- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, (ca. AD 1535-1616) was a Quechua Indian known for chronicling and denouncing the ill treatment of the natives of the Andes by the Spanish after their conquest. His drawings constitute the most accurate graphic depiction of Inka and colonial Peruvian material available. All drawings from The First New Chronicle and Good Government. Courtesy of The Royal Library, Copenhagen (GKS 2232 4º).
A chakacamayuc, 1615
Awe-inspiring suspension bridges enthralled Spanish conquistadors and later visitors alike. The chakacamayuc is the bridge master, responsible for the construction. This specialized, highly respected job is usually passed from father to son.
A chaski, 1615
News traveled fast along the Qhapaq Ñan. Chaski (official messengers) carried khipu (string devices for recording information), verbal messages, and small packages across the empire. They ran in a relay system, trading messages and goods at stations called chaskiwasi, which stood approximately 10–15 kilometers (5–7 miles) apart.
Colcas (storehouses) and Inka officials, 1615
Surplus food, clothing, raw materials, and other items were kept in state storage facilities called colcas. Colcas were part of the Inka system of collecting food and goods from every suyu and redistributing them among the empire's inhabitants. This system guaranteed the survival of the empire and its people in years when harvests were poor.
Portrait of Huayna Capac, 11th Shapa Inka (1493–1527)
The empire grew to its greatest size under Huayna Capac. He extended the empire and the Qhapaq Ñan southward, into Chile and Argentina. While trying to pacify rebellions among conquered peoples in the north, he died of smallpox.
Inka road surveyors, 1615
The Qhapaq Ñan is an engineering marvel: 40,000 kilometers (24,000 miles) of roadway across grasslands, rainforest, desert, valleys, and mountains. Its builders did it all without wheeled carts, iron tools, or large work animals. Inka engineers tailored their design to the landscape, drawing upon the expert knowledge and labor of local populations.
A khipucamayuc, 1615
The Inka never developed a writing system. Instead, officials used khipu, devices made of colored strings knotted in various ways. Khipu were used to record census data, the movement of goods and people throughout the empire, and religious and military information. The officials who managed the khipu were known as khipucamayuc.
A llama herder, 1615
Great herds of llamas and alpacas provided wool, meat, and, most importantly, transport. At harvest time, the Road was especially busy with llama caravans. Before a caravan departed, the lead animal was blessed, and every llama was decorated.
The Shapa Inka and his wife traveling the Qhapaq Ñan, 1615
The Shapa Inka (ruler) was regarded as a god. When he traveled on the Qhapaq Ñan, he made it sacred. Servants brushed the road clean before him. When he was on the Road, the full grandeur of the Inka state was on display. His entourage numbered several hundred people, including singers, dancers, guards, warriors, and servants.
Portrait of Pachacutic, 9th Shapa Inka (1438–1471), 1615
Pachacutic means "earth shaker." He transformed the Inka state and made Cusco the center of an extensive empire.
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, (ca. AD 1535-1616) was a Quechua Indian known for chronicling and denouncing the ill treatment of the natives of the Andes by the Spanish after their conquest. His drawings constitute the most accurate graphic depiction of Inka and colonial Peruvian material available. All drawings from The First New Chronicle and Good Government, courtesy of The Royal Library, Copenhagen (GKS 2232 4º)
A chakacamayuc, 1615
Awe-inspiring suspension bridges enthralled Spanish conquistadors and later visitors alike. The chakacamayuc is the bridge master, responsible for the construction. This specialized, highly respected job is usually passed from father to son.
A chaski, 1615
News traveled fast along the Qhapaq Ñan. Chaski (official messengers) carried khipu (string devices for recording information), verbal messages, and small packages across the empire. They ran in a relay system, trading messages and goods at stations called chaskiwasi, which stood approximately 10–15 kilometers (5–7 miles) apart.
Colcas (storehouses) and Inka officials, 1615
Surplus food, clothing, raw materials, and other items were kept in state storage facilities called colcas. Colcas were part of the Inka system of collecting food and goods from every suyu and redistributing them among the empire's inhabitants. This system guaranteed the survival of the empire and its people in years when harvests were poor.
Portrait of Huayna Capac, 11th Shapa Inka (1493–1527)
The empire grew to its greatest size under Huayna Capac. He extended the empire and the Qhapaq Ñan southward, into Chile and Argentina. While trying to pacify rebellions among conquered peoples in the north, he died of smallpox.
Inka road surveyors, 1615
The Qhapaq Ñan is an engineering marvel: 40,000 kilometers (24,000 miles) of roadway across grasslands, rainforest, desert, valleys, and mountains. Its builders did it all without wheeled carts, iron tools, or large work animals. Inka engineers tailored their design to the landscape, drawing upon the expert knowledge and labor of local populations.
A khipucamayuc, 1615
The Inka never developed a writing system. Instead, officials used khipu, devices made of colored strings knotted in various ways. Khipu were used to record census data, the movement of goods and people throughout the empire, and religious and military information. The officials who managed the khipu were known as khipucamayuc.
A llama herder, 1615
Great herds of llamas and alpacas provided wool, meat, and, most importantly, transport. At harvest time, the Road was especially busy with llama caravans. Before a caravan departed, the lead animal was blessed, and every llama was decorated.
The Shapa Inka and his wife traveling the Qhapaq Ñan, 1615
The Shapa Inka (ruler) was regarded as a god. When he traveled on the Qhapaq Ñan, he made it sacred. Servants brushed the road clean before him. When he was on the Road, the full grandeur of the Inka state was on display. His entourage numbered several hundred people, including singers, dancers, guards, warriors, and servants.
Portrait of Pachacutic, 9th Shapa Inka (1438–1471), 1615
Pachacutic means "earth shaker." He transformed the Inka state and made Cusco the center of an extensive empire.