Incas of Peru: Culture, Economy, and Religion
The Incas
of Peru, the Andean region comprises three regions: the coast, the sierra, formed by ridges, valleys, and plateaus of the Andes. And the mountain that covers the tropical forests of eastern DRC. On the coast and in the moist valleys and different peoples inhabited the mountains it was finally conquered by the Incas. These areas are favorable for growing corn, potatoes, coca, and quinoa, elements that differ from the Aztecs. Cuzcofue capital.
Company:
The Incas created an extensive politically and culturally unified empire. The regime was totalitarian because the state intervened in all, even in personal matters like marriage.
The government was despotic and theocratic sense because as descendants and representatives of the sun, the emperors were heads of the priestly order. The command is transmitted to the children. Officials at all levels acted as judges, the most severe cases judged the most senior managers and minor cases, you lower-ranking officials. Punishments varied not only according to the crime but also according to the reason he had committed the crime.
In pronouncing sentence, was also taken into account the age of the criminal. A young offender with no history received a lesser punishment than he had broken the law before.
Instead of paying taxes, the people working for the state. This tax is called mita labor, and peasants as ‘paid’ working in construction, mining, serving the military, or doing any task that was necessary.
It was formed by families who believed related by a common ancestor and had a property common territorial status gave them. The name refers to ayllu group of families who owned the territory. The components of an ayllu lived together, forming a village or a neighborhood of its own within the same city.
A region where clustered several ayllus formed a large group, which called the skirt, and two or three skirts were a province with its capital. The provinces were in turn ‘four quarters’ in which the empire was divided.
Economy:
Agriculture: Agriculture was the basis of its institutions, policies and was based on principles that allowed them to truly scientific alliance of small farms and growing state. The territory was divided into three parts: one for the sun or another for the Inca ruler and one for the people, the first two are working collectively and its products are dedicated to the maintenance of worship and the priests, the costs of the empire and its sovereign, the third was the ayllu and was divided into plots provided the number of members of each family, each couple was given the amount of land that was thought sufficient for their maintenance, for every male child was increased somewhat and half by each daughter wife, the lands of the elderly, widows, the sick and soldiers in service were also cultivated collectively.
Trade. The Incas were not a market town and knew what was the money. For product changes with neighboring fairs were held in the confines of the empire.
Metals. All the mines belonged to the emperor, and the metal came from them was kept with great zeal. The gold and silver were sent directly to Cuzco, and if someone was caught leaving the city with these metals, was severely punished. highly skilled craftsmen made objects of gold, platinum, and copper, and also knew that by mixing copper with tin got the bronze. The Incas did not know iron. Most of the items were manufactured for ornamental and non-utilitarian, made jewelry of gold, flame figures, and masks to the mummies. Very few utensils were made of metal. One of the methods used to work in gold, silver, and copper were to hammer the metal to obtain thin sheets, then the models, without using heat.
Hunting and Fishing: Their weapons were the sling, mace, and bola. Vicuna hunting was regulated; The vicuña is a little smaller and shorter fleece the flame. It was not possible to catch it but once a year and at the same site. Armed with sticks and spears were thousands of hunters a huge circle that was closer to pick up all the animals in a plain, where they killed the male, I drew the skins and the meat was sliced very thin. The vicunas were sheared, and the wool was placed in the store real, where the finest clothes were destined for the Inca and the other was distributed to the people.
Fishing was practiced on the coasts and Lake Titicaca, on rafts that were used for a long time ago in that region and which was called ‘horses.’ Domestication of animals: the Incas raised llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs, dogs, and ducks.
Science and Art: In the art of the Inca civilization was a great development. They created very elaborate and beautiful temples that religion was a substantial proportion of Inca life. Also made ostentatious palaces and grand forts strategically located, as Machu Picchu. Public works had changed their advancement and that, besides the system of paved roads, also built great bridges, irrigation channels, and aqueducts to allow optimal exploitation earth.
Religion The Incan religion was born out of respect for the forces of nature. The ancient Peruvians worshiped the spirits of nature and creatures such as jaguars, snakes, and condors. They also used religion to unify the large population of his empire. The chief god of the Incas was Inti, the sun He was the Vida provider and protector of the Inca people. Inti brought them warmth and light. He fell into the ocean every afternoon at sunset, residents were afraid that the sun can not swim beneath the earth to reappear the next morning in the East. The Incas also worshiped strange places or sacred things, called huacas. Could be rocks, mountains, rivers, and trees in an unusual way that the Incas thought they had special powers. They made offerings to the huacas for help. Offered children in sacrifice and flames were killed and buried with them to the most important huacas. Respect for the ancestors was another important part of Inca religion. The bodies of the dead were often dried and preserved as mummies and were either buried with some of their belongings or kept in the homes of their descendants and made them regular offerings of food and drink.
Inca gods:
Viracocha, creator God Inti, the sun god Mama Quilla, the Moon Goddess, protector of women. Pacha Mama: Goddess of the land and agricultural fertility Mama Sara, Goddess of food. Pachacamac: God the Creator on the coast. Mama Cocha, Goddess of the sea. Illapa: God of thunder and lightning.
Pre-Hispanic codices
codices are called, from the Latin codex-book manuscript, pictorial documents or images taken as cultural products of the great Mayan, Aztec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Otomi, Purépecha, etc., Which emerged and developed in Mesoamerica. The manuscripts are first-hand historical sources in which indigenous societies, through scribes with the ability to paint with great skill, stopped faithfully reflect their achievements and scientific and cultural progress and reported on a multitude of issues, including religious beliefs, rites and ceremonies, history, economic system, and timing, among many others. In pre-Hispanic codices, very few exist today because since the conquest were destroyed across the board, first in making buildings where they were kept (amoxcalli) and then ‘acts of faith’ that organized the European monks to destroy what they regarded as ‘works of the devil.’