Above Illustration: Inca leader - https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=inca
Government and Monarchy
When the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 1500s the Inca Empire was huge. It stretched for over 2000 miles from the north to the south and had a population of an estimated 10 million people. The Inca needed a sophisticated and organised government to maintain an empire this large.
The Empire was a monarchy ruled by a single leader called the Sapa Inca (emperor). The Inca was the supreme ruler of the state.
The political structure of the Incas was complex and tightly controlled.
The Empire
The empire was divided into four quarters known as the four Suyus and so the Incas called their empire Tahuantinsuyu, which means 'land of the four quarters'. At the centre of the four quarters was the capital city of Cusco (pronounced KOO-sko). The four quarters were:
1) Anti-suyu - included all the land east of Cusco; this domain contained the montaña and the jungle, and was continually harassed by attacks from the only partially pacified tribes of the area.
2) Cunti-suyu - embraced all the lands west of Cusco, including the conquered coastal empires, from Chan-Chan through the Rimac (now Lima Valley) down to Arequipa.
3) Colla-suyu - was the largest in extent; located south of Cusco, it took in Lake Titicaca and regions in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
4) Chincha-suyu - contained all the land and tribes which lay to the north, up to Rumichaca.
Four roads, which went to the ends of each quarter, no matter how distant, came out of Cusco. Each road bore the name of the suyu to which it ran.
Each quarter was placed under a governor who reported directly to the Inca. The Inca ruled the Inca Empire from his seat in the capital city of Cusco. These governors were blood relatives of the Inca. Under every governor there were 10 district governors, each having 10,000 peasants. The offices were further divided with smaller units of peasants under each official of descending rank. At the lowest level, an official had only 10 peasants under him. quarter was ruled by an apo, or governor, related by blood ties to the Inca--and answerable only to him.
Each suyu was then further divided into provinces called wamani. A lot of times each wamani was made up of a tribe that had been conquered by the Inca. There were also smaller divisions within each wamani.
The smallest, and maybe the most important, division of government was the ayllu. The ayllu was made up of a number of families and often acted like a large family. The ayllu was responsible for paying taxes. Also, land was assigned by the government to each ayllu based on the number of people in the group. (read more on this in the next section)
Government Personnel
Sapa Inca - The emperor or king of the Inca Empire was called the Sapa Inca, which means "sole ruler". He was the most powerful person in the land and everyone else reported to the Sapa Inca. His principal wife, the queen, was called the coya.
Below the Sapa Inca were several officers who helped to rule the empire. High ranking officials were often relatives of the Inca and were always part of the Inca class.
Laws and Punishment
The laws were made by the Sapa Inca and passed down to the people through the tax collectors. Murder, stealing, cheating on taxes, and cursing the gods was all against the law.
However, there wasn't a lot of crime in the Inca Empire, mostly because the punishments were very harsh. For example, people were often executed for cursing the gods. If they were caught stealing, they would have their hands cut off.
Most conquered tribes were allowed to remain in their homelands. However, if they were considered rebellious, they would be moved to other areas of the empire.
When the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 1500s the Inca Empire was huge. It stretched for over 2000 miles from the north to the south and had a population of an estimated 10 million people. The Inca needed a sophisticated and organised government to maintain an empire this large.
The Empire was a monarchy ruled by a single leader called the Sapa Inca (emperor). The Inca was the supreme ruler of the state.
The political structure of the Incas was complex and tightly controlled.
The Empire
The empire was divided into four quarters known as the four Suyus and so the Incas called their empire Tahuantinsuyu, which means 'land of the four quarters'. At the centre of the four quarters was the capital city of Cusco (pronounced KOO-sko). The four quarters were:
1) Anti-suyu - included all the land east of Cusco; this domain contained the montaña and the jungle, and was continually harassed by attacks from the only partially pacified tribes of the area.
2) Cunti-suyu - embraced all the lands west of Cusco, including the conquered coastal empires, from Chan-Chan through the Rimac (now Lima Valley) down to Arequipa.
3) Colla-suyu - was the largest in extent; located south of Cusco, it took in Lake Titicaca and regions in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
4) Chincha-suyu - contained all the land and tribes which lay to the north, up to Rumichaca.
Four roads, which went to the ends of each quarter, no matter how distant, came out of Cusco. Each road bore the name of the suyu to which it ran.
Each quarter was placed under a governor who reported directly to the Inca. The Inca ruled the Inca Empire from his seat in the capital city of Cusco. These governors were blood relatives of the Inca. Under every governor there were 10 district governors, each having 10,000 peasants. The offices were further divided with smaller units of peasants under each official of descending rank. At the lowest level, an official had only 10 peasants under him. quarter was ruled by an apo, or governor, related by blood ties to the Inca--and answerable only to him.
Each suyu was then further divided into provinces called wamani. A lot of times each wamani was made up of a tribe that had been conquered by the Inca. There were also smaller divisions within each wamani.
The smallest, and maybe the most important, division of government was the ayllu. The ayllu was made up of a number of families and often acted like a large family. The ayllu was responsible for paying taxes. Also, land was assigned by the government to each ayllu based on the number of people in the group. (read more on this in the next section)
Government Personnel
Sapa Inca - The emperor or king of the Inca Empire was called the Sapa Inca, which means "sole ruler". He was the most powerful person in the land and everyone else reported to the Sapa Inca. His principal wife, the queen, was called the coya.
Below the Sapa Inca were several officers who helped to rule the empire. High ranking officials were often relatives of the Inca and were always part of the Inca class.
- Viceroy - Below the Sapa Inca was the viceroy, or Inkap Rantin. He was a close relative of the Sapa Inca and worked as his closest advisor.
- High Priest - The high priest, called the "Willaq Umu", was also a very powerful man. He was probably second in power to the Sapa Inca due to the importance of religion in the Inca Empire.
- Governors of a Quarter - Each of the quarters was ruled by a governor called an apo
- Council of the Realm - The Sapa Inca also kept a council of men who advised him on major matters. These men were powerful nobles.
- Inspectors - In order to maintain control and to make sure people were paying their taxes and following the ways of the Inca, the Sapa Inca had inspectors that watched over the people. The inspectors were called "tokoyrikoq".
- Military Generals - There were also military generals. The head general was usually a close relative of the Sapa Inca. These leaders were called "Apukuna".
- Other Officials - There were many other government officials and leaders throughout the Inca Empire such as priests, military officers, judges, and tax collectors.
Laws and Punishment
The laws were made by the Sapa Inca and passed down to the people through the tax collectors. Murder, stealing, cheating on taxes, and cursing the gods was all against the law.
However, there wasn't a lot of crime in the Inca Empire, mostly because the punishments were very harsh. For example, people were often executed for cursing the gods. If they were caught stealing, they would have their hands cut off.
Most conquered tribes were allowed to remain in their homelands. However, if they were considered rebellious, they would be moved to other areas of the empire.