Dan Novak, age 11, of Milwaukee, Wis., for his question:
WHO WERE THE INCAS?
More than 500 years ago the Inca Indians of South America perfected methods for mass producing pottery in standard shapes and sizes. They also were skilled metalworkers who could cast or hammer out many beautiful objects in gold, silver, copper or bronze. Mangificent textiles fromalpaca, vicuna and llama were woven by the Incas, and they also built spectacular buildings.
The Incas were a group of Indians in South America who developed an empire and a well organized civilization that was at its peak in the late 1400s. The empire's success was due to its highly developed political and social system, which made efficient use of the manpower and varied resources of vast territories. Between 3 and 7 million citizens lived in the empire.
Inca culture evolved out of a long and slow period of development. Archaeologists say the Inca ancestors probably lived in Peru about 2000 B.C. Advanced ways of living, with towns being built and artistic expressions of pottery and metalworking displayed, can be traced back to about 400 A.D.
A kingdom was founded about 1200. Then in 1438 a great conqueror named Pachacuti became king. He and his son, Topa Inca, who ruled from 1471 to 1493, extended the empire from what is now Quito, Ecuador, southward to Chile. Holding the throne from 1493 until 1527 was Huayna Capac, with the empire then going to his two sons, Atahualpa and Huascar. The two fought for control of the empire, with Atahualpa finally winning.
And then the Spanish arrived in 1532. Leading a group of only 177 men, Francisco Pizarro hid in ambush and took Atahualpa as a hostage. The Inca community offered a ransom of enough gold and silver to fill a room in the palace to the height of a man. The Spanish took the ransom but didn't release the king. Instead they tried him for crimes according to Spanish law and executed him.
The conquest of the Inca empire is a sad story. By 1569 the strength of the Inca empire had been completely broken. Heavy taxes were imposed by the Spanish, and the people almost became slaves. The population dropped to less than 2 million.
The Inca Indians total about 6 million today. They continue to live in the high mountains of Ecuador, Peru and. Bolivia.
One of the things that made the Inca empire so strong was an excellent system of communication and transportation. A network of roads linked all parts of the empire. Mountain roads required great engineering skill and were paved with flat stones. Suspension bridges of ropes and poles crossed deep ravines. The Inca citizens maintained regular mail service. Messengers were stationed every few miles at relay stations, and a letter could be taken as far as 150 miles in a day.