I would like to take a few minutes to touch on the history of the Incas. I think most people are aware of the famous site of Machu Picchu and that the Inca Empire was brought to its knees by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. Yet, what I didn’t know previously was that the Inca Empire only lasted from 1438 to 1533 AD. It is hard to believe they accomplished so much in such a short period of time! In most cases they peacefully assimilated tribes into their empire, yet at points had to use military force. Even though there were over 700 indigenous languages spoken within their territory, they demanded their people to learn Quechua. They reigned over the mountainous regions of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and NW Argentina. The tribes in these areas had stationary lifestyles and thus were easier to incorporate versus the nomadic tribes of the plains. From their headquarters in Cusco they required all men to perform a mandatory 6 months of military service and during this time they would also be put to work building such things as the empires extensive road network. They built over 30,000 km of roads! They were incredibly sophisticated architects and built terraced farms that were far superior to anything in Europe at the time. Unfortunately, for them at the time of Pizarro’s arrival (he first reached their territory in 1526) the great leader Huayna Capac had died and his sons Huáscar and Atahualpa were amidst a civil war over who would lead the Inca Empire. In addition the population was being hit hard by smallpox introduced to the continent by the Spanish. Pizarro’s company only included roughly 170 men and could have easily been crushed by the Incan might. It is said that Atahualpa, the victor of the civil war, was very curious about this man dressed in armor and even assumed he was a representation of the sun god. Supposedly Pizarro handed Atahualpa a Bible and demanded that he convert to Christianity. When Atahualpa didn’t have the desired response, the Spanish had their excuse to attack. Atahualpa was imprisoned and the Spanish demanded a ransom of gold and silver be paid. The Incas complied and delivered the ransom, yet instead of freeing Atahualpa he was killed publically and the thus the empire crumbled in 1533.
