2.1-The Inca

Lesson 2.1 The Inca, pages 200–201

Objective
Examine the Inca Empire
in South America.

Introduction
The Inca Empire in South America stretched along the
Pacific coast.
The empire included parts of present-day:
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Argentina

Introduction
From 1438 until the
Spanish conquest in
the 1530s, the Inca
Empire was one of
South America’s
largest and most
advanced
civilizations.

Workings of the Empire
The Inca built their
Capital→ Cuzco (modern day Peru)
Government/society→ highly organized
People→ 12 million people

Families of the Inca Empire
Within Inca society, families
were organized into groups
based on:
• kinship or blood relationship
• common land ownership
→ Inca married within their
kinship groups.

Families of the Inca Empire
• They also worked together and shared land and
resources.
• The leader of each family worked for the empire
for a few months of the year as builders, farmers,
craftsmen, soldiers.

Achievements of the Inca
The Inca utilized, or made practical use of their
advanced engineering skills to adapt to the
mountainous environment.

Achievements of the Inca
The Inca farmed on the terraced fields, or flat
fields cut into slopes or mountainsides.

Achievements of the Inca
They also built irrigation canals to water
their crops because the climate was arid.

Achievements of the Inca
The Inca adapted to their
mountainous surroundings
in other ways.
They built suspension
bridges using vines and
wood.
• A suspension
bridge is a bridge
used to cross
canyons or water.

Achievements of the Inca
• Another example of the Inca’s engineering skills is
Machu Picchu “ Old Mountain”, built in the 1400s.
• The Inca built this complex city on a mountain by
constructing giant walls, terraces, sloping ramps, and
steep stairways.

Achievements of the Inca
• Some archaeologists
believe Machu Picchu
served as a royal estate.
• Today it is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
because of its historical
and archaeological
significance.

Achievements of the Inca
By the 1530s, the empire faced internal
problems that included a weak economy
and civil war.
A much smaller and better equipped
Spanish force conquered the Inca in 1532.

Achievements of the Inca
Today, the descendants of the Inca, the
Quechua (South American Indians) , live in
the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

Guided Discussion
Were the Inca effective in running their
empire and keeping the people united?
Explain.
Yes, they found ways to deal with the difficult
terrain and vastness of the empire. They
instilled good values such as working hard for
the good of all.

Photo Lab
Based on the photos and text, in what ways did the Inca utilize advanced
engineering skills in their empire?
They built suspension bridges to connect mountainous parts of the empire
and complex city structures such as Machu Picchu.
How would you describe the Inca Empire based on the photo of Machu
Picchu?
Machu Picchu exemplifies the architectural and engineering skills of the
Inca Empire, an advanced ancient civilization.
What factors made it possible for a small force of Spanish conquers to
overcome the large Inca Empire?
A weakened economy and civil war enabled the Spanish to take advantage
of the Inca Empire.

Differentiate
The Inca lived in ____ and built a ______empire.
(Peru, large)
In Inca society _____ worked
(everyone)
The Inca built ______ fields on the sides of
mountains
(terraced)
The ______ conquered the Inca in 1532.
( Spanish)

Quick Quiz
How were the Inca able to farm on the
slopes of the Andes Mountains?
a.Connecting roads
b.Crop rotations
c. Suspension bridges
d.Terraced fields

Quick Quiz
Which of the following is an
achievement of the Inca civilization?
a. Archaeological excavation
b. Irrigation canals
c. Slash-and-burn agriculture
d. diamond mines

Quick Quiz
Which of the following statements is
true of the Inca civilization?
a. It made use of many engineering
skills
b. It was invaded by the Portuguese
c. It was located along the Atlantic
coast
d. It developed laws still used today

d
Create Graphic Organizers

Reading and Note-Taking: Summarize Information

Vocabulary Practice