Jim Johnson, age 13, of Scotts Mills, Ore., for his question:

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE INCAS?

At the time of Columbus there were about 9 million Indians living in South America. They were split in many tribes and had greatly different living styles. One of the most remarkable groups formed an empire in the Andes called Incas.

The Indians of Peru had learned to farm by at least 2000 B.C. They grew corn, cotton, potatoes and many other crops. They domesticated the llama and used its wool for cloth and its flesh for meat. They were weavers and also made beautiful pottery and metal ware. They built huge palaces of stone and villages and cities of stone and adobe. Inca was the title given to the rulers of the empire that ran from central Chile to Ecuador. The natives of Peru are correctly called by their language name, Quechua, but Inca has become the name commonly used for them.

They had a well developed language and literature. Unfortunately, however, they did not have a system for writing. All of their literary works were handed down by word of mouth. Among the things the Inca empire is famous for are terrace gardens, aqueducts, roads, bridges and massive stone structures. The ruling Inca was    looked up to as a descendant of the sun god. From the capital city of Cuzco he ruled over about 7 million people. There were four provinces, each governed by a member of the royal family. Each province was divided into districts and these into still smaller units. A noble, usually related to the reigning Inca, ruled each section.

The people had no voice in their government. While they were a most contented people, they did not own the land they worked and the state supervised food, housing, clothing and all personal details. While they were sheltered and protected, they had to look to their leaders for all direction.

At the death of leader Huayna Capac in 1525, his sons fought for his throne. The land was so full of unrest that when a handful of Spaniards came in 1532, led by Pizarro, the way was open for conquest. The Inca nobles were killed or captured. The people were without leaders and gave in meekly to their fate.