The Inca Empire : Facts and History

History of the Incas

Sir Dig-a-Lot smiled and began, “Today I will tell you about the Inca empire. It was the largest empire in pre Columbian America. The modern city of Peru was the capital of the Inca empire. It was called the city of Cuzco then. This empire existed in the 13th century.

The Incas were also called the Children of the Sun. This was because of an Incan myth that that the Sun God created them.”

“The Inca empire was 2000 miles long and 500 miles wide and was home to about 12 million people. The records are available because the Inca empire was excellent in census data collection.”

“The language spoken was Quechua. People in the empire referred to themselves as ‘Tawantinsuyu,’ which means ‘four parts together’ in Quechua. The empire was divided into four parts that met in the capital city, hence the name. The Inca empire had a strong political system and the leader was called Sapa Inca or the Only Inca. The major contribution of the government was in building roads. ”

“The terrain of the area was rugged in the Inca empire. Hence, it was difficult to practice agriculture. The Incas introduced the terrace farming method. They had a system of storing rain water and using it for irrigation. These scientific methods helped them grow all kinds of crops even in rugged and steep mountain slopes.”

“The Inca empire was conquered by the Spanish king Francisco Pizarro. After many hard fought battles, the Incas were defeated and the empire ended in the year 1531.

The ancestors of the Inca empire still live in modern day Peru.”

“School tomorrow. Good night, Sir Dig-a-Lot,” said Rohan.

“Good night, Rohan.”

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