The Incredible

Incas:Children of

the Sun

Who Were the Incas?The Incas were a small tribe of South

American Indians who lived in the city of Cuzco, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Around 1400 CE, a neighboring tribe attacked the Incas, but the Incas won. This was the beginning of the Inca Empire.

In only 100 years, the Inca Empire grew so big that it expanded into what are now the modern countries of Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

Inca GovernmentOne thing that helped the Incas grow so rapidly was their system of a strong central government. Everybody worked for the state, and in turn the state looked after everybody.

Common People Had No FreedomThe Incas were very class conscious and were divided into nobles and common people. The nobles pretty much did what they wanted, while the common people were tightly controlled by the government.

Commoners could not own or run businesses. They could only do their assigned jobs. The law did not allow them to be idle. Even the amount of time they had to sleep and bathe was controlled by a government official.

Harsh Government ControlsLaws dictated who should work where, and

when. Local officials had the power to make all decisions about the lives of the people they ruled. Inspectors visited frequently to check on things. Breaking the law usually meant the death penalty. Few people broke the law. Tight government controls kept the common people fed, clothed, and enslaved.

GeographyAnother thing that helped the Inca Empire grow so rapidly was its geography. The empire had three main geographical regions:

Each was a natural barrier. The Incas made their home between the jungle and the desert, high in the Andes Mountains of South America.

1. The Andes Mountains

2. The Amazon jungle

3. The coastal desert

Andes MountainsThe snow-capped Andes Mountains run north to south. They have sharp ragged peaks and deep gorges.

The Incas built bridges across the gorges so they could reach all parts of their empire quickly and easily. If an enemy approached, the Incas could burn the bridges. They made suspension bridges from rope, pontoon bridges from reed boats, and pulley baskets from vines.

Inca RoadsHigh in the Andes Mountains, the Incas connected their empire with 14,000 miles of well-built roads. Some sections of road were over 24 feet wide. Some were even paved. Some roads were so steep that the Incas built stone walls along the edge to prevent people from falling off the cliff.

The roads belonged to the government. No one could travel the roads without special permission.