The big gods of the Incas were the forces of the nature, specially the Sun, and the Moon. Other important gods were the god of the Thunder and the god of the Rainbow, as well as those of many brilliant planets. On all of them, was reigning Viracocha, the Creator. This one was, simultaneously, father and mother of the Sun and the Moon. They all were imagining it often as an elder of white hairs and immaculate beard. He was had by the alderman of the destination and the invisible thing; his place, in the skies, was a dark zone, the " Sack of coal ", in the Lacteal route.
The Peruvian Indians were very superstitious. They were imagining that certain sites and some strange objects were lived by supernatural forces. It was producing worship to these sacred places. They worship temples, stones of slightly current forms, tombs of ascendancies, hills, sources, springs and caves. The quacks were using of charms to conspire to the harmful spirits and to force them to go out of the bodies of his patients. A stone with an orifice, or two branches that were growing assembled, were, between others, the magic conjurations capable of recovering. The sick person was surrendering to the singings of a magician who was removing the demons. Many treatments were done by means of the grasses, but you treat them they were attributed to the collaboration of the spirits of the plants. The Incas believed that l nature was composing an alone entity, and that the person makes ill to be treated had to be a putting in a species of communion with his own nature. The priests were studying the stars, taking a complicated calendar in which they were combining the solar and lunar times. The numerous religious holidays Incas were turning also concerning the times of the Sun and the Moon. Important part of those holidays, they were the religious sacrifices. Habitually, the Incas were sacrificing flames or guinea pigs. Also, occasionally, human sacrifices were carried out in the most important temples. The Inca believed in reincarnation. Those who obeyed the Inca moral code "went to live in the Sun's warmth while others spent their eternal days in the old earth". The Inca also practiced cranial deformation. They achieved this wrapping tigh cloth straps around the heads of newborns in order to alter the shape of their soft skulls into a more conical form; this cranial deformation was made to distinguish social classes of the communities, with only the nobility having cranial deformation.
The religious orders
The high priest of Cuzco was the boss of all the priests of the empire. Generally, it was a question of a brother of the Inca. It had authority on all the sanctuaries and temples, being he who was designating his priests. He was presiding also at the most important religious ceremonies. The high priestesses were chosen between the " Virgins of the Sun ". In company of the Coya, they were presiding at the festivals of the Moon, of the Sowing, etc. They were promising themselves to take a chaste life. -Priests. The ordinary priests were taking charge of the local temples. In the big sanctuaries there could be several of them, each of which had his mission. Between these they were figuring them of praying, executing sacrifices, to interpreted oracles and to listen toconfessions. In the small temples, a priest was busy with realizing all these functions. The consecrated women were nuns dedicated to giving educations to the young women chosen for " Virgins of the Sol ". The " Virgins of the Sun " were habitually daughters of principal nobles. The nuns were taking charge of his education. When they were not turning into wifes of the Inca or of his nobles, they were dedicating his lives to the service of the temple or sanctuary. Also, in turn, they could turn into nuns. The wizards were staying in the lowest position of the religious hierarchy, living through a section to the margin of the company. They were resorting to the black magic to conspire to the spiritual power and to obtain messages of them. The quacks were, often, women. They had knowledge on remedies based on grasses, but also they were resorting to the canticles and to the magic ceremonies as help when they were trying to treat some ailment.
The Sun is God
All the Inca important cities possessed a great carved stone designated with Intiuatana's name, which it was indicating the days in which the Sun was going on above to the midday. At this moment, the vertical pivot placed in the center of the stone was not projecting any shade. In the moment of the great celebration, the priest was presenting an offering while the people were singing giving thanks to God for his son Sapa Inca.
The Feast of the Sun.
During 500 years the Incas ruled in the city of Cuzco, and knew that his boss, the Sapa Inca was the sun descendant .Later, when the Incas ruled in almost every area of the Andes, all the tribes agreed that the Sapa Inca was a divine king. He wanted each tribe to built a temple dedicated to Sun God. But the main temple was in the capital, Cuzco. The inhabitants of the city celebrated a feast to workship his god, Sapa Inca. In this celebration, people prayed during all the night, and when the sun come up, they went to the center of the village with a white flame. The flame received some messages that people told to him to send it to the Sapa Inca. They thought that the flame sent the message people told him to God. Then, the flame was release in the montains until his died, when the flame, finally sent his message to Sapa.
Military.
Military Conquests
The Topa Inca Yupanqui, son and inheritor of the Pachacuti Inca, it was the biggest of all the warriors. Under his headquarters, the Inca empire spread quickly. One of his victories was the conquest of the powerful kingdom Chimu,in the Pacific coast. The Inca armies got hold of the chimus for surprise, attacking them to the south of his territories. The principal workforce chimus was preparing to defend the territory of the north, more easily to retain.
Weapons
The Inca army was the most powerful in the area at that time, because they could turn an ordinary vilalge or farmer into a soldier, ready for
external image weapons2.jpg
battle. This is because every male Inca had to take part in war at least once so as to be prepared for warfare again when needed. By the time the empire had reached its large size, every section of the empire contributed in setting up an army for war. The Incas had no iron or steel, and their weapons were no better than those of their enemies. The Inca weaponry included: - Bronze or bone-tipped spears -Two-handed wooden swords with serrated edges. -Clubs with stone and spiked metal heads. -Woolen slings and stones. -Stone or copper headed battle-axes. -Bolas (stones fastened to lenghts of cord). Roads allowed very quick movement for the Inca army, and shelters were built one day's distance in travelling from each other, so that an army on campaign could always be fed and rested.
The crime and its punishment
In general, the Incas were men who were pleasing of observing the law. For the fact of counting everything what they needed to live, and theft between them was rare. Inside the Inca territory there were no prisons. Nevertheless, when crimes were committed, the corresponding punishments were in the habit of being severe enough. The worst crimes were the homicide, to insult the Inca and to be in opposition to the gods. These lacks were punished by the sentence death. The habitual method of execution was consisting of throwing the traitor from the top of a rocky cliff, so that it was smashing against the crags of the bottom. The adultery, with participation of one of the “Virgins of the Sun ", was particularly the most serious crime; the guilty pair was tied of feet and hands, being hung he and she by the hairs, making them like that, until they were dying of starvation. A similar death was waiting for the one that was courting any of many wives of the Inca. The man and the woman were hung, once naked, in a public square being the white of the jeers of the transients, who were laughing at them while they were agonizing. The one that was daring to insult the gods was finishing meeting hung with the feet up; then, the hangman was stabbing the abdomen, until the intestines were going out for him. The crimes of minor gravity were punished by the amputation of the hands and the feet, or by the extraction of the eyes. Later, the guilty unfortunate persons were supported by the State, which was taking charge of his subsistence and aspect.
The Conquest of the Inca Empire.
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. This historic
process of military conquest was made by Spanish conquistadors and their native allies. After years of premilitary exploration and military skirmishes, 169 Spanish soldiers under the rules of Francisco Pizarro and their native allies ambushed the Sapa Inca Athalualpa (emperor of the Inca Empire) and captured him in the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532. It was the first step of a long campaign that took decades of fighting to sabdue the mightiest empire in the Americas. In subsequent years, Spain extend its rule over the Empire.
Religion.
The big gods of the Incas were the forces of the nature, specially the Sun, and the Moon. Other important gods were the god of the Thunder and the god of the Rainbow, as well as those of many brilliant planets.On all of them, was reigning Viracocha, the Creator. This one was, simultaneously, father and mother of the Sun and the Moon. They all were imagining it often as an elder of white hairs and immaculate beard. He was had by the alderman of the destination and the invisible thing; his place, in the skies, was a dark zone, the " Sack of coal ", in the Lacteal route.
The Peruvian Indians were very superstitious. They were imagining that certain sites and some strange objects were lived by supernatural forces. It was producing worship to these sacred places. They worship temples, stones of slightly current forms, tombs of ascendancies, hills, sources, springs and caves.
The quacks were using of charms to conspire to the harmful spirits and to force them to go out of the bodies of his patients. A stone with an orifice, or two branches that were growing assembled, were, between others, the magic conjurations capable of recovering. The sick person was surrendering to the singings of a magician who was removing the demons. Many treatments were done by means of the grasses, but you treat them they were attributed to the collaboration of the spirits of the plants. The Incas believed that l nature was composing an alone entity, and that the person makes ill to be treated had to be a putting in a species of communion with his own nature.
The priests were studying the stars, taking a complicated calendar in which they were combining the solar and lunar times. The numerous religious holidays Incas were turning also concerning the times of the Sun and the Moon.
Important part of those holidays, they were the religious sacrifices. Habitually, the Incas were sacrificing flames or guinea pigs. Also, occasionally, human sacrifices were carried out in the most important temples.
The Inca believed in reincarnation. Those who obeyed the Inca moral code "went to live in the Sun's warmth while others spent their eternal days in the old earth". The Inca also practiced cranial deformation. They achieved this wrapping tigh cloth straps around the heads of newborns in order to alter the shape of their soft skulls into a more conical form; this cranial deformation was made to distinguish social classes of the communities, with only the nobility having cranial deformation.
The high priest of Cuzco was the boss of all the priests of the empire. Generally, it was a question of a brother of the Inca. It had authority on all the sanctuaries and temples, being he who was designating his priests. He was presiding also at the most important religious ceremonies.
The high priestesses were chosen between the " Virgins of the Sun ". In company of the Coya, they were presiding at the festivals of the Moon, of the Sowing, etc. They were promising themselves to take a chaste life.
-Priests. The ordinary priests were taking charge of the local temples. In the big sanctuaries there could be several of them, each of which had his mission. Between these they were figuring them of praying, executing sacrifices, to interpreted oracles and to listen toconfessions. In the small temples, a priest was busy with realizing all these functions. The consecrated women were nuns dedicated to giving educations to the young women chosen for " Virgins of the Sol ".
The " Virgins of the Sun " were habitually daughters of principal nobles. The nuns were taking charge of his education. When they were not turning into wifes of the Inca or of his nobles, they were dedicating his lives to the service of the temple or sanctuary. Also, in turn, they could turn into nuns.
The wizards were staying in the lowest position of the religious hierarchy, living through a section to the margin of the company. They were resorting to the black magic to conspire to the spiritual power and to obtain messages of them.
The quacks were, often, women. They had knowledge on remedies based on grasses, but also they were resorting to the canticles and to the magic ceremonies as help when they were trying to treat some ailment.
All the Inca important cities possessed a great carved stone designated with Intiuatana's name, which it was indicating the days in which the
Sun was going on above to the midday. At this moment, the vertical pivot placed in the center of the stone was not projecting any shade.
In the moment of the great celebration, the priest was presenting an offering while the people were singing giving thanks to God for his son Sapa Inca.
During 500 years the Incas ruled in the city of Cuzco, and knew that his boss, the Sapa Inca was the sun descendant .Later, when the Incas ruled in almost every area of the Andes, all the tribes agreed that the Sapa Inca was a divine king. He wanted each tribe to built a temple dedicated to Sun God. But the main temple was in the capital, Cuzco.
The inhabitants of the city celebrated a feast to workship his god, Sapa Inca. In this celebration, people prayed during all the night, and when the sun come up, they went to the center of the village with a white flame. The flame received some messages that people told to him to send it to the Sapa Inca. They thought that the flame sent the message people told him to God. Then, the flame was release in the montains until his died, when the flame, finally sent his message to Sapa.
Military.
The Topa Inca Yupanqui, son and inheritor of the Pachacuti Inca, it was the biggest of all the warriors. Under his headquarters, the Inca empire spread quickly. One of his victories was the conquest of the powerful kingdom Chimu,in the Pacific coast.
The Inca armies got hold of the chimus for surprise, attacking them to the south of his territories. The principal workforce chimus was preparing to defend the territory of the north, more easily to retain.
The Inca army was the most powerful in the area at that time, because they could turn an ordinary vilalge or farmer into a soldier, ready for
battle. This is because every male Inca had to take part in war at least once so as to be prepared for warfare again when needed. By the time the empire had reached its large size, every section of the empire contributed in setting up an army for war.
The Incas had no iron or steel, and their weapons were no better than those of their enemies.
The Inca weaponry included:
- Bronze or bone-tipped spears
-Two-handed wooden swords with serrated edges.
-Clubs with stone and spiked metal heads.
-Woolen slings and stones.
-Stone or copper headed battle-axes.
-Bolas (stones fastened to lenghts of cord).
Roads allowed very quick movement for the Inca army, and shelters were built one day's distance in travelling from each other, so that an army on campaign could always be fed and rested.
In general, the Incas were men who were pleasing of observing the law. For the fact of counting everything what they needed to live, and theft between them was rare. Inside the Inca territory there were no prisons. Nevertheless, when crimes were committed, the corresponding punishments were in the habit of being severe enough.
The worst crimes were the homicide, to insult the Inca and to be in opposition to the gods. These lacks were punished by the sentence death. The habitual method of execution was consisting of throwing the traitor from the top of a rocky cliff, so that it was smashing against the crags of the bottom.
The adultery, with participation of one of the “Virgins of the Sun ", was particularly the most serious crime; the guilty pair was tied of feet and hands, being hung he and she by the hairs, making them like that, until they were dying of starvation. A similar death was waiting for the one that was courting any of many wives of the Inca. The man and the woman were hung, once naked, in a public square being the white of the jeers of the transients, who were laughing at them while they were agonizing. The one that was daring to insult the gods was finishing meeting hung with the feet up; then, the hangman was stabbing the abdomen, until the intestines were going out for him.
The crimes of minor gravity were punished by the amputation of the hands and the feet, or by the extraction of the eyes. Later, the guilty unfortunate persons were supported by the State, which was taking charge of his subsistence and aspect.
The Conquest of the Inca Empire.
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. This historic
process of military conquest was made by Spanish conquistadors and their native allies. After years of premilitary exploration and military skirmishes, 169 Spanish soldiers under the rules of Francisco Pizarro and their native allies ambushed the Sapa Inca Athalualpa (emperor of the Inca Empire) and captured him in the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532. It was the first step of a long campaign that took decades of fighting to sabdue the mightiest empire in the Americas. In subsequent years, Spain extend its rule over the Empire.