a network of roads and structures that align with astronomical events, like the summer solstice. Scholars are sure that the Inca picked this location very carefully. And they built it with no metal tools and no wheels. Evidence suggests that all this effort was expended for the luxury of perhaps only 1,000 people to live there.