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the inca empire

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The Inca Empire

The Inca Empire rapidly developed a hierarchical structure . At the highest level it was governed by the Sapa Inca , son of the sun and direct descendant of the god Viracocha. Under him were the priest-nobles - the royal allyu or kin-group which filled most of the important administrative and religious posts - and, working for them, regional allyu chiefs, curacas or orejones, responsible for controlling tribute from the peasant base. One third of the land belonged to the emperor and the state; another to the high priests, gods, and the sun; the last was for the allyu themselves. Work on the land, then, was devoted to maintaining the empire rather than mere subsistence, though in times of famine storehouses were evidently opened to feed the commoners.

Life for the elite wasn't, perhaps, quite as easy as it may appear; their fringe benefits were matched by the strain and worry of governing an empire, sending armies everywhere, and keeping the gods happy. The Inca nobles were nevertheless fond of relaxing in thermal baths, of hunting holidays, and of conspicuous eating and drinking whenever the religious calendar permitted. Allyu chiefs were often unrelated to the royal Inca lineage, but their position was normally hereditary. As lesser nobles ( curacas) they were allowed to wear earplugs and special ornate headbands; their task was both to protect and exploit the commoners, and they themselves were free of labour service.

The hierarchical network swept down the ranks from important chiefs in a decimalized system. One of the curacas might be responsible for ten thousand men; under him two lower chiefs were each responsible for five thousand, and so on until in the smallest hamlets there was one man responsible for ten others. Women weren't counted in the census. For the Incas, a household was represented by the man and only he was obliged to fulfil tribute duties on behalf of the allyu. Within the family the woman's role was dependent on her relationship with the dominant man - be he father, brother, husband, or eldest son.

In their conquests the Incas absorbed craftsmen from every corner of the empire. Goldsmiths, potters, carpenters, sculptors, masons and quipumayocs (accountants) were frequently removed from their homes to work directly for the emperor in Cusco. These skilled men lost no time in developing into a new and entirely separate class of citizens. The work of even the lowest servant in the palace was highly regulated by a rigid division of labour. If a man was employed to be a woodcutter he wouldn't be expected to gather wood from the forests; that was the task of another employee.

Throughout the empire young girls, usually about nine or ten years old, were constantly selected for their beauty and serene intelligence. Those deemed perfect enough were taken to an acclahuasi - a special sanctuary for the " chosen women " - where they were trained in specific tasks, including the spinning and weaving of fine cloth, and the higher culinary arts. Most chosen women were destined ultimately to become mamaconas (Virgins of the Sun) or the concubines of either nobles or the Sapa Inca himself. Occasionally some of them were sacrificed by strangulation in order to appease the gods.

For most Inca women the allotted role was simply that of peasant/domestic work and rearing children. After giving birth a mother would wash her baby in a nearby stream to cleanse and purify it and return virtually immediately to normal daily activities, carrying the child in a cradle tied on her back with a shawl. As they still are today, most babies were breast-fed for years before leaving their mothers to take the place in the domestic life-cycle. As adults their particular role in society was dependent first on sex, then on hierarchical status.

Special regulations affected both the old and disabled . Around the age of fifty, a man was likely to pass into the category of "old". He was no longer capable of undertaking a normal workload, he wasn't expected to pay taxes, and he could always depend on support from the official storehouses. Nevertheless, the community still made small demands by using him to collect firewood and other such tasks; in much the same way the kids were expected to help out around the house and in the fields. In fact children and old people often worked together, the young learning directly from the old. Disabled people were obliged to work within their potential - the blind, for instance, might de-husk maize or clean cotton. Inca law also bound the deformed or disabled to marry people with similar disadvantages: dwarfs to dwarfs, blind to blind, legless to legless.

The Inca diet was essentially vegetarian, based on the staple potato but encompassing a range of other foods like quinoa, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, avocados, tomatoes and manioc. In the highlands emphasis was on root crops like potatoes which have been known to survive down to -15°C at over 5000m. On the valley floors and lower slopes of the Andes maize cultivation predominated.

The importance of maize both as a food crop and for making chicha increased dramatically under the Incas; previously it had been grown for ceremony and ritual exchange, as a status rather than a staple crop. The use of coca was restricted to the priests amd Inca elite. Coca is a mild narcotic stimulant which effectively dulls the body against cold, hunger and tiredness when the leaves are chewed in the mouth with a catalyst such as lime or calcium. Its leaves possessed magical properties for the Incas; they could be cast to divine future events, offered as a gift to the wind, the earth, or the mountain apu, and they could be used in witchcraft. Today it's difficult to envisage the Incas success in restricting coca-growing and use; even with helicopters and machine guns the present-day authorities are unable to control its production. But the original Inca system of control was frighteningly effective.

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Published articles and reviews about us

2010
Testimonials

Norman Pedersen
Date: Sun,18 Jul 2010

Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your arrangements. 
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!


Melinda Hughes
Date: Tues, 13 Jul 2010

I was one of the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just everything about the trip.

The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in every way. We have absolutely no complaints!

Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful time.
Sincerely.


Ajay Chopra
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010

We are back in Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
 


Saikat.
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010

I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,


Irina Pascu
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010

I am now back home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.


Melissa Polier
Date: Tues, 22 Jun 2010

My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything

 


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