The Inca built an empire that if placed over the old world would stretch from St. Petersburg to Cairo
They transformed a hostile landscape into an agricultural marvel
And developed a culture with such respect for the dead
That corpses were engaging in politics, decades after life had left them
In this video we will look at how the Inca adapted to their environment
And became, what British historian Félipe Fernàndez-Armesto called
The most impressive Empire builders of their day
Most of the inca heartland is 3000 meters above sea level
And has low rainfall
low temperatures
and thin soils
It can drop below freezing every single month at this altitude
There is nowhere else on earth, said anthropologist John Murray, where
millions insist against all apparent logic on living at 10,000
Or even 14,000 feet above sea level
Nowhere else have people lived for so many thousands of years in such visibly vulnerable circumstances
The one advantage to this environment though, was the enormous ecological variety
Due to the massive fluctuations in altitude
You can encounter more than 20 different life zones within a few hundred kilometers
The Inca, used this to their advantage
A diverse range of crops was planted in different ecological zones and at different altitudes
to insure against famines caused by climatic changes or diseases
As not all zones would be affected similarly
Any surplus food was stored in warehouses controlled by the state for insurance against famine and drought
And a kind of freeze dried potato was developed called Chuño
to preserve potatoes in these warehouses for longer periods
As llamas cannot pull a plow very well, all plowing and farming was done by hand
Ancient Andean cultures soon realized that a large group could plow a field much faster than a single farmer
This soon developed into a complex system of reciprocity and cooperation
Which became a pivotal trait to nearly all Andean cultures
In times of famine, supplies would be redistributed to those in need
Widows, the sick and people too old for work, were taken care of and had their lands worked for them
With such an extreme environment, the Inca had to develop these kinds of safeguards to ensure society ran smoothly
Total cooperation from all members of society was necessary
A trait which led to one of these strangest parts of Inca society -
the complete lack of markets
It is hard for us to imagine but the Inca civilization functioned, nearly entirely without money
The production, storage and distribution of goods were wholly controlled by the central Inca government
Each citizen received and contributed food, tools and clothing to and from state-owned warehouses and
needed to purchase nothing
Taxes were not collected in money, since there was none, and neither were they collected in other valuables
Instead, taxes were collected in the form of human labour -
in a system called Mit'a
Through the use of Mit'a, the central government could move workers across the Empire and focus them on what the highest priority tasks were
Mining, sowing and construction are just a few of the tasks that were carried out by Mit'a workers
This is how the Inca were able to complete massive projects, in their short, 100 year reign
A primary trait of Andean civilizations is their relationship with llamas and alpacas
The only large domesticable animal in the region
Llamas and alpacas were essential to Inca society
They could not only help by carrying goods, but also by providing meat and most importantly -
cloth.
This cloth was everything to the Inca
It's kept the state functioning, it clothed the people, it functioned as a marker of rank,
and well made cloth was regularly gifted to people that pleased the Emperor
Cloth was so tightly regulated that the government even issued people their outfits
Each province of the Inca Empire was given some of these state-owned herds
And had to produce a certain amount of cloth each year
That would be stored in the state-owned warehouses
The Inca warehouses called Quallqa were built along the Inca highway system, one every 22 kilometers or so
An immense variety of goods were stored there and they could be distributed whenever needed
The storehouses were a response to the challenges of the Andean environment
The lack of navigable rivers, wheeled vehicles or large draft animals
Meant that goods couldn't be transported long distances easily
So these warehouses were constructed within walkable distances
They also allowed armies to march across the realm without weapons and equipment slowing them down
As they could equip themselves at the warehouse closest to their destination
One of the most essential elements in the success of the Inca Empire was the remarkable system of highways -
Extending for at least, 40,000 kilometers
These highways had to pass over mountains
And frightening suspension bridges were common
Relay stations called Tambos dotted the highway stationed by runners or chasquis
These were the fastest men from the nearby town
who would run from one Tambo to another with gifts, khipu or messages
This system allowed the Incas to send information across 392 kilometres in a day
The Roman Empire, even with mounted messengers, could rarely get a message over 320 kilometres away in a day
Along with these huge highway projects
The Inca cut through mountainsides, building cisterns, terraces
And irrigation canals to increase agricultural productivity
At the Empire's peak in the 16th century, over a million hectares of terraces were in use
A terrace was constructed by building a retaining wall
And then laying gravel, then sand and then soil, on top of each other, forming a step
This captured water that would otherwise rush down the hillside
And prevented flooding by filtering the water slowly
It also provided a way to stop crops from freezing
As the stones would absorb heat from the Sun and retain it, through the cold Andean nights
In an environment where only 2% of the land is suitable for agriculture
The Inca transformed their heartland into an agricultural powerhouse
Finally, there's the magnificent Inca stonework
The Inca used perfectly fitted stones that could stick together without the use of mortar
They fit stones together like enormous jigsaw pieces
They were so well fitted a pin could not pass through most of the joints
Major Inca constructions have also been found to be earthquake-proof
These rocks were quarried shaped and moved using mostly stone tools and rope
That is the physical Inca realm
but what was their spiritual realm made up of?
The Inca believed wholeheartedly in the idea that the spirit realm and ours were linked
And that the dead could influence events in our world
One of the most unusual manifestations of this belief was Inca mummification
These Mallqui, as the Inca called them, were not the typical way to spend your afterlife
Only members of influential families were regularly mummified
And the corpse was treated as if it were living
They were fed, dressed and cared for, as if nothing was different
In return, the dead would protect their families, maintain fertile land and ensure a steady supply of water
They were consulted in all critical life matters and asked about how to proceed during troubling times
The mummies of Inca rulers received an unimaginable level of care and respect
They lived an afterlife enviable to the living
Dead Inca rulers were meticulously preserved
So much so that the Spanish discovered people worshiping them long after the Empire had fallen
Even in death, Inca Nobles still maintained control of all their wealth, land and estates
What is odd to us made perfect sense to the Inca as mummies were seen as living creatures
This strange belief, contributed to both the rise and fall of the Inca
As the wealth of a dead Emperor was not passed on to his successor
It was instead managed by their Panaca
Which was a kind of royal family group tasked with preserving mummies
So. new Emperors could not use the wealth of their predecessor
And new conquests and constructions had to commence immediately, to secure wealth and power
As all the good land around Cusco fell under the control of dead rulers and their strange mummy corporations
Emperors had to spend significant amounts of time and effort on campaigns far away from the Empire centre
This expanded the Empire quickly but allowed little time for consolidation
Competing Panacas vied for power so intensely and ruthlessly
That Machiavelli himself would blush
And Medici would take notes
When the Spanish arrived they would use these competing families against one another to weaken the Empire
Despite all their monumental buildings and works
And despite the kind of guaranteed welfare that the Inca stage provided
They were still plagued with revolts
Their Empire didn't have a lot of time to consolidate their rule
When the Spanish arrived the Empire was barely 100 years old
Loyalty's from conquered ethnic groups were fickle
And emperors had to deal with many bloody revolutions during their reigns
No Inca Emperor dealt with more of these
Than Huayna Capac, who spent most of his reign pacifying newly conquered territory
However, he isn't remembered today as being the revolt smashing Emperor
No, he's remembered as the first Inca Emperor to die of smallpox
And his death kicked off a massive Inca civil war
Just as the Spanish first arrived
Make sure to tune in to the next episode
to see two great empires collide in an epic story of deception
resistance
and conquest
Thank you for watching this video in our series on the pre-columbian civilizations
T he next episodes we'll see the fall of the Inca Empire
We will then move on to the Maya civilizations to experience their epic rise and fall
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