Archaeology
Like any others, the Incas used geography in their everyday lives. The Andes Mountains ran north to south. The Inca made their home high in the mountains. To move their homes 11,000 feet above sea level, the Inca built bridges between mountain peaks and over deep gorges. The Inca never invented the wheel, and the civilians were not allowed on the roads, so to travel over bridges they used the animals that hauled food, warriors and the road run. The Inca Empire developed in a long strip that reached pretty much north to south along the western side of South America. The geography was rough, Andes mountains, the coastline deserts, and the Amazon jungle. So the clever Inca found solutions for their geographic problems On one side of the Andes Mountains is the Amazon jungle. On the other side is the desert coastline. These both acted as natural barriers.
The Incas farmed a lot. The people ate very well! The Inca were the first to grow potatoes. There were many crops. The main big three were corn, potatoes, and quinoa, (which is a seed used to make flour and soups). They built terraces along the sides of the mountains and planted their crops there. They lived in the mountains. Flatlands were rare. So, they simply created flat land by building steps of land for agriculture down the mountainside. This was great for irrigation. Instead of rainwater running down the mountainside, the Inca channeled it through each step. They also built aqueducts to carry water that was needed. They were great farmers, with clever solutions to their farming problems!
Every person in the Inca civilization had an allocated task in life that related to factors such as their age and gender. For an example, children over 5 years of age had the responsibilities of carrying water up to the field where grownups were growing crops. And over women over fifty years old had to weave cloths. One of these task was chewing maize or corn and spitting it in a bowl so that they can make corn beer and drink it on special occasions The Incas had lots of cultural tasks! Also, the empire Pachacutti created many of religious holidays for his people. Six times a month the entire empire was shut down due to parades, festivals, and celebrations.
The Incas had no system of money, so they traded lots of goods with local communities. The government mostly traded in metals, precious stones, unusual plants and animals, and other scarce materials. Commoners could trade such products like craft, food, and textiles. The Incas economy was based on trade and services. This was due to the absence of currency (for taxes the Incas used their crops and they sent some of their crops to the king.) Everyone worked, including the king, and the only people that did not work were the very old and the very young.
The Incas farmed a lot. The people ate very well! The Inca were the first to grow potatoes. There were many crops. The main big three were corn, potatoes, and quinoa, (which is a seed used to make flour and soups). They built terraces along the sides of the mountains and planted their crops there. They lived in the mountains. Flatlands were rare. So, they simply created flat land by building steps of land for agriculture down the mountainside. This was great for irrigation. Instead of rainwater running down the mountainside, the Inca channeled it through each step. They also built aqueducts to carry water that was needed. They were great farmers, with clever solutions to their farming problems!
Every person in the Inca civilization had an allocated task in life that related to factors such as their age and gender. For an example, children over 5 years of age had the responsibilities of carrying water up to the field where grownups were growing crops. And over women over fifty years old had to weave cloths. One of these task was chewing maize or corn and spitting it in a bowl so that they can make corn beer and drink it on special occasions The Incas had lots of cultural tasks! Also, the empire Pachacutti created many of religious holidays for his people. Six times a month the entire empire was shut down due to parades, festivals, and celebrations.
The Incas had no system of money, so they traded lots of goods with local communities. The government mostly traded in metals, precious stones, unusual plants and animals, and other scarce materials. Commoners could trade such products like craft, food, and textiles. The Incas economy was based on trade and services. This was due to the absence of currency (for taxes the Incas used their crops and they sent some of their crops to the king.) Everyone worked, including the king, and the only people that did not work were the very old and the very young.