Inca Empire Research Paper

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The Incan empire was a great American civilization. It ruled from 1438 to 1533 AD in what is now modern day Peru. The civilization is located along the Andes mountain range. The Inca were a polytheistic, socialist culture. Their last ruler before being overthrown was Francisco Pizarro. They implemented methods of trading goods and services, divided up land and devised a system to keep track of time. They also created a strong military to defend their territory, and built infrastructure to facilitate travel. Although the Inca had a vast empire, they were able to maintain a civilized culture with their military, government, building projects and the mita system. The Inca government was highly organized which helped the civilization thrive. They…show more content…
Much like their government, the Incan military was extremely organized. They were divided into troops of ten men. One group of ten men had a corporal, and five groups of ten men had a sergeant. But, the ultimate commander was the Sapa Inca. Unlike some of its surrounding civilizations, the Incan army was not weak. It had 200,000 warriors who helped conquer its surrounding territories. Warriors were selected only if they were good enough to fight, and peasants were not allowed. The military troops were led only by worthy professional officers who had passed tests of speed, marksmanship and combat skills. Warriors were considered of very high status as well. The military had clever war tactics that helped them win various battles. They would organize their lines by the weapons being held. Men with far shooting weapons were in the front line such as archers, sling throwers, and javelin hurlers. The men would be divided into three groups, the first group attacked from the front while the second and third attacked from the back. Before attacking they would scare their approaching enemies with conch horns, whistles, drums, and disturbing songs. Also, they would offer their opponents a chance to surrender, which decreased the amount of men killed in…show more content…
The roads built linked the entire empire seeing as it was so geographically extensive. This included 14000 mile long roads and bridges that spanned across the empire. The roads were most commonly used for rapid mail service. Runners called, Chasqui, were housed on the sides of these roads and would run down verbal messages to the next Chasqui. The roads allowed for calm travel throughout the narrow empire. They were also very helpful with the movement of military troops throughout the civilization. Although there wasn’t much trade with other empires, these roads helped trade within the empire from the highlands to lowlands. Lastly, the mita system was a very important Incan invention that largely helped the Incan civilization. The mita system was mandatory public service. It was tribute to the Incan government in the form of labor that included projects such as building roads or military service. Everyone from ages 15-50 was required to do their share. Often, families would get 65 days out of the year to farm and care for their land, and the rest of their time was devoted to Mita work. The system was very logical because it did not require paying

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