Fact or Fiction

The Inca performed human sacrifice.  One, called the capacocha ceremony, was a ritual where children were sacrificed.  The ceremony was not performed often but was reserved only for the most special of occasions, such as the death of an emperor, the birth of a royal son, a great military victory, or special dates on the Inca  calendar.  Historians have also discovered this ceremony was performed to prevent natural disasters such as droughts, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions.

The best primary sources were written by a Spanish explorer.  Historians have learned a great deal from his writings about the Inca religion, ceremonies, and traditions.  Others also wrote about the ceremony which proves it happened.  

Boys and girls between the ages of four and sixteen were sacrificed.  This process would start over a year in advance.  Children were brought from their homes to the Inca capital of Cuzco.  Here they feasted for days and took part in smaller rituals such as special haircuts or wearing sacred clothing.  Finally, the children were taken to the place of sacrifice; they would have been either suffocated, killed with a blow to the head, or buried alive.

Any child could be chosen - even children of the rulers. Children were considered pure beings, so their sacrifice was considered to be the most special honor to the gods.

The Inca Empire provided a basic education to all of its' citizens, but most did not attend a fancy or formal schools.  The children of the rich would be educated by very special teachers.  Farmers and commoners would be taught skills by their family members.

The group that educated the rich was made up of philosophers, poets, and priests.  These teachers taught the sons of the rich about the culture of the Inca, their customs and traditions, as well as record-keeping, military training, and life in the government.  Boys usually graduated from their schooling around the age of nineteen and were viewed as future leaders of the empire.

The education of the common person was largely based on what was passed down from their parents.  Basic knowledge of the Inca people would be taught, as well as life skills like farming, hunting, and fishing.  It was also normal for the average Incan to be taught about the religion of their people.  While the poor people didn't get a special education from a scholar, they still learned important skills.  After all, they were the ones who were responsible for keeping the empire running.  It was the common Inca who tended the crops, maintained all the roads, built the mighty temples, and created the irrigation systems.

The Inca Empire covered a large area of land in what is now known as South  America.  Most of the empire was high up in the Andes Mountains, the longest mountain range in the world.  With an average height of over 13,000 feet, the Andes presented a challenging climate and terrain to the Inca people.

The Inca found ways to adapt to this environment.  To combat the rocky and rugged geography, the people developed a system of farming known as terrace farming.  Terrace farming is a type of farming that uses “steps” that are built into the side of a mountain or hillside.  It was on these steps that the people planted a variety of crops.  Luckily, the Inca learned how to build suspension bridges so they could travel and take their crops to small villages and cities after the harvest.

Even though growing crops was difficult, the Inca were mostly vegetarians.  They did eat small rodents like guinea pigs when available.  Keeping large animals was often seen as too difficult.  Bigger animals required large amounts of grassy areas to roam which is something the Inca just did not have in the mountains.  This does not mean they had zero large animals.  The Inca relied on llamas for many things, such as transportation, clothing, and a source of meat to eat.

Due to the extreme cold temperatures of the mountains, the Inca had to be very selective about what they grew.  The main crops were root vegetables:  potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots,  They also grew avocados, beans, and tomatoes.  The main reason they grew root vegetables was because they could withstand low temperatures and frost.  The Inca needed a guarantee their crops would survive since they didn’t have a lot of available farmland.  This made potatoes especially  important since they could live through freezing temperatures. 

The Inca people had a monarchy for their government which was strict rule by the Sapa Inca or king.  This is very different than the government of the United States.  Citizens of the US enjoy a democracy where citizens can vote.  Sapa Inca was the most powerful man in the land and his officers (who were often relatives) reported to him.  There was no voting but some people helped him run the empire.  Sapa Inca’s closest advisor was the viceroy.  While the viceroy advised Sapa Inca, he did not hold much power.  The High Priest helped with sacrifice and religious ceremonies but he did not have much power in making decisions either.  

The US has three branches to create, enforce, and interpret the laws.  However, the Inca monarch or king maintained complete control over all areas in his empire.  The US government is built on a system of checks and balances to prevent corruption and make sure power is shared.  This concept would have been strange to Sapa Inca because he had absolute power and control.  Because of this, members of the Inca Empire had no say in government, were not able to vote, and were at the mercy of whatever the Sapa Inca wanted.

The Inca built an impressive system of roads.  Traveling through the Andes Mountains and reaching 13,000 feet high, the trails they built connected the entire empire.  One could have traveled through the whole region on reliable and easy to access roads that covered about fourteen thousand miles.

This network of roads known as the Inca trail allowed for quick and efficient relaying of messages throughout the empire.  The Inca created a unique device to help communicate messages - it was known as the Quipu.  The quipu was a rope with a series of knotted chords that was used to record data and notes.  On the trails, messengers could travel over 100 miles a day in order to alert the empire of an enemy invasion, inform the public of a special ceremony, or inform people that a new law had been made.  It is hard to believe, but these messengers traveled almost entirely on foot.  The Inca did not use the wheel and horses were not available in the Americas until the Spanish brought them.

Along the trail were approximately 2000 inns or motels for weary travelers to rest.  These provided food, shelter, and supplies.  People who didn’t have time to stop for the night could pick up a snack like potatoes or llama jerky from a storehouse or pick a fresh piece of fruit from a tree planted along the trail.

Today, a small portion of this Inca trail exists and tourists visit it each year.   Scholars believe the Spanish dug up and destroyed parts of the trail once they arrived.  The introduction of horses could have also contributed to the breakdown of the trail.

The Inca practiced polytheism which means they believed in many gods.  The most important was Viracocha, the creator god.  It was Viracocha who supposedly created the world, sky, stars, and sun.  Viracocha was eternal which means he lives forever and had the power to create other gods.  His son, Inti, was the next most important god to the Inca people.

Inti was known as the Sun God.  The Inti was believed to be everywhere at all times and had the power to do whatever he desired.  It was believed that the Inca rulers and the rich, especially Sapa Inca, were related to the great Sun God.  

The Incas built many temples throughout the empire where a lot of priests would worship the gods.  Inca funerals were performed with great care and respect as they believed they had an obligation to care for the “human vessel” as their soul traveled to the afterlife.  Therefore, the Inca would mummify bodies of the dead to preserve their remains.

The Inca believed in a simple rules - do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy.  Those who lived their lives according to this simple rule went to live in the Sun’s warmth or the afterlife.  Those who did not obey spent their eternal days in the cold earth.