If YOU were there ...
You are an Inca noble. One day, you travel with the king and the
army to take over new lands for the empire. There is a bloody
battle, and you win a major victory. You want to make sure that
later generations know about this important event, but your
language has no written form.
Main Ideas
1. For the Incas, position in
society affected daily life.
2. The Incas made great
achievements in building, art,
and oral literature.
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How will you pass on your knowledge of history?
BUILDING BACKGROUND Certain people in the Inca Empire were
responsible for making sure Inca history, legends, and customs got
passed down to the next generation. To do this, they sang songs and
wrote poems telling about everything from great battles to daily life.
The Big Idea
Many kinds of people made up
Inca society in an empire known
for grand architecture and complex oral literature.
Key Term
masonry, p. 430
Society and Daily Life
Inca society had two main social classes-an upper class and a
lower class. The Incas from Cuzco made up the upper class. As
they conquered new lands, the conquered people became Inca
subjects and joined the lower class.
Daily Life for the Upper Class
The king, priests, and government officials made up the Inca
upper class. While most noble men worked for the government,
women from noble families had household duties such as cooking and making clothes. They also took care of children.
Sons of upper-class families went to school in Cuzco. They
studied Quechua, religion, history, and law to prepare for lives
as government or religious officials.
Upper-class families had many privileges. They lived in stone
houses in Cuzco and wore the best clothes. They didn't have to
pay the labor tax, and they often had servants. Still, as part of
the Inca government, they had a duty to make sure that people
in the empire had what they needed.
I:Im
7.7.2 Study the roles of
people in each society, including
class structures, family life, warfare,
religious beliefs and practices, and
slavery.
7.7.4 Describe the artistic and oral
traditions and architecture in the
three civilizations.
427
Daily Life for the Lower Class
Most Incas were farmers, artisans, or servants. There were no slaves in Inca society.
Lower-class men and women farmed on
government lands, served in the army,
worked in mines, and built roads.
Parents taught their children how to
work, so most children didn't go to school.
But some carefully chosen young girls did
go to school to learn weaving, cooking,
and religion. Then they were sent to serve
the king or work in the temple in Cuzco.
Lower-class Incas lived outside Cuzco
in small houses. By law they had to wear
plain clothes. Also, they couldn't own
more goods than they needed.
Religion
The Inca Empire had an official religion.
When the Incas conquered new territories,
they taught this religion to the conquered
peoples. But the people could still worship
their own gods, too. As a result, the many
groups of people who made up the empire
worshipped many different gods.
The sun god was important to Inca
religion. As the sun set earlier each day in
the winter, at Machu Picchu priests performed a ceremony to tie down the sun
and keep it from disappearing completely.
The Incas believed their kings were related
to the sun god. As a result, the Incas
thought their kings never really died.
This unique building had a
bathroom, private garden,
and guard area. Scholars
think this is where the
Inca arts included beautiful textiles and gold and silver objects.
While many gold and silver
objects have been lost, some
Inca textiles have survived for
hundreds of years.
This llama is made of silver.
Inca artisans made many
silver offerings to the gods.
In fact, priests brought mummies of former
kings to many ceremonies. People gave
these royal mummies food and gifts. Some
Inca rulers even asked them for advice.
Inca ceremonies often included sacrifice. But unlike the Maya and the Aztecs,
the Incas rarely sacrificed humans. They
usually sacrificed llamas, cloth, or food.
Incas outside Cuzco worshipped their
gods at local sacred places. The Incas
believed certain mountaintops, rocks, and
springs had magical powers. Incas performed sacrifices at these places as well as
at the temple in Cuzco.
':wwv''""''
Contrasting How was daily
life different for up per- and lower-class Incas?
Building, Art, and
Oral Literature
The Incas had strong traditions of building,
art, and storytelling. Many of their creations
still exist today.
430
CHAPTER 15
Building
The Incas are known for their massive
buildings and forts made of huge, stone
blocks. Workers cut the blocks so precisely that they didn't have to use cement
to hold th em together. Inca masonry, or
stonework, was of such high quality that
even today it is nearly impossible to fit a
knife blade between the stones. In fact,
many Inca buildings in Cuzco are still
being used.
The Incas also built a system of very
good roads in their empire. Two major
highways that ran the length of the empire
formed the basis of the system. Roads
paved with stone crossed mountains and
deserts. With these roads and rope bridges
spanning rivers and canyons, the Incas
connected all parts of the empire.
Art
The Incas produced works of art as well.
Artisans made gold and silver jewelry and
offerings to the gods. They even created a
