The Conquest of the Incas
TawantinsuyoAlonso de Molina
The Incas named their empire Tawantinsuyo, the "Land of the Four Quarters." Their capitol, Cuzco, literally "navel," was situated in the middle of four sectors. To the north was Chinchaysuyu, which was made up of modern-day Ecuador and most of Peru. To the south was Collasuyu, the largest sector, which contained Lake Titicaca and about a third of Chile. To the west and east were, respectively Cuntisuyu and Antisuyu, the smallest sector.

Quite separate from all other civilizations, the Inca world in 1532 had developed in isolation and — as we understand it now — was at about the same level of development as the Bronze-Age civilizations of the Old World. In fact, the Inca world offers many fascinating parallels with ancient Egypt and Shang dynasty China, to which it was distantly related, particularly in its shamanistic religion, its mountain worship, and in the importance of astronomy and divination.

But while the technology of the Incas lagged behind that of the West, the empire functioned with efficiency. It was linked by an intricate system of roads that stretched from Quito down to southern Chile, and across the Andes into Argentina. Five centuries after the conquest, many of the Inca traditions survive today.

Peru Map
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