The Inca Empire 15.3 • The Incas built a huge empire in South America, but they were conquered by the Spanish.

A. The rise of the Inca Empire was due to conquest and the achievements of the Inca people. • In South America, another great empire arose. That empire belonged to the Inca. B. Foundations for the Incan Empire

• Pre-Inca civilization began to develop in what is now Peru. Four major cultures developed and built some of South America’s first cities. • The early Incas began as a small tribe in the Andes mountains. A ruler named Pachacuti led the Incas to expand their territory through agreements with, or conquests of, other tribes. • Later Inca rulers continued to expand their territory. By the 1500s the Incan Empire was huge and had 12 million people. C. The Incan Government • As the Incas conquered more people, they had to devise a way to control them. • They made the conquered leaders move out of their villages and move in with leaders who were loyal to the Inca government. • The Inca made the children of the conquered leaders come to the Incan capital to learn about Incan ways. • The Incas established an official language, Quechua. • They controlled the economy by having the Inca pay a tax with their labor. • There were no markets or merchants. Instead, the government would distribute goods. Leftover goods were stored in the capital for emergencies. D. Pizarro conquered the Incas and took control of the region.

A civil war began in the Inca Empire between the two sons of the king, Atahualpa and Huáscar. Atahualpa eventually won the war and ruled the empire. E. The Fall of the Incas

• Although Atahualpa had won the war, the infighting had weakened the empire. • A group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the empire. They demanded that Atahualpa convert to Christianity. • When Atahualpa refused to convert, the conquistadors attacked the Inca, and thousands were killed. • The Incas tried to free Atahualpa with a roomful of gold and silver, but the Spanish killed him anyway. • The Spanish defeated the last of the Inca, and the empire fell in 1537. – The Spanish had superior weapons and horses. – They brought diseases that weakened the native peoples.