The Inca Empire is one of the biggest and most well-known states that existed in pre-Columbian America. At the peak of its power, the empire stretched from the northeastern territories of modern Ecuador to the northern part of Chile, with the capital – Cuzco – located in Peru (Burkholder & Johnson, 2018). Therefore, most of the empire’s territories were located in the tropical region, which is characterized by warm weather and two seasons, namely dry and rainy. However, the climate in the Andes mountains, which cover a significant part of the land, can vary drastically depending on the altitude (Navarro-Serrano et al., 2020). For instance, the temperature on the peaks of Huascarán (Peru) and Cotopaxi (Ecuador) could reach temperatures far below zero Celsius.
Incas had a well-established social system that included the emperor and his family members, nobles, priests, farmers, and herders. As such, the Incas, who accounted for less than 1% of a total population of 10 million citizens, had more privileges than the residents of the conquered regions. From an administrative perspective, the Inca’s territories were divided into four parts (the empire is also known by the name the Realm of the Four Parts), eight provinces, and many districts. Each administrative body had its ruler who reported to the superior.
The Incans believed in the supernatural and sought to maintain harmony between humans and the environment, otherwise known as Pachamama, meaning Mother Earth (Valladares & Boelens, 2019). The most important deity in the pantheon of gods was Wiracocha – the creator of everything. As for the food, the nation grew maize, potatoes, cocoa, pepper, avocado, and quinoa, to name a few, and bred llamas and alpacas. It is believed that the Incas could control such huge territories in terms of military protection and product exchange due to their prominent organizational skills.
It is considered that the Inca Empire ceased its existence after its last emperor, named Atahualpa, was captured and executed by Francisco Pizarro. After this, the territory was officially considered part of the Spanish empire until the start of the series of wars for independence at the beginning of the 19th century. Nowadays, the countries that inherited the lands after the Incas seek to protect the historical and cultural legacy of indigenous people. However, one of the major issues in understanding the history of the Incas is the lack of archeological sites due to insufficient investments.
Reference
Burkholder, M. A., & Johnson, L. L. (2018). Colonial Latin America (10th eds.). Oxford University Press.
Navarro-Serrano, F., Lopez-Moreno, J. I., Dominguez-Castro, F., Alonso-Gonzalez, E., Azorin-Molina, C., El-Kenawy, A., & Vicente-Serrano, S. M. (2020). Maximum and minimum air temperature lapse rates in the Andean region of Ecuador and Peru. International Journal of Climatology, 40(14), 6150-6168.
Valladares, C., & Boelens, R. (2019). Mining for Mother Earth. Governmentalities, sacred waters and nature’s rights in Ecuador. Geoforum, 100, 68-79.