Inca Overview

The fascination of the Inca culture is based not least the fact that those indigenous cultures that produced an urban culture with stone products, special attention will be given. The Inca culture, however, was predominantly a peasant civilization, in an age-old cultural landscape for generations to some extent already developed agricultural, cultural and power tactics based and which allowed only a very small aristocratic ruling elite one complex, urban lifestyle.

Here, the legitimacy of their power was based not least because the tribute and labor of the peasant otherwise economically self-sufficient communities largely dominated by them to supply the population in the climatic, topographical and vegetative radically different environmental zones, to bridge the frequent floods, droughts and other disasters and redistribution of supplies to the army during the frequent military campaigns. Signs of deficiency or even malnutrition during the Inca period were in a study to determine any investigation body.

The Incas spoke Quechua (Runa Simi = "language of men"), used the knot-writing Quipu (Khipu), which expressed only numbers and the Tocapu patterns that have been woven into textiles and which is not yet certain whether it is a writing act. Since the Incas knew no money, they developed no taxes in the European sense. Instead, they developed a bureaucratic state that settles through comprehensive, accurate, statistical records, all services and needs, all the resources, tribute obligations and their distribution and voted together. Correspondence to the state services have been rendered so by a strictly organized in a collective work: One-third of their working time had to work for the people of Inti, the sun cult, another third for the Inca, in other words, the ruling aristocracy and the military. The last third of their time went to the benefit of their family, the elderly, the sick, widows, orphans and the needy. Nobles, officials and priests possessed privileges, were exempted from military service and field and from any state fees. The nobility could wear golden ornaments. While farmers were obliged, when he reaches the twentieth year to entering into a monogamous marriage, the nobility were allowed to live in polygamy.

The Inca rulers, and particularly their ancestors worshiped the sun god Inti addition, the creator god Viracocha and the earth goddess Pachamama as divine. While all the other men had been expressly forbidden to her sister, mother, cousin, aunt or niece to marry, married to the Inca king when he took office in reference to his mythical home his sister, which has become Quya (Coya), to the queen. The Sapa Inca married a rule in addition to his sister, the daughters of important princes of the conquered territories. His future successor was chosen by only the sons of the Inca Coya, where he was advised of twenty councils designated as relatives, with the first-born did not have a superior claim to the succession.

The Sapa Inca traveled in a sedan chair through his realm. Before him, one could only appear barefoot. Even the highest dignitaries had to approach the monarch as a sign of humility, at least a symbolic load. The Sapa Inca took in a demonstrative audience apathy, in which he was not responding directly to his interlocutors. He hid his personality behind a wall or his face behind a precious substance. On his head he wore as a sign of his royal dignity, the Maskaypacha or Maskapaycha, a band related to the purple Llawt'u (Llautu), provided a long forehead tassel was. His artfully crafted robes, he wore only once each. The clothing worn was collected as well as his food remains carefully and burned each year at a big celebration.

The engineers, roads and bridges contributed, given the limited technological possibilities remarkable work, which the 60-meter-long suspension bridge over the River Apurímac the 4000 kilometers long and 8 meters wide coast road and the 5200 kilometers long and 6 meters wide Andean illustrate road. Insurmountable rocks, such as steep as walls above Pisac, were overcome by a tunnel. On them Chaski (relay runners were on the road) that could transmit the messages in one day up to 400 km. The entire road of the Incas had an approximate length of 40,000 km and was thus larger than that of Rome. It was within walking distance used as mounts, wheel and car were not yet known. The architects built from heavy representational, cyclopean granite stones that they fit seamlessly together and warped by the frequent earthquakes mostly without prejudice (not survived) the destruction of the Spaniards. The arch she knew not.

The Inca has already conducted successful operations on the skull and used to that in Europe and Africa by Stone Age peoples used trepanation and the scraping technique. Tools and weapons were made of copper and bronze. Iron was unknown. They controlled the weaving of fine clothes and put vicuña and alpaca ago. There were specific rules on the design of clothing stalls. The found ceramic objects have simple, colorful patterns on and do not have the playfulness of earlier cultures. They played on the ocarina, a wind instrument made of clay, but also on Quenas (qina), Andean flutes from bamboo, from the Jaguar or human bone produced Piruru or Pan or shepherd's flute Antara, which is made from cane or baked clay, and small Belly drums in their celebrations and festivals. Called the housing of wing screws (Strombus), Pututu, which were regarded as daughters of the sea, were observed in acts of worship as a trumpet used to draw the attention of the Apus, the mountain gods, on the plight of the people. Festivals and religious ceremonies were accompanied by music and dance - art was, as in medieval Europe, a ritual expression of religion, spoke of war and heroic deeds of kings and curacas - not l'art pour l'art.

The great buildings, the vast road network and the accomplished artisan deserve special admiration, because this culture services, mostly by human muscle, therefore without a wheel, a car, without draft animals, like ox and horse, without a pulley, a potter's wheel, bellows, tongs, and no writing could be done .

To provide the conditions for a huge number of people of the mountains and to prevent famine were over thousands of years virtually all suitable slopes in populated areas and terraces irrigated by canals. Professionals (kamayuq) measured in circular, exactly from the rock beaten, various basin-deep depressions exactly the average amount of water and its evaporation. In addition to accurate weather observation provided them the data about the impending winds and storms. Surpluses from the tribute payments were stored in special storage, protecting the rain, which circulated the wind and thereby protected from decay. In some cases, potatoes freeze-dried. On the high terraces 20 varieties of maize (sara), 240 kinds of potatoes, beans, quinoa, amaranth, pumpkin, tomatoes, cassava, peppers, beans, avocados, papayas, peanuts and cashews, and mulberry plants were grown. As pets and pack animals they kept llamas, ducks, alpacas and guinea pigs, the latter mainly for human consumption (quechua: quwi, from Spanish cuy).