Inca Heartland: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia's Ancient Legacy

The Inca Empire, also known as Tawantinsuyu, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. It was a decentralised government consisting of a central government with the Inca at its head and four regional quarters, or suyu. The heart of the Inca Empire was located in present-day Peru, with its capital city, Cusco, serving as the political, religious, and cultural centre. The Inca Empire stretched over 2,500 miles along the Andes Mountains, and its territory included what is now Peru, western Ecuador, western and south-central Bolivia, northwest Argentina, the southwesternmost tip of Colombia and a large portion of modern-day Chile. The Inca were a prominent civilisation that thrived in South America, primarily in the Andes Mountains, between the 15th and 16th centuries. They are best known for their expansive empire, sophisticated agricultural practices, and advanced engineering skills. The Inca were conquered by the Spanish in 1572.

The Incas conquered upper Bolivia in the 15th century

The Incas were based in present-day Peru and established their capital in Cusco. They instituted advanced agricultural and mining practices and built a strong military force, centralising political power. The Inca sun-worshipping religion and the Quechua language spread across their empire, though they allowed certain groups to retain their language and ethnic identity, such as the Aymara people in Bolivia.

The Incas' expansion into upper Bolivia was part of a broader campaign to conquer the Andean tribes and build major sites in Cusco. By the time of Yupanqui's death in 1471, the Inca Empire covered much of the Peruvian Andes. His son, Túpac Yupanqui, continued the expansion, and by the end of his reign in 1493, the Inca Empire stretched from northern Ecuador to northern Chile and Bolivia, reaching into the Amazon lowlands.

The Incas' rapid expansion was facilitated by their advanced road network, the Qhapaq Ñan, which stretched about 40,000 kilometres across their territory. They also implemented a decimal-based administration system, with a hierarchy of leaders managing groups of ten workers each. This system helped maintain social and economic control over their vast territory.

However, the Incas never fully controlled the nomadic tribes of the Bolivian lowlands, and internal divisions weakened their empire. In the early 16th century, the Inca Empire fell to Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish conquest brought an end to the Inca Empire, and the region of upper Bolivia became known as Upper Peru, falling under Spanish colonial rule.

The Incas invaded Ecuador in the 15th century

The Inca Empire, which originated in Peru, expanded into Ecuador in the 15th century. Led by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui and his son Tupac Inca Yupanqui (also known as Tupa or Topa), the Inca invasion of Ecuador began in 1463. The Cañari tribe put up fierce resistance, but the Inca armies were ultimately successful. By the end of the 15th century, Huayna Capac, Tupac's son and Pachacuti's grandson, had conquered all of Ecuador.

The conquest of Ecuador was not without its challenges. The Inca faced fierce resistance from several Ecuadorian tribes, including the Cañari, the Quitu, and the Cara. The Cañari managed to hold off Tupac's forces for several years, and the conquest of the Kingdom of Quito, a confederation of tribes, took Huayna Capac over 17 years. Legend has it that when the Caranqui tribe, part of the Kingdom of Quito, was finally defeated, the Inca slaughtered all men aged 12 and over, throwing their bodies into a lake which became known as Laguna Yahuarcocha, or Lake of Blood.

Despite these victories, the Inca had only a brief hold on Ecuador. Their rule lasted less than half a century and was cut short by the arrival of the Spanish in 1532. The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire began with Francisco Pizarro's capture of the Inca Emperor, Atahualpa, in Cajamarca. Atahualpa was later executed, and the Spanish went on to conquer the rest of the Inca Empire, including Cusco, the Inca capital.

The Incas originated in Peru

The Incas, or Inka, originated in Peru. The Inca Empire, also known as the Realm of the Four Parts, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The Incas established their capital in the city of Cusco, located in modern-day Peru. The Inca state was known as the Kingdom of Cusco before 1438.

The Incas originated in the Peruvian highlands sometime in the early 13th century. Their first leader was Manco Capac, who founded Cusco and ruled from 1200 to 1230. For over two centuries, the Incas were a small group holding sway over only the Cusco area and expanding slowly. Their main enemy was the Chanka, against whom they fought sporadic campaigns.

The balance of power shifted dramatically in 1438 when great numbers of Chanka attacked Cusco and the eighth Inca, Viracocha, retreated against superior odds. However, Viracocha's third son, Yupanqui, remained and fought a desperate battle against the Chanka, which he won. Yupanqui then changed his name to Pachacutec, which means 'Changer of the World' in Quechua, and assumed the Inca throne.

Pachacutec set out to conquer other Andean tribes and build some of Cusco's major sites. By the time of his death in 1471, Pachacutec had conquered most of the Peruvian Andes. He was joined in battle by his warrior son, Túpac Yupanqui, who later became the tenth Inca and continued his father's expansionist traditions.

During Túpac Yupanqui's reign, the Inca Empire grew to cover the territory from northern Ecuador to northern Chile and Bolivia, and from the Pacific coast into the Amazon lowlands. The Incas took barely half a century to grow into the greatest empire of the New World.

The Incas were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century

The Inca Empire, which stretched from northern Ecuador to northern Chile and Bolivia, was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. This conquest, also known as the Conquest of Peru, was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonisation of the Americas.

The Inca Empire was one of the most advanced civilisations in the world at the beginning of the 16th century. It was a vast and powerful empire, with a highly developed and centralised government based in the city of Cusco. The empire was ruled by an emperor who was considered divine and had absolute power. The empire was divided into four regions, each ruled by a governor who answered to the imperial power.

In 1532, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived in the Inca Empire with a small army of men. He was in search of gold and silver, which he believed were abundant in the empire. Pizarro and his men met with Atahualpa, the Inca Emperor, in the city of Cajamarca. Pizarro took advantage of Atahualpa's trust and invited him to a meeting in the main square of Cajamarca, where he took him captive. Pizarro demanded a ransom of gold and silver in exchange for Atahualpa's release. The ransom was paid in full, but Pizarro did not release Atahualpa and instead had him executed.

With the death of Atahualpa, the Inca Empire was thrown into chaos, and the Spanish conquistadors took advantage of the situation to conquer the empire. The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was a brutal and violent event that led to the destruction of an entire civilisation. The complex social structure and sophisticated culture of the Inca were lost as a result of the conquest. The Spanish imposed their language, culture, and religion on the Inca, marking the beginning of Spanish colonisation in South America.

The fall of the Inca Empire marked a profound shift in the region, reshaping its social, economic, and cultural landscape. The Spanish introduced new agricultural techniques, irrigation systems, and crops such as wheat, rice, and sugarcane. They also established Lima as their capital, which became the most important European settlement in South America. The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire took about four decades to complete, with the final capture and execution of the last Inca Emperor, Tupac Amaru, in 1572.

The Incas built large cities and a complex system of roads

The Incas built their empire on the back of a complex network of roads, stretching across the Andes and covering a distance of at least 23,000km, with some estimates placing it at 60,000km. This vast network of roads, bridges, tunnels, and causeways was an essential part of the success of the Inca Empire. The roads were built without the use of wheels and mainly intended for foot traffic, with llamas and alpacas used as pack animals. The construction of the roads required a large expenditure of time and effort, with the manpower for construction and maintenance obtained through the mita – a sort of tax work provided to the state by the conquered people.

The Inca road system was composed of formal roads that were carefully planned, engineered, built, marked, and maintained. The network was based on two north-south roads: one along the coast and the second and most important one inland and up the mountains, with numerous branches. The roads were paved where necessary, with stairways to gain elevation, bridges, retaining walls, and water drainage systems. The construction and maintenance of the roads were overseen by officials chosen from the noble relatives of the Inca, with three main managers in charge of the royal roads, bridges, and chasquis (running messengers).

The roads were bordered at intervals with buildings to allow the most effective usage. Relay stations for chasquis were located at short distances, and tambos (support centres for travellers) were placed at one-day walking intervals. Administrative centres with warehouses, called qullqas, for the redistribution of goods were found along the roads. Pukaras (fortresses) were also found towards the boundaries of the Inca Empire and in newly conquered areas.

The Inca road system allowed for the fast movement of people, goods, information, and soldiers within the Tawantinsuyu (Inca Empire) throughout a territory covering almost 2,000,000 km2 and inhabited by about 12 million people. The roads were primarily built for practicality, to move people, goods, and armies quickly and safely across the empire. The roads also served an important symbolic and spiritual purpose, connecting various sacred sites and spiritual centres like Pachacamac, with the Inca asking permission from spiritual beings to work the stones that were considered a type of fluid form.

The heart of the road system was at Cusco, the political heart and capital of the Inca Empire, with four main roads radiating out and named after the four suyus (provinces) into which the Tawantinsuyu was divided: Chinchaysuyu (north to Quito, Ecuador), Cuntisuyu (west to the Pacific coast), Collasuyu (south to Chile and northern Argentina), and Antisuyu (east to the western edge of the Amazon jungle). The road from Cusco to Quito was the most important, keeping the rulers in close touch with their lands and subject people in the north.

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