Cuzco: conservation in the empire of the Incas, by Katelyn Michell

The Inca Empire

The History of the Incas

•  Cuzco, the Capital is located in a valley 3,400 m in the Andes mountains
• At the height, it reached 2,500 mi north to south 
•  Well known for:
• Temples and homes
• Stairways and squares made from polished stone
• Intricate channels for water to flow down the mountains
• Detailed streets creating a puma
• Fortress at head, plaza at the belly, and nobles residing at the tail
• Three environmental regions:
1. Dry and rainless lowlands
• maize, cotton, fruit, fish, and shells
2. Cold mountains with deep valleys
• metals, wool, potatoes, and grains and plants for multiple uses
3. Thriving rainforest
• wood, feathers, and coca leaves
• Production and exchange was key

Government

• One King (Sapa Inca) - Pachacuti
• Four Quarters headed by Apos
• Several Provinces run by Officials
• Priesthood - in charge of worship of the Sun God and all other deities
• Main goal: to insure the production of the necessities of life. Surplus' of goods would be stored and distributed if needed as rewards or in a shortage

Key Points

• Labor was shared by all able-bodied people
• Very structured and education
• Records of population kept by the quipu - tying knots in colored cords. (no writing)
• Most extensive systems of terraces and water management in the Andes
• Used the environment to their advantage whenever possible - fertilizer
• Different islands assigned to different provinces
• Cannot set foot on island during breeding season
• Agroforestry - tree plantations
• Forests owned by Sapa Inca - use of wood was regulated. Overseen by the malqui camayoc
• Guanaco and vicuna - llamas of the sun - hunting forbidden unless in ceremonial hunts
• Each quarter was hunted only once in four years
• The Spaniards (Francisco Pizzaro) came with only 167 men, while the Inca army had 200,000. Spaniard weapons were much too advanced for the Incas, and they came during an internal war for the throne.

Ethical Questions

Population control is continually discussed during class. The Incas had a law that encouraged having a number of children. The more children you had, the more land you got. Although every child was put to work and was an active member of the community, if the Inca Empire had not fallen, there may not have been enough resources to provide to everyone and meet their ordinary needs. 

Although it seems like the Incas truly held the environment sacred and did a phenomenal job at only taking what they needed, they had the mindset that nature was managed to benefit society. They tied nature very closely with religion.

Agroforestry was a large part of their society. Conservation of the tree was key and it was important the insure that the environment would be beneficial to everyone even in the future.

Wildlife was carefully managed. They allowed time for reproduction, which caused deer and such to no longer fear people. 

Some of the procedures and regulations the Inca lived by can be compared to the ways that the takers live by today. They may be similar, but no where close to the same. 

"Take what you need, and leave the rest alone." Chapter 8

Discussion Questions

If the  U.S. were to take on the ideas and principles of the Inca people, in terms of agriculture and how they used their environment, how would it change the issues we face today?

The severity of poverty is not deeply discussed in what is written about the Inca Empire. Do you think it was a problem throughout their community or did they ration their resources and food to everyone to ensure that everyone was able to get by comfortably?

If the Spaniards had not come and conquered the empire and the war for the throne was ended, do you think the Inca Empire would have continued to thrive for much longer or would their population grow to be too big for the resources they had around them and saved?

Do you think their was more internal chaos or civil wars that occurred within the Inca Empire than is generally discussed or were they really the ideally structured empire that they are made out to be?

Works Cited

Clark, Liesl. "The Lost Inca Empire." PBS. PBS, 01 Nov. 2000. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Hughes, J. Donald. An environmental history of the world humankind's changing role in the community of life. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.

"Inca Empire : One of the Best Government in Ancient Days." Inca Empire : One of the Best Government in Ancient Days. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Kirk, Robin. "Inca Empire." Inca Empire. The Monkeys Paw, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.