2. EARLY PEOPLES OF PERU
Western South America includes a wide variety of
climates and terrains:
Narrow coastal plain that turns into a dry, lifeless
desert with occasional river valleys
Snow-capped Andes Mountains
High plateau
Jungles inland
4. EARLY PEOPLES OF PERU
Native American peoples developed many different
styles of life across South America
Hunters/gatherers, farmers, fishermen
Farmers used irrigation methods to grow
corn, beans, squash, and cotton
Potatoes were also grown and included over 700
different varieties
Domestication of the llama and alpaca
5. CHAVIN PEOPLE
Earliest culture in Peru
Around 850 BC, built a huge temple complex in the
Andes
Stone carvings and pottery show that the Chavin
people worshiped a ferocious-looking god, part
jaguar and part human with grinning catlike features
8. MOHICA PEOPLE
Between 100-700 AD, the Mohica people forged an
empire along the arid north coast of Peru
The Mohicas were skilled farmers who developed
new methods of terracing, irrigation, and fertilization
of the soil
Their leaders built roads and organized networks of
relay runners to carry messages---ideas the Incas
would later use
9. MOHICA PEOPLE
Remains of Mohica cities and temples dot the land
To build one temple, workers had to produce 130
MILLION sun-dried adobe bricks
The people perfected skills in textile
production, goldwork, and woodcarving
They produced remarkable pots decorated with
realistic scenes of daily life
10. NAZCA PEOPLE
In southern Peru, the Nazca people etched glyphs
in the desert
Glyph---pictograph or other symbol carved into a
surface
Nazca glyphs include straight lines that run for
miles, as well as giant figures of birds, whales, and
other creatures
14. THE INCAN EMPIRE
Pachacuti, a skilled warrior and leader, was the
founder of the Incan empire
In 1438, he proclaimed himself Sapa Inca
(emperor) and set out on a policy of conquest
He and later his son were able to extend Incan rule
from Ecuador in the north to Chile in the South
He made Cuzco the capital of the Incan empire
20. INCAN GOVERNMENT
The Sapa Inca exercised absolute power over the
empire
Claiming that he was divine, he was also the chief
religious leader
His symbol was gold aka “sweat of the sun”
He lived in splendor, eating from golden plates and
dressing in richly embroidered clothes
In fact, the Sapa Inca never wore the same clothes
twice!!!
His queen, the Coya, carried out important religious
duties and sometimes governed when the Sapa
Inca was absent
21. INCAN GOVERNMENT
From Cuzco, the Incas ran an efficient government
with a chain of command reaching into every village
Nobles ruled the provinces along with local
chieftains whom the Incas had conquered
Below them, officials carried out the day-to-day
business of collecting taxes and enforcing laws
Specially trained officials kept records on a quipu, a
collection of knotted, colored strings
Modern scholars think that the quipus noted dates
and events as well as statistics on population and
crops
23. INCAN ROADS AND RUNNERS
To unite their empire, the Incas imposed their own
language, Quechua, and religion on the people
They also created one of the greatest road systems
of history
It wound more than 12,000 miles through
mountains and deserts
Hundreds of bridges spanned rivers and deep
gorges
Steps were cut into steep slopes and tunnels dug
though hillsides
28. INCAN ROADS AND RUNNERS
The roads allowed armies and news to move
rapidly throughout the empire
At regular stations, runners waited to carry
messages
Relays of runners could carry news of a revolt
swiftly from a distant province to the capital
The Incas kept soldiers at outposts throughout the
empire to quickly crush any rebellions
Ordinary people, though, were restricted from using
the roads at all
29. CUZCO
All roads led through Cuzco
In the heart of the city stood the great Temple of the
Sun, its interior walls lined with gold
Like Incan palaces and forts, the temple was made
of enormous stone blocks, each polished and
carved to fit exactly in place
The engineering was so precise that, although no
mortar was used to hold the stones together, Incan
buildings have survived severe earthquakes
30. DAILY LIFE
The Incas strictly regulated the lives of millions of
people within their empire
People lived in close-knit communities, called ayllus
Leaders of each ayllu carried out government
orders, assigning jobs to each family and
organizing the community to work the land
Government officials arranged marriages to ensure
that men and women were settled at a certain age
31. FARMING
Farmers expanded the step terraces built by earlier
peoples
On steep hillsides, they carved out strips of land to be
held in place by stone walls
These terraces kept rains from washing away the soil
and made farming possible in places where flat land
was scarce
Farmers had to spend part of each year working land for
the emperor and the temples as well as for their own
communities
All the land belonged to the Inca, but cultivation and
crops were allotted to specific groups of people
The government took possession of each
harvest, dividing it up among the people and storing part
of it in case of famine
32. METALWORKING
The Incas were the best metalworkers of the
Americas
They learned to work and alloy (blend)
copper, tin, bronze, silver, and gold
While they employed copper and bronze for useful
objects, they used precious metals for statues of
gods and goddesses, eating utensils for the
aristocracy, and decorations
33. MEDICAL ADVANCES
The Incas developed some important medical
practices, including surgery on the human skull
In such operations, they first cleaned the operating
area and then made the patient unconscious with a
drug---procedures much closer to the use of
modern antiseptics and anesthesia than anything
practiced in Europe at the time
34. RELIGION
The Incas were polytheistic, worshipping many
gods linked to the forces of nature
People offered food, clothing, and drink to the
guardian spirits of the home and village
Religion was tied to the routines of life
Each month had its own festival, from the great
ripening and the dance of the young maize to the
festival of the water
Festivals were celebrated with
ceremonies, sports, and games
A powerful class of priests served the
gods, celebrating their special festivals and tending
to their needs
35. RELIGION
Chief among the gods was Inti, the sun god
His special attendants, the “Chosen Women,” were
selected from each region of the empire
During years of training, they studied the mysteries
of the religion, learned to prepare ritual food and
drink, and made the elaborate wool garments worn
by the Sapa Inca and Coya
At the end of their training, most of the Chosen
Women continued to serve the sun god; others
joined the Inca’s court or married nobles
36. MACHU PICCHU
Machu Picchu lies some 7,000 feet above sea level
high in the Andes
The sturdy walls have withstood centuries of
earthquakes
Incan workers cut and fitted the stones together
without using mortar
Abandoned for some 300 years, the ruins of Machu
Picchu were rediscovered in 1911
43. END OF THE EMPIRE
At its height, the Incan civilization was a center of
learning and political power
Then, in 1525, the emperor Huayna Capac died
suddenly of an unknown plague that swept across
the land
He did not name a successor and soon civil war
broke out between two of his sons
The fighting weakened the empire at a crucial time
because soon the Spanish conquistadors would
bring down the empire
