Culture

The Incas had a “hierarchical structure of Incan society” (Maier). The Inca people lived in a society called the ayllu which was where families lived together and shared land, animals, and crops. Everyone in the Inca Empire was born into an ayllu and died in it. Mates were chosen based on the on the ayllu. If a man did not marry by the time they turn 20 years old, the leader of the ayllu picked his mate. Most of the Incas were farmers that worked on the land, but the Emperor owned all the land in the empire. The emperor divided the land among his people, the size of the land depended on the size of the ayllu. The living conditions of the Inca depended on their social class. An emperor lived a life fit for a king. The emperor lived in a golden temple surrounded with his golden belongings. Traditionally, the emperor married his sister to have sons that where considered to be direct descendants of their sun god, Inti. Royalty and nobility did not need to pay taxes and where given land, llamas, and fine clothing. For Incan girls that were born in the low social class, it was an honor to be “chosen women” in the temple to receive education. Only the most beautiful young girls were chosen from each ayllu. Sometimes, “chosen women” were scarified to the god and buried on the peak of the Andeans mountains. “Their religion was pantheistic- they worshipped many gods” (Nelson).

Maier, Pauline. Inventing America. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print. p26, 29
Nelson, Rebecca. The Handy History Answer Book. Canton: Visible Ink, 1999. Print. P7-9