Page 143 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

962 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

For it is a peculiarity of humans, in contrast to the other animals, to have
perception of good and bad, just and unjust, and the like; and community in
these things makes a household and a city. • Aristotle (384–322 bce)

social group that was responsible for the ceremonies at recruitment. Most importantly, the Inca accumulated the
each huaca. fruits of the labor tax at these sites. The largest of these
centers, such as Willkawaman, Pumpu, Cajamarca, and
The Provinces Huánuco Pampo, contained hundreds of storehouses.
There were at least eighty provinces divided among the Quipus, mnemonic devices made by hanging knotted
four quarters of Tawantinsuyu.While ethnic Incas usually strings from a main cord, were used to record the con-
controlled the most important political and religious po- tents of the storehouses. Census data, ritual calendars,
sitions in these provinces, local lords retained a signifi- astronomical observations, and even histories may have
cant degree of control over local affairs. In general, the also been recorded on the quipus. While many products
Inca encouraged a degree of autonomy to decrease ad- were consumed locally at the provincial centers, caravans
ministrative costs and hinder groups from uniting, and of humans and llamas transported many of the goods
strove to maintain local religions, dress, and languages. across the 30,000 kilometers of Inca roads. The roads,
Nonetheless, the empire was still a disruptive force.The an engineering marvel in the rugged terrain of the Andes,
empire claimed ownership over all natural resources, di- also served to facilitate the movement of troops.A system
vided land into tracts for the Incas, the state religion, and of runners allowed messages and small items to be car-
the local communities, bought colonists, called mitmaq- ried quickly on these roads over long distances.
kuna, into new areas, and moved settlements into more
productive growing areas. In addition, the empire tore The Incas and the World
down or built up political systems according to its inter- The opportunity to learn from the Incas was almost
ests and organized local populations into units of one completely squandered after the Spanish conquest.The
hundred, five hundred, a thousand, five thousand, and Spanish success, helped by the Inca war of succession,
ten thousand households to facilitate census taking and the willingness of subjected groups to rebel, and, most
labor recruitment. importantly, the diseases that the adventurers carried
The Inca economic system was neither a market nor a with them, nearly obliterated Andean civilization. Epi-
tribute system. No coinage was used in the realm, and, demics, civil wars, and forced labor over the first fifty
strictly speaking, the empire demanded no goods in kind years of Spanish rule wiped out over half of the popu-
from its subjects. Instead, the mainstay of the imperial lation. Entire villages were abandoned, languages were
economy was a labor tax that was couched in an ethos of lost, and rituals forgotten. Outside of the Andes, the
reciprocity. Every household was required to provide most lasting legacy of the encounter between the Incas
some kind of service, such as farming, herding, construc- and the Spanish may be the potato. The daily fare of
tion, mining, or military service, to the state. In return, the Inca commoners and elites, the potato has now become
state sponsored large feasts for its subjects at which enor- an important staple crop in countries around the world.
mous amounts of food and drink were consumed. The It is an unlikely reminder of a mighty empire that lived
state also maintained a number of specialists that worked for only a short time.
full-time for the state, such as artists, household servants,
Justin Jennings
and temple workers.The most famous of these specialists
were the aqllakuna, young women who brewed corn beer See also Andean States
and wove cloth at state centers. Kept under close guard,
the Sapa Inca often married these women to Inca and
local elites in order to strengthen his political power. Further Reading
The Incas built provincial administrative centers across Bauer, B. S. (1992). The development of the Inca state. Austin: University
of Texas Press.
the empire.These centers served as local hubs for admin-
Cobo, B. (1979). History of the Inca empire (R. Hamilton, Ed. & Trans.).
istration, religious ceremonies, military actions, and labor Austin: University of Texas Press.