▲

The Inca civilization was one of the most vital societies in South America in terms of its cultural influence and legacy. Around from 1438 to 1533, the Incas began as a small tribe who steadily grew in power to conquer people down the coast from today's Colombia to Argentina. They are remembered to this day for their architecture, agricultural techniques, communication, and record-keeping.

Intrigued? Discover more about this astonishing civilization in the following gallery.

▲

The Incas were true imperialists, with a goal to unite as many individual peoples and cultures as possible under their absolute rule. They wanted to incorporate each cultures’ individual strengths into their empire.

▲

When it came to meat, they consumed ducks and guinea pigs, but it was a small part of their diet. They had a rich diet in of foods such as corn, quinoa, potatoes, and cacao.

▲

The glory of the empire was cut short, first through the arrival of smallpox, and then by the death of Huayna Capac, third Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire, which sparked a civil war between his sons. These factors eventually made way for the Spanish to successfully conquer the Incas in 1532.

▲

In the official language of the Incas, Quechua, Inca meant "ruler" or "lord," and was used to refer to the ruling class, which were only a small percentage of the total population.

▲

The Incas based their religion around three realms, represented by the condor, the puma, and the serpent. Hanan Pacha is the spirit world, guarded by the condor. The puma protects the earthly realm, called Kay Pacha, and the serpent belongs to the underworld, Uku Pacha.

▲

The Inca messengers operated in pairs called chasquis, and they were required to carry messages and gifts up to 150 miles daily. They operated in pairs so that while one was asleep, the other could be awake and ready to receive any incoming information.

▲

The Sapa Inca, the emperor, wore a new outfit every day. After he used an article of clothing, it was subsequently burned. The ruler had a group of women who would ensure he had enough clothes to wear.

▲

Their primary spoken language was Quechua, which doesn't have a written language. Instead, the Incas communicated with a khipu or quipu, a knot record utilizing the decimal system to convey information based on the number and type of knots presented on each string.

▲

Called ayni, translated to “today for you, tomorrow for me,” this communal concept was all about sharing the food and crops. Ayni would also include rituals by local shamans, where they would give back materials and earthly goods to honor and thank Pachamama, Mother Earth.

▲

The shared concept of ayni made sure that no one ever went without food, in addition to their intricate and advanced agricultural system and food preservation techniques.

▲

The Incas domesticated a few animals, mainly llamas and alpacas, as they were an ample source of wool and leather. They also domesticated ducks and guinea pigs, as a food source.

▲

Another impressive aspect of Incan engineering were their rope bridges. Suspended over canyons and gorges, these bridges were made out of ichu grass and were regularly repaired by the local villagers.

▲

Understood today as non-binary and trans individuals, the two-spirit individuals, called Quariwarmi, were not only respected but also elevated in society as shamans because the Incas worshiped a dual-gendered god called chuqui chinchay.

▲

The Incas were polytheistic, which means they worshiped many gods. They believed that their gods significantly influenced their daily life and had control over the natural world, as well as that their ruler, the Sapa Inca, was part-god.

▲

As the infant mortality rate was high, most families didn't invest very much in their child until they reached the age of two or three. Then they would celebrate with the child's coming-of-age ceremony.

▲

The famous Inca Trail is one very small and impeccably restored stretch of the Qhapaq Ñan interconnected Inca roadway. It was highly important to the empire due to communication, defense, and trade.

▲

The structure of the Incan military was based on the decimal system, and the entire force was officially under the command and jurisdiction of the Sapa Inca.

▲

The empire did not have any fixed currency or any central market. Instead, the Incas grew their own food, for the people. Foods and services were currency instead.

▲

Additionally, the Sapa Inca wore massive, heavy plugs, which would stretch his ears out. Due to this style, the Spanish later nicknamed them orejones, meaning big ears.

▲

The Incas possessed a profound knowledge of astronomy, and therefore they carefully planned the positioning of the buildings and designed every single structure considering natural features and how they would play against the stars and planets.

▲

With over 4,000 varieties of potatoes, the Incas were the first potato cultivators in the world. They even used potatoes to treat injuries.

▲

For the Incas, human sacrifices were a must for pleasing the gods and for a better harvest. Therefore, they regularly sacrificed humans during important rituals for the empire's prosperity.

▲

The empire essentially fell to Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro. At the time, the Inca Empire was suffering serious internal problems and most of the population had fallen prey to diseases brought in by the Europeans. Pizarro took advantage of the situation and ended the Inca Empire.

▲

The Incas had an impressive knowledge of medicine, and evidence dating back 2,000 years ago suggests that they performed complex surgeries such as trepanation (a surgical procedure in which a hole is made in the skull).

▲

One of the most important and famous sites of the Incas is Machu Picchu. King Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui founded the famed Inca citadel in 1450.

▲

Their roads stretched all the way from Chile to Colombia, which was a distance of roughly 3,250 miles (over 5,000 km). This means that the Inca Empire was larger than the Roman Empire.

▲

The Incas were not familiar with the wheel or horses. Instead, most of the transportation was done by foot or using llamas to carry goods around the empire.

▲

The Incas were met with the most resistance from communities in modern-day Ecuador, particularly in the Amazon, where cultural commonalities were few.

▲

The Incas' architecture was of such a high standard that it was earthquake-proof. The best example is Machu Picchu, which to this day still looks impeccable.

Sources: (World History Encyclopedia) (Museum Facts)