South America 100 B.C.E. – 1600 C.E.

• Chapter 7 focuses on South America from 100 B.C.E. – 1600 C.E.

Pre-Inca Cultures

• The Moche culture flourished between 100 CE and 700 CE.
• The Moche inhabited a desert between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, building complex irrigation systems
• They developed a strong military and ruled nearly 400 miles of the Peruvian coast.
• Moche artisans were known for creating beautiful ceramics and gold jewelry.
• The Nasca culture thrived from 200 CE to 600 CE in southern Peru.
• Nasca artisans created jewelry and ceramic pottery.
• The Nasca etched geoglyphs, large geometric designs and shapes, into the ground, preserved by the dry climate.
• Archaeologists are still uncertain of the purpose of the Nasca designs.
• The Wari culture dominated the high desert of central Peru from about 500 CE to 1000 СЕ, establishing the first empire in the Andes Mountain region
• Wari culture had the greatest military power among pre-Inca cultures.
• They created terraced fields
• The Wari worshipped their ancestors, and were gifted artisans with precious metals.
• The Sicán culture flourished from about 800 CE to 1400 CE in the mountains of northern Peru.
• The Sicán created delicate jewelry from gold, silver, and copper
• They showed great respect for creatures and buried their dead with gold, copper, and shells to carry water, revealing their belief in an afterlife.

Peruvian Gold

• Pre-Inca Peruvians made fine jewelry and adornments from gold, silver, and copper.
• They also produced pottery that was both beautiful and functional.

Inca Society and Government

• By 1200 CE, the Inca were one of many small states in the Urubamba Valley of the Andes Mountains in present-day Peru.
• By 1440, the Inca ruled the region.
• Emperor Pachacuti conquered and ruled through a powerful military and strong government.
• He transformed the Inca capital, Cusco, into a city of 100,000 people.
• The Inca Empire stretched 2,600 miles, from present-day Colombia to Argentina, and included about 12 million people speaking more than 20 languages.
• Inca society's hierarchy helped rulers maintain tight control, starting with the emperor.
• Four regional officials (prefects) oversaw provincial governors, district officers, and local chiefs.
• Foremen supervised families and followed the emperor's policies, as Inca subjects were considered a resource by the state, and whole populations could be relocated.
• The Inca had a large bureaucracy of state officials who kept detailed records about all parts of the empire.
• The Inca Empire was built on agriculture.
• Terrace farming was used to farm in the steep Andes.
• Flat steps (terraces) were cut into the sides of mountains with stone walls to keep them in place.
• Terraced farming produced potatoes, maize, and quinoa, a high-protein grain native to the Andes.
• The Inca raised llamas and alpacas for food, wool, and transportation.
• The Inca worshipped their emperor as the son of Inti, the sun god
• They believed the emperor helped humans communicate with the gods.
• In 1400, The Inca lived in Urubamba Valley and by 1470, The Inca reached the Pacific coast and extended northward
• By 1500, The Inca expanded as far south as present-day Chile, and by 1532, The Inca reached the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains.

Inca Architecture

• The Inca constructed walls, buildings, and cities out of blocks of stone.
• The Inca built an extensive network of roads that transported people and goods.
• They also built bridges of wood, stone, and thick rope across rivers and deep canyons.
• The Inca quarried the stone without using iron or steel tools.
• Around 1450 CE, the Inca built Machu Picchu 8,000 feet above sea level in Peru, including temples, royal residences, homes for workers, waterworks, and terraces for farming.
• The Spanish never found it.
• Aqueducts carried water to the city

The Inca and Spanish Meet

• In 1532 CE, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro met Inca emperor Atahualpa.
• Pizarro had the advantage of horses and metal weapons
• Pizarro's men captured Atahualpa, ruled the Inca through Atahualpa for almost a year, and then executed him.
• By 1539 CE, the Spanish had conquered Inca territory.