Did You Know The Largest Empire in America Was Inca Civilization?

Francisco Pizarro, along with 180 soldiers, arrived in the Inca Empire. At the time, there was a power struggle between Huáscar and his half-brother Atahualpa over control of the empire. Huáscar imprisoned Atahualpa, weakening the empire through civil war. Pizarro, after capturing Atahualpa, executed Huáscar.

Although the Incas paid a large ransom in gold for Atahualpa’s release, the Spanish still executed him. This left the Inca Empire leaderless, making it vulnerable to Spanish conquest. Historians believe that the Inca civilization, destroyed by the Spanish, was far superior to that of its conquerors.

Inca Society and Culture

The Incas had a highly organized government. The emperor, or “Sapa Inca,” oversaw the entire population. In Inca society, there were two classes: the ruling class and the peasants. The emperor ate from golden plates and never wore the same garment twice. He would even marry his sister to maintain the royal bloodline, similar to the pharaohs of Egypt. Skilled in crafts, Inca women were renowned weavers, making fabrics and tunics.

Men were known as skilled metalworkers who understood how to extract metals by heating and melting ore. Most of the population were farmers, growing their own food and making their own clothes. Key crops included corn, tomatoes, squash, and sweet potatoes, all first cultivated by the Incas. They also raised guinea pigs, ducks, and dogs, with llamas providing wool and being used to carry heavy loads.

No one paid taxes, but all men were required to serve as soldiers periodically. Their language was Quechua, and although they didn’t write, they used quipu—strings with knots—to record information. The Incas mummified their dead like the Egyptians and permitted child sacrifices in their rituals, which the Europeans attempted to eradicate.

The Lost City of the Incas

The Inca Empire's capital was in present-day Peru. In the Andes mountains of Peru, explorers discovered ruins believed to belong to the Incas, who governed the area over 500 years ago. These ruins are in a remote part of Peru on Mount Cerro Victoria. When Pizarro attacked, the Incas retreated to this location.

Todos los Santos Ruins

In the 1970s, another Inca ruin, Todos los Santos, meaning "All Saints," was discovered in Cuenca, Ecuador. It reflects multiple cultures, as the Spanish destroyed the original Canari and Inca structures. Archaeological excavations have since unearthed various artifacts from the Inca period and earlier times.