The Inca Empire
The Inca were a tribal people, who formed an empire along the western coast of South America. The Inca empire stretched all the way from Ecuador to Chile, stretching over 4000 kilometres. The Inca empire lasted from the 13th century until the 16th century. At it's height in power, the empire consisted of over 12 million people, whom were mainly located in cities built into the Andes mountains. The capital of the Inca empire was Cusco, which like the other cities, was located in the mountains. As a tribal people, the Inca did not speak English. Their native language was called Quechua. Alike other tribal people of the time, the Inca believed that illness and poor harvests were punishments sent by the gods. In this way, the Inca believed that certain gods were responsible for certain aspects of life, such as the weather and the earth. In order to please their gods, the Inca often performed sacrifices. They sacrificed birds, llamas, dogs and even children. The empire lasted for almost around 300 years, until the arrival of the Spanish in 1532. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America, led by Francisco Pizarro, in search of 'El Dorado', a land of gold. At this time, the empire was weakened due to civil war. The Spanish defeated the empire and brought it under their rule. |
Inca GodsDiscover the different gods and deities of the Inca, and learn of their beliefs in creation and afterlife.
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Rituals, Worship and FestivalsDiscover the rituals and festivals that took place in the Inca civilization.
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Sacred StoriesDiscover some of the sacred Inca stories of creation and gods.
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The Questions of Human Existence?Understand the Inca's beliefs and how they used religion to answer the questions of human existence.
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