The Incas
by Gordon F. McEwan
Summary
Defying many of the supposed rules of civilization building, and lacking the advantages of a written language, hard metals, the wheel, or draft animals, the Incas forged one of the greatest imperial states in history. The Incas: New Perspectives offers
a revealing portrait of the ancient Andean empire from the earliest stages of its development to its final capitulation to Pizzarro
in the mid-16th century.
Excerpt
At the time of the Spanish Conquest in A.D. 1532, the majority of the vast territory of Andean South America had been united into a single political entity now commonly called the Inca Empire. Known to its rules as Tawantinsuyu, meaning roughly “The Land of Four Quarters” in the Inca language, this empire included parts of the modern countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. This huge domain was the property of a small kin group called the Incas. From their capital city of Cuzco, located in the southern highlands of Peru, the rulers of this realm controlled a vast territory encompassing approximately 906,000 square kilometers. Measuring some 4,000 kilometers north to south along the west coast of South America, this territory comprised an extreme diversity of environments, ranging from the world’s driest deserts on the Pacific coast, through the world’s second highest mountain range, the Andean Cordillera, to the lush tropical lowlands of the upper Amazon Basin. Within the border of this empire dwelled a population of perhaps 10 million people divided into a multitude of tribal groups, each with its own customs and language.
The Spanish conquerors were astonished at the size of the Inca Empire but even more so by its sophisticated political and economic structure and its monumental public works. Soon after the Conquest the Spaniards made inquiries into the origins of the Inca state and learned that the empire had been in existence for only a little less than 100 years. They were told that the empire had been founded by the Inca Pachacuti circa A.D. 1438 and had endured until the Spanish Conquest in 1532. In the short span of three or four generations, the Incas had built the greatest of the Native American empires. Everywhere they went in the Inca Empire, the Spanish conquerors were amazed by the wealth, power, and organization of the Inca civilization. Never had they seen so much gold, silver, and other luxury goods, such quantities and varieties of foodstuffs, such huge flocks of domesticated animals, or such clean and orderly towns and settlements. The entire empire was interconnected by a highway system some 38,600 kilometers in extent that, as an engineering feat rivaled or surpassed anything known in Europe.
What most amazed the Spanish conquerors and continues to intrigue scholars to the present day is that the Incas were able to forge their society without many western European customs and practices. The Incas lacked the use of wheeled vehicles. They lacked animals to ride and draft animals to pull wagons or plows. They were expert metallurgists but lacked the knowledge of iron and steel, making do with bronze for their tools and implements. Above all, they lacked a system of writing, which was essential to the administration of the European kingdoms and empires and for the transmission of knowledge and civilization. Despite these supposed handicaps the Incas were still able to construct one of the greatest imperial states in human history.
Author's Biography
Gordon F. McEwan is Professor of Anthropology at Wagner College. He has done archaeological research in Cuzco, Peru, for twenty-eight years and is the author of numerous articles and books on archaeology. He was principal consultant for “Incas: Lords of Gold and Glory” published by Time-Life Books.