History of the Incas facts for kids
The Incas were a powerful civilization in ancient America. They built a huge empire in what is now Peru and a large part of western South America. This empire lasted from 1438 to 1533. Before it became an empire, it was known as the Kingdom of Cuzco. The Incas grew their empire by conquering new lands and by peacefully inviting other groups to join them. Their empire was centered in the Andes mountains.
However, the Inca Empire faced a difficult time. After a civil war between two brothers, the last Inca emperor, Atahualpa, was captured and killed by a Spanish explorer named Francisco Pizarro. This marked the start of Spanish rule. Some Incas escaped to the jungles of Vilcabamba and formed a smaller state. But the Spanish conquered this last Inca stronghold in 1572.
The Incas called their empire Tawantin Suyu. This means "The Four Regions" or "The Four United Regions" in the Quechua language. Tawa means "four," and suyu means "region." The empire was divided into four main regions, all meeting at their capital city, Cuzco.
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How the Inca Empire Began
The Incas had many interesting stories about how their people and empire started. Since they didn't have writing, these stories were passed down through talking.
Inca Origin Myths
- One story says that a god named Tici Viracocha sent his four sons and four daughters to start a village. One of his sons, Manco Cápac, and his wife, Mama Ocllo, had a son named Sinchi Roca. Sinchi Roca led them to the valley of Cuzco, where they built their new home. Manco Cápac became their first leader.
- Another myth tells that the sun god Inti told Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo to come out of Lake Titicaca. He told them to find the city of Cuzco. They traveled through caves until they reached Cuzco and started the first Inca family line.
- A third story says that an Inca sun god felt lonely. His wife suggested he create people to worship him. So, the Incas were born from Lake Cusco and lived in the Andes mountains, worshiping their sun god.
- In a final myth, Manco Cápac, the son of the sun, and his sister Mama Occlo, the daughter of the moon, were sent by the sun to find a place for an empire. They carried a special rod. Where the rod sank into the ground, that was where they should build their new city. The rod sank in Cuzco.
Historians believe that the Inca people started as a small tribe in the Cuzco area around the 12th century. They formed a small city-state under the leadership of Manco Cápac.
The Empire's Big Growth
In 1438, a great leader named Pachacuti took charge. His name meant "world-shaker." Under his command, the Incas began to expand their lands very quickly. Pachacuti conquered about half of the Andes mountain range.
Pachacuti changed the Kingdom of Cuzco into a large empire called the Tahuantinsuyu. This was like a system with a main government led by the Inca emperor and four strong regional governments. These regions were Chinchasuyu (northwest), Antisuyu (northeast), Kuntisuyu (southwest), and Qullasuyu (southeast). Many people believe Pachacuti also built the famous Machu Picchu, perhaps as a special home or retreat.
Pachacuti had a clever way of expanding his empire. He would send spies to new areas to learn about their leaders, armies, and wealth. Then, he would send messages to these leaders, explaining the benefits of joining his empire. He offered them valuable gifts, like fine clothes, and promised they would become richer as part of the Inca Empire. Most leaders agreed peacefully. Their children would then go to Cuzco to learn about Inca ways. This helped the Inca nobility connect with families across the empire.
Pachacuti's son, Túpac Inca, led the army. He started conquering lands to the north in 1463. After his father died in 1471, Túpac Inca became emperor and continued expanding. He conquered the Kingdom of Chimor, which was the Incas' main rival on the coast of Peru. Túpac Inca's empire reached into modern-day Ecuador and Colombia.
Túpac Inca's son, Huayna Cápac, added even more land to the south. At its largest, the Tahuantinsuyu empire included Peru, parts of Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and a small part of Colombia.
The empire was made up of many different languages, cultures, and peoples. Not everyone was equally loyal to the Incas. For example, some groups like the Chachapoya were often against the Incas.
Inca Economy and Daily Life
The Inca Empire did not use money. Their economy was based on trading goods and services, and a system of labor taxes. People worked together to benefit the whole community.
- The ayni was a system where people helped individual community members who needed it, like someone who was sick.
- The minka was teamwork for community projects, like building roads or bridges.
- The mita was a tax paid to the Inca government in the form of labor. People would work for a certain period on government projects.
Economic exchanges often happened in markets called catus, where people traded goods.
Spanish Arrival and the End of the Empire
Spanish colonization of the Americas The Spanish explorers, known as conquistadors, arrived in Inca lands in 1526. They were led by Francisco Pizarro. It was clear to them that this was a very rich land with much gold. After another trip in 1529, Pizarro got permission from the King of Spain to conquer the region.
The Spanish Conquest
When the Spanish returned to Peru in 1532, the Inca Empire was already weakened. There was a civil war between two of Huayna Cápac's sons, Huáscar and Atahualpa. Also, a disease called smallpox, which came from Central America, had spread and made many Incas sick.
Pizarro's force was small, with only 170 men, one cannon, and 27 horses. They had to be very careful. Their first fight was near present-day Guayaquil, Ecuador. Pizarro then founded the city of Piura in July 1532.
Pizarro met with Atahualpa, who had just won the civil war and had a large army nearby. Atahualpa came with only a small group of followers. Through interpreters, Pizarro demanded that Atahualpa become a Christian. A famous story says that Atahualpa was given a Bible and threw it on the floor. The Spanish used this as a reason to attack. The Spanish attacked Atahualpa's group, capturing him.
The Spanish won this battle because they had horses, which the Incas had never seen before. They also had guns and cannons, which were powerful weapons the Incas did not have.
Pizarro held Atahualpa captive and demanded a huge ransom of gold and silver. Atahualpa offered to fill his room with gold and twice that amount with silver. The Incas gathered this enormous treasure. However, Pizarro did not release Atahualpa. Instead, he had him killed in August 1533. During Atahualpa's imprisonment, his brother Huáscar was also killed.
The Neo-Inca State
The Spanish then put Atahualpa's brother, Manco Inca Yupanqui, in charge. For a while, Manco worked with the Spanish. But later, Manco tried to fight back and even recaptured Cuzco in 1536, but the Spanish took it back.
Manco Inca then went to the mountains of Vilcabamba and created a new, smaller Inca state. He and his family ruled there for another 36 years. They sometimes attacked the Spanish or encouraged revolts. In 1572, the Spanish found this last Inca stronghold. The last ruler, Túpac Amaru, who was Manco's son, was captured and executed. This marked the final end of the Inca Empire.
Life After the Spanish Conquest
After the Inca Empire fell, the new Spanish rulers changed many things. They tried to stop Inca traditions. Many parts of Inca culture, including their advanced farming methods, were destroyed.
The Spanish used the Inca mita system, which was a mandatory public service, but they changed it. They forced Incas to work in gold and silver mines, especially the rich silver mine at Potosí. Often, one person from each family was forced to work in these dangerous mines. If a family member died, which often happened quickly, the family had to send someone else.
The main languages of the Inca Empire, Quechua and Aymara, were used by the Catholic Church to teach Christianity in the Andes region. Today, Quechua and Aymara are still widely spoken in South America.
The story of the Incas has inspired many resistance movements in the region. These include the rebellion led by Tupac Amaru II in 1780 against the Spanish. Even modern groups have used the Inca name as a symbol of their fight.
