What is a fun fact about Inca?
Although they never invented or had access to the wheel, the Incas built thousands of well-paved paths and roads along, up and over some of the highest peaks in the Andes mountain range. In fact, it’s estimated that they built more than 18,000 miles of roads across their civilization!
How did the Incas live?
They lived in rural areas in windowless huts and worked most of their waking hours. But everything in the Inca empire depended on them. And, the Inca were great farmers. The Incas grew their food in the fertile plains between mountains peaks, where seasonal rains made the soil suitable for agriculture.
How long did Incas live?
The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572, when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured.
What language did Incas speak?
Quechua
Quechua: The surviving language of the Inca Empire.
What did Incas wear?
The men wore simple tunics reaching to just above the knees. On their feet they would wear grass shoes or leather sandals. The women dressed in ankle-length skirts and usually with a braided waistband. They wore a cap on their head and on their hair they pinned a folded piece of cloth.
How did the Inca dress?
What did Inca eat?
The Inca diet, for ordinary people, was largely vegetarian as meat – camelid, duck, guinea-pig, and wild game such as deer and the vizcacha rodent – was so valuable as to be reserved only for special occasions. More common was freeze-dried meat (ch’arki), which was a popular food when travelling.
Did the Incas have gold?
Historians are certain that the gold riches of the Incas were of legendary proportions. These indigenous people were master goldsmiths. They used to blow pipes to fan the flames in their simple ovens so they could smelt this precious metal. For the Inca gold was also the blood of Viracocha, their sun god.
What weapons did Incas use?
The sling was the deadliest projectile weapon. Other effective weapons included bows and arrows, lances, darts, a short variation of a sword, battle-axes, spears, and arrows tipped with copper or bone. The weapons used by the Incan lords were decorated with gold or silver.
Did the Incas wear jewelry?
The Incans created and adorned many items to wear as jewelry. Crowns, sandals, bangles, earrings, nose rings, necklaces and even chest aprons served as jewelry, and each used different materials that delineated important markings like social status.
Did Incas have bows?
Slings (Quechua: Waraka) – The huaracas were fundamental in the Inca army, the slingers were trained from childhood for hunting and self-defense, thus improving their dexterity in the weapon. Its simplicity and effectiveness (the projectiles could reach 120km/h) explains why the bow and arrow didn’t replace it.
Did the Incas go to school?
The education was primarily on the culture and the artistic aspects of Inca life. Even though education was seen as a right for all people, public education was not formal and many of the children did not go.
What weapons did the Incas have?
Weapons differed depending on the ethnic origin of particular units but included hardwood spears launched using throwers, arrows, javelins, slings, the bolas, clubs, and maces with star-shaped heads made of copper or bronze.