The Inca Civilization Inca Do Now: Based on this image what info can you give about this civilization? I. Inca Empire (1200-1535) A Geography 1. Located on the west coast of S. America in the Andes Mts. 2. Largest of all the Mesoamerican civilizations Based on the location of the Inca Empire what would their climate be like? Macchu Picchu ⦿ https://www.biguniverse.com/signin ⦿ What resources did the Incas have to build Machu Picchu? ⦿ Why did the Incas terrace the mountain side, why couldn’t they farm without terracing? Machu Picchu History of Machu Picchu ⦿ http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/201 1/04/inca-empire/sidebar-text Incan Ruins ⦿ http://www.peru-machu-picchu.com/ind ex.php ⦿ After seeing these pictures of Machu Picchu what do you think about the Incas? Explain your answer. Government Ruled by an emperor a descendent of the Sun God called the Sapa Inca. Relatives were put in position of power. Supreme Council – 4 of them each controlled ¼ of empire Governors Officials Tax Collectors Workers ⦿ Based on this information what type of government do you think the Incas had? ⦿ What characteristics tell you this? The Incas carved flat terraces into the mountainous terrain in order to grow crops. WHAT IS TERRACE Terrace Farming FARMING? ⦿ A farming practice invented by the Incas used to grow crops on steep sides of mountains ⦿ Farmers would cut parts of the mountains out and level it for growing crops. Terrace Farming Benefits ⦿ Terrace Farming turned otherwise unusable land, such as the sides of the Andes Mountains where the Incas lived, into land to grow crops like corn (maize), potatoes and quinoa. ⦿ Terraces also collected and distributed water throughout reducing soil erosion. ⦿ Terraces also prevented flooding and excessive runoff. They developed an extensive system of irrigation to water crops and roads to encourage trade. Panpipes Freeze-Dried Food ⦿ The Inca grew an abundance of food for their communities and would store it in temples they created. They invented the freeze-drying method to help store their food. ⦿ They left their food out in the cold to freeze. Then they stamped on the frozen food to squeeze out the water. They left their stamped food in the sun to dry. Inca Bridges and Roads ⦿ http://blog.wsd.net/mmlarsen/files/2008 /04/inca-roads-and-bridges.pdf Quipus ⦿ Quipu means knot in Inca Language. ⦿ It is a series of colored knotted strips of wool tied around a main string. ⦿ Type of knot, placement of knot and color had a meaning to the Incas. ⦿ The people who knew what the quipus meant and could read them were called ‘rememberers’. ⦿ No one today knows for sure the meaning of a quipu, the code has not been broken. ⦿ Some guesses are that yellow might have represented corn. ⦿ Used to record the wealth of the Empire http://incas.mrdonn.org/llamalegends.htmlLlama Legends Inca Religion Inca Religion ⬜ Polytheists: Believing in and worshipping many gods. ⬜ Two of the main gods that the Inca worshipped was Viracocha (believed to be the creator of the Inca) and Inti, the sun god. Inti the Sun God ⬜ Inti was also known as the Giver of Life. Mostly farmers would worship Inti because they needed the sun for good harvests. ⬜ The Sapa Inca (emperor) claimed to be a direct descendent of the Sun God. Inti the Sun God Inca Priests ⬜ The Inca Priests were considered an important rule in the Inca society. Most of the time, Priests were members of the royal family. ⬜ Each morning, a Priest would sacrifice a Llama for the Sun God Inti, thanking it for the sunlight each day. Religious Beliefs ⦿ The Inca had many religious festivals that continued for days. ⦿ Worshipped huacas, sacred places or objects. ⦿ Gods & Goddesses worshipped gods of nature, sun god, Inti, most powerful, gods of thunder, moon, rainbows, stars and many more. ⦿ Polytheist, believed in more than one god Other Inca Ruins ⦿ http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/tra vel/peru/machu-picchu/inca-ruins-photo s/ Travel Plans ⦿ http://www.peruforless.com/how-to-get- to-machu-picchu.php Reflection ⦿ Summarize what you learned about the Incas. ⦿ What do you feel is the most impressive characteristic that you learned about the Incas? • Why? ⦿ How does their location determine how they live? ⦿ What resources to the Incas use in their culture that contributed to their success as a culture?.