Humanities 07-08 Blog: Incas Expansion and Conquest

What approximate dates marked the height of this civilization's growth?
--Incas migrate to Peru from the Andes (c. 1200 A.D.)
--Incan Empire expands from northern Ecuador to Chile (c. 1300 A.D.)
--Inca Rocca founds Henan Cuzco dynasty (c. 1350 A.D.)
expansion of the Inca empire begins under Pachacuti (c. 1438 A.D.)
--Huayna Capac dies and divides his empire between his two sons, Atahuallpa and Huascar (1523 A.D.)
--Civil war wages between Atahuallpa and Huascar (1525-1532 A.D.)
--Atahuallpa defeats Huascar (1532 A.D.)
--Spaniards, led by Francisco Pizarro, capture Atahuallpa (1532 A.D.)
--Atahuallpa is executed (1533 A.D.)
--Manco is appointed as a puppet ruler of the Inca by Pizarro (1533 A.D.)
--Manco rebels and drives the Spanish from Cuzco (1536 A.D.)

How did this civilization develop and grow in strength?
There were four emperors who were known to be the great conquerors for Inca civilization. Their names are Inca Viracochn, Pachacuti-Inca Yupanqui, Topa Inca Yupanqui and Huaya Capac. The first one is important because he gave birth to the next one and started the expansion. His son, Pachacuti, was one of the great conquerors in the history of the Americas. He and his son together became the most powerful by building their kingdom by conquering many lands. He was also a very good architect and good at planning cities.

They started from their capital, Cuzco, which was their base and had a great economy. They took control of Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Chile and Equator--most of western South America, but there were problems. Eventually the Spanish came along and conquered them because they did not have the weapon power that the Spanish did. Their civilization only lasted about 100 years.

What factors contributed to the conquest of this civilization over other indigenous tribes?
The Incas were able to conquer other tribes because they were warriors and they were constantly at war with the other tribes. Plus Cuzco's economy and ironworks helped them to be stronger than the other tribes. They were a lot more advanced than the other tribes. They had hydraulic engineering. They also had over six million people at the height of their civilization. As they conquered, they formed a government and a language so they were very organized. As their civilization advanced, they pushed their conquests until the ruled a lot of South America.

Which tribes were conquered or absorbed by it?
The Incas conquered the following tribes: