Legacy of the Inca Empire
In an interview with Terence D'Altroy, a professor of anthropology at Columbia university, describes the innovative strategies that helped the Inca empire be almost as powerful as the Roman empire. The many ideas that were used by the Inca empire show that they were essential to their success. Leaving a legacy was prevalent for the Inca leaders. For example, the long lasting effects of the Andean region suggests their history was very important. The way the Inca empire rose to power so quickly shows that innovative strategy was an essential part of life. While they did not last that long, the Inca empire left a long lasting impact in South America because they were the most powerful empire of its time in the Andean
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An example of their legacy would be the vast road system they created. “The other thing the Incas did that was innovative but that also built on existing systems was to create a vast network of roads, some 40,000 kilometers according to John Hyslop, who's the leading expert on that”(Terence D'Altroy). Because of the roads that were already in place they were able to expand and improve upon the roads and overall make it much more secure. The many different cultures that resided in the Andes region were a great impact to the roads success. “When the Incas were originally forming their power base around Cuzco, they formed alliances with a variety of different ethnic groups through intermarriage”(Terence D'Altroy). Due to their political alliances they were able to navigate roads safely with the only struggle being one's own physical health. During this time, this allowed the Inca people to flourish, and have little to no worries. This new found way gave the government new access to communicate with their people had a great influence on life. If the road system wasn’t expanded upon the Inca legacy would not have been as memorable it is. By conquering many unique tribes and merging cultures with one another, they were able to create a long lasting impact on …show more content…
“They tried to work out amicable relationships through gift exchanges, marital exchanges, or political alliances. Failing that, they would threaten those people with military conquest, and that having failed, they would actually undertake military conquest.”(Terence D'Altroy). Because of this strategy they were successful and had little to no adversaries, when those people would willingly join them. As a result, conquering many different tribes steadily increased the Inca population and made each conquer afterwards much manageable. “We can't think of any societies that were larger than maybe 40,000 or 50,000 people maximum at the time the Incas began their expansion.”(Terence D'Altroy). Provided that, there were no major state to state conflicts that would be seen on the other side of the world at the time so, there were no major competitors that threatened the power of the Inca. If they did not expand as quickly or at all as they did, they would not have had as great of an impact in the Andes. Life in the Inca empire did not come without its flaws. “A third of the population was moved from their traditional homelands into areas that were foreign to them, and they were not well received by the people into whose regions they were inserted. So there were some benefits, but they were offset by substantial disadvantages”(Terence
1. Before Francisco Pizarro began the Spanish conquest in 1532, the Incan empire dominated the Andes Mountain region. An emperor who demanded strict obedience ruled the land. All business was run by the state, which could draft citizens for its projects. The Inca, terracing the landscape and irrigating the crops, farmed the mountainsides. The Inca were brilliant engineers, whose roadways included bridges. The city of Machu Picchu is an example of their skill with tools like the plumb bob and wooden roller, which they used for in heavy construction. Hundreds of years after their civilization was subdued by the Spanish, the descendants of the once-dominate Incas make up about 50 percent of Peru’s population.
The most significant physical geographical factor that contributed to the development of the ancient South American society of the Incas was the Andes Mountains. The Inca Empire had villages and cities throughout the Andes Mountains. Some of these settlements were as low as sea level and their capital, Cusco, was at an altitude of 11,200 feet. The Andes are considered some of the longest and highest mountain ranges. In fact it’s tallest peak, Mount Aconcaqua, in Argentina, tops out at 22,841 feet (Zimmermann, 2013). Despite the fact that people were traversing mountains the people flourished creating trails, aqueducts and agricultural practices that still exist today.
The most significant physical geographical factor that contributed to the development of the Ancient South American society of the Incas was the Andes Mountains. The Andes are the longest mountain range and one of the highest with its tallest peak, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, topping out at 22,841 feet (Zimmermann, 2013). The Inca Empire had settlements that ranged from sea level, to its center of government in Cusco at an altitude of 11,200. Despite these difficulties, the Inca people thrived, and managed to create trails, water-ways and agricultural practices that remain in use to this day.
The Incas, in particular, were uniquely impressive. Just as any empire, the Incas needed to standardize the necessities, such as language and trade. Accomplishing this
* These civilizations developed complex political systems and large networks of paved roads that unified the civilization Incas in Peru.
DBQ 5- Inca and Aztec Comparison Throughout the early fourteenth and fifteenth centuries C.E., empires such as the Chinese and Byzantine thrived and prospered. South and Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztec and Inca arose at this time. These cultures grew to become very advanced, each inventing a wide selection of technologies to suit their social and economic needs. The economic characteristics of the Aztec and Inca Empires were similar in agricultural focus and an importance of trade; however, they differed in their governmental organization.
Alcohol, it has been around for ten thousand years. Some great things have come from it, but in some situations it has ruined people’s lives. Some may ask how something can have such opposite endings. Well the answer is that people don’t know moderation while consuming alcohol. Alcohol can easily be misinterpreted as an un-harmful substance. In this essay I will educate readers that in moderation and in church traditions it is not harmful or being abused. I will be discussing the importance of where the selfishness and rule breaking comes from when one is intoxicated while driving. I say selfish because that is what it is, a human being lacking consideration for
In the 1400’s through the 1500”s there were the Aztec and Inca empires, both were empires that started out as marginalized peoples who conquered and absorbed other cultures. Aztec and Inca Empires were based on managing resources, goods, and people in an economy centered on intensive agriculture including having their currency systems. The economic characteristics of the Aztec and Inca empires were similar in that they both changed their environment to improve their agricultural system and they both focused on internal trade networks, however they differed in the way they taxed their people. The Aztecs were a triple alliance; three city states that banded together for the greater good. The joined civilizations were Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. The Incas were located around modern day Peru, and are known as the largest empire in the pre-Columbian America.
Before Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in 1492 CE, the Aztecs and Incas had existed there for hundreds of years. They were fairly isolated peoples, who thrived in Central and South America respectively. The Aztec and Inca have different ancestral backgrounds; the Aztecs claim to be descendants of the Toltecs2 while the Incas were a series of separate tribes that joined together3. Trade between the Aztec and Inca were rare4, but they were mostly self-sustaining. However, they both conquered mass empires and build large temples. Why was their conquest so successful, and what
The title "Inca Empire" was given by the Spanish to a Quechuan-speaking Native American population that established a vast empire in the Andes Mountains of South America shortly before its conquest by Europeans. The ancestral roots of this empire began in the Cuzco valley of highland Peru around 1100 AD. The empire was relatively small until the imperialistic rule of emperor Pachacuti around 1438. Pachacuti began a systematic conquest of the surrounding cultures, eventually engulfing over a hundred different Indian nations within a 30-year period. This conquest gave rise to an empire that, at its zenith in the early 16th century; consisted of an estimated 10 million subjects living
The Inca Empire, the massive nation that extended 2,500 miles along the western coast of South America and had a population of over 7 million at its peak. It included all of what is now Ecuador and Peru and most of Chile. Known as “The Children of the Sun”, they excelled at craftsmanship, weaving, and culture (“Children of the Sun”). A very religious people, they worshiped the Sun as their supreme god and held religious festivals monthly to appease these gods. Although they did not value it aside from its beautiful appearance, the Inca Empire was home to millions of pounds of solid gold and silver. The Inca had no use for it except to use it to craft decorations and statues. In fact, an Inca citizen valued cloth more than they valued gold
<br><br>Inca emperors ruled their far - reaching territory through a complex political system. The Inca took over many areas by military force. Their political system kept a balance between the central authority of the emperor and local
There were several ancient civilizations that built their cultures around their geography. The Incas were among one of those ancient civilizations. They had amazing ingenuity to make use of their environment. The Incas built agriculture terraces and they had a complex irrigation system. And some crops that we use today. The physical environment of the Incas affected and shaped their civilization.
The Incas Empire began around 1200 and lasted until the Spanish arrival in 1532. They were the largest civilization in pre-Columbia with a territory of 380,000 square miles and a population of about 7 million. Around 1400 the empire began its expansion stretching along the western coast of
Perhaps more than 12 million people contributed to the creation of sprawling cities, terraced farmlands, extended roadways, and golden palaces. The Inca empire covered nearly 2,500 miles and included regions of present-day Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina. Although, like other native peoples throughout the Americas, they did not have their own written language or the use of the wheel, the Incas were extremely intelligent engineers. They built huge stone structures without mortar and designed suspension bridges that crossed deep mountain