The Inca Empire - Essay Example

Inca Inca is an ancient civilization on the earth thousands of years ago. Archaeologist’s historic record reveals that no one really knows where theIncas came from. The Inca Empire was quite short-lived. Inca means emperor. He was not just a ruler, but also a direct descendant of the sun god. They were warriors, almost constantly at war with their neighboring tribes or barrios. The practice of split inheritance among Inca is a cultural rule. In this practice the ruler king chose his successor that obtained all the political rights and powers.

The other descendants received all the financial treasures. The ruler made extreme effort to secure his land, his place of immortality. The ruler had a supreme control over the empire. No one could become the next Inca except the son of the current emperor. Among the sons who proved to be the most eminent was selected. He has to be best in strength and endurance. Before the emperor died, he and his council help him in selecting the son who could replace him. The Inca were an extremely religious people.

They feared the evil and believe in rebirth. In the Andean mythology it was considered that The Incas worshipped the Earth goddess Pachamama and the sun god, the Inti. They worship their gods every year with a splendid celebration. Their practice of refraining from food and sex start some days before the ceremony. Some historians believed that this ceremony was started at sunrise. The Inca king took two ceremonial goblets and drank a sip from one and other was offered to the sun. Then the highest priest performed the animal sacrifice in which he took out the throbbing heart of the animal to predict the future.

Later they burnt the animal completely. The Incas had a highly sophisticated government, but the effects of split inheritance were felt throughout the empire. The emperor ruled there and underneath him was very talented leaders. According to the law of split inheritance, the government had to plan a program to build a new palace as a center of his government and wealth. After his death his successor would build a new palace. They built extensive terraces over thousands of miles. They reconstructed the capital and repartitioned the surrounded area to make it a prominent political and religious center.

Archaeological study has supported that much of the Inca capital was destroyed during the colonial era. The decline of Inca civilization occurred by the Spanish conquerors. With the arrival of Francisco Pizarro from Spain the Inca Empire was seriously threatened. The Spaniards had no concern for the Inca Empire. They forced Christianity on the peoples and destroyed everything even the accounting record of Inca Empire. They destroyed the Inca buildings and construct their own churches. They banned the Inca religion.

At the fall of the last of the Incas, their civilization ended, but cultural traditions remain in some ethnic groups. References “Inca Civilization” Inca Civilization-Crystalinks. http://www.crystalinks.com/incan.html “The Sapa Inca” The incredible Incus. http://incas.mrdonn.org/sapainca.html Brian M. Fagan. Ancient Lives. Prentice Hall, 2000. “Cultural Materialism, Split Inheritance an the Expansion of Ancient Peruvian Empires” Cultural Materialism, Split Inheritance, and the Expansion of .

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/incas/materialism.pdf “The Great Inca Rebellion” The Great Inca Rebellion