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Questions and Answers
What was the primary strategy employed by the Inka Empire to expand its territory?
What was the primary strategy employed by the Inka Empire to expand its territory?
Which factor significantly contributed to Pizarro's success in conquering Tawantinsuyu?
Which factor significantly contributed to Pizarro's success in conquering Tawantinsuyu?
What was the Inka population estimated to be at the height of Tawantinsuyu's power?
What was the Inka population estimated to be at the height of Tawantinsuyu's power?
How did European writers justify their conquest of the Inka Empire during the 1700s and 1800s?
How did European writers justify their conquest of the Inka Empire during the 1700s and 1800s?
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What geographical challenges did Europeans face when reaching the Inka territories?
What geographical challenges did Europeans face when reaching the Inka territories?
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What internal factors contributed to the vulnerability of Tawantinsuyu during the Spanish invasion?
What internal factors contributed to the vulnerability of Tawantinsuyu during the Spanish invasion?
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How did the Inka view their capital, Cusco, in relation to the empire?
How did the Inka view their capital, Cusco, in relation to the empire?
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What role did Indigenous elites play in the establishment of Spanish colonial rule over the Andean region?
What role did Indigenous elites play in the establishment of Spanish colonial rule over the Andean region?
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What was one of the major challenges faced by the Inka due to their rapid territorial expansion?
What was one of the major challenges faced by the Inka due to their rapid territorial expansion?
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Which of the following was NOT a part of the ceremonial practices in Cusco as described?
Which of the following was NOT a part of the ceremonial practices in Cusco as described?
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Study Notes
Internal and External Factors in the Fall of Tawantinsuyu
- The Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) controlled a vast territory with diverse landscapes and peoples when Europeans arrived in the 1520s.
- The Inca territory extended 1500 km from the Cusco highlands to the modern borders of Ecuador and Colombia and central Chile and northwest Argentina.
- It encompassed diverse territories including the Pacific coast and Amazonian lowlands, with a population estimated at around 10 million.
- Europeans faced significant logistical challenges in reaching the Inca territories, requiring sea voyages across the Atlantic, travel across Panama, and subsequent sea travel along the Pacific coast.
Internal Vulnerabilities
- The Incas were engaged in extensive expansion campaigns and consolidating imperial administration over diverse populations at the time of European arrival.
- The vast size and diversity of the Andean region, including limited pre-Inca urbanism and statecraft, created challenges for maintaining imperial order.
Maintaining the Universal Center
- The Incas viewed Cusco as a central hub connecting the human and supernatural worlds.
- Provincial leaders and officials traveled to Cusco to interact with the Inca ruler, contributing to monumental construction projects and lavish ceremonies.
- The Inca rulers performed important roles in managing the imperial calendar and agricultural cycles.
- The need to maintain imperial control challenged the Inca rulers as campaigns in distant lands kept them away from the ceremonial duties at Cusco.
Palace Intrigues
- The Coricancha temple housed important Inka objects.
- The Haucaypata plaza was the location for imperial ceremonies and public gatherings in Cusco
- Inka palaces served as urban residences for emperors.
- Large numbers of women in palaces, including queens, and secondary wives had significant roles.
The European Invasion and Colonization of Peru
- The spread of Old World diseases, especially smallpox, significantly impacted the Inca population, disrupting the balance of power.
- Most historians attribute the population decline to disease, which Inka witnesses attributed to divine forces.
- The pandemic impacted Inca rulers and officials, hindering the ability of the Inca leadership to prevent internal conflicts.
- The situation of disease and internal struggles led some Andean lords to seek alliances with the invading Spaniards.
Sovereign Aims
- Spanish monarchs were interested in establishing settlements, generating tax revenues, and increasing sovereignty over the Indigenous populations.
- Pizarro's contract was focused on Spanish towns along the coast and assigning native labor to Spanish colonists.
- The contract specified developing natural resources (mines), indicating a focus on economic gain from the colony.
Inka-Spanish Alliances
- Atahuallpa offered gold and silver as a ransom.
- Pizarro executed Atahuallpa.
- Spaniards formed alliances with Inka officials.
- Newly designated Inka allies aided with the Spanish conquest.
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Description
Explore the internal vulnerabilities and external factors that led to the decline of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) upon European arrival. Understand the geographical and administrative challenges faced by the Incas and how their extensive expansion influenced their fate.
