History of physical culture of the ancient Incas. Manufacture of gold and silver products. Athens city - the capital of Greece

History of the Inca Empire

The Inca Empire is the largest of all the states that existed in ancient South America, which existed from the 11th to the 16th century AD. Its territory was very extensive - it occupied land from the modern Colombian city of Pasto to the Maule River in Chile. In general, it included the entire territory of the modern states of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, except for its eastern regions, overgrown with irresistible selva. It also included part of modern Chile, Argentina and Colombia. For the first time, Europeans came here after the ruin of the Aztec Tenochtitlan in Central America- Portuguese Alejo Garcia arrived here in 1525. The Inca Empire managed to hold out under the blows of the conquistadors, who became interested in new lands, until 1572, but already in 1533 the Inca power lost most of its territory. Today there is a hypothesis according to which the ancient Incas managed to hide in the undiscovered city of Paititi until the middle of the 18th century.

According to archaeologists, the Incas did not independently become one of the most developed (relatively) peoples in the Americas. The ancient Incas adopted most of their achievements from the former peoples, as well as from those peoples that they subjugated. Before the Incas had established their control over much of South America, other civilizations took place on this continent. In particular, the Moche culture, which developed irrigation systems, Huari, which most resembled the emerging power of the Incas, the Chimu culture with unique architecture and many others.

Near Andean mountain range and on the coast adjacent to it in the period from the first millennium BC. before the first millennium AD relatively advanced civilizations appeared, the economic basis of which was agriculture. The history of the Inca state began in the 12th century AD. on the coast of Lake Titicaca, a people declared itself, the ruler of which was the Inca, who gave the name to his people. The Incas lived in the old place briefly, not for long. The supreme ruler decided to move his people to the city of Cusco, which marked the beginning of the history of the Incas and their expansion to the surrounding lands. By the 15-16th century, the Inca civilization had spread to a significant part of the territory of the present-day states of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and even reached modern Colombia.

The Inca leader Manco Capacu, thanks to whom the history of the Inca state began, built the city of Cusco at an altitude of more than 3.4 thousand meters above sea level. The city is spread out in a deep valley between two ranges of mountain ranges. Under his rule, the territory of the state gradually increased. Subsequent chieftains began to bear the title of Inca as meaning king. Inca Yahuar Huakak organized in the empire something like a regular army, which, however, became the largest force in all of South America. However, the greatest conquests occurred during the reign of Inca Pachacuti, thanks to which the history of the Incas passed into the period of the empire.

However, in the 15th century, the Incas, in short, were not friendly with each other. After the reign of the eleventh Inca - Huayna Capac, two sons remained, who started a war among themselves, dividing the empire into two opposing camps. The war ended with Atahualpa's victory over Huascar, shortly before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

Carrying out their conquests, the Incas equally effectively used both their army and politics - they persuaded the elite to cooperate in those places that were subject to conquest. At the same time, before the attack, the Incas sent several times to the rulers of certain lands a proposal to join the empire. The civilization of the Incas, spreading further and further across the continent, forced all conquered peoples to learn their language. Laws and customs were also imposed on the occupied territories. However, they did not prohibit local beliefs, provided that the conquered peoples would worship the supreme Inca deity - Inti. In addition, folk crafts were actively supported, each conquered people wore their own outfits. This was done so that the status and origin of any inhabitant of the Inca empire could be determined by clothing.

The Inca country was distinguished by a clear division of society into warriors and those who were not them. Only representatives of the ruling elite of the empire, or their proteges, who must necessarily belong to the Inca ethnic group, could lead the armies of the Incas. Interestingly, the Inca country was not completely monarchical - power in it belonged not only to the ruler of the Inca, but also to the governor of the capital city of Cusco. According to the historian Juan de Betanzos, he was engaged in economic affairs in the empire, and provided the army with everything necessary.

Section 2 - Temple of the Incas

This short article will talk about ancient temple Inca civilization

Section 3 - City of the Incas

Although the center of the Inca empire was in the city of Cusco, in popular culture Another Inca city became widespread - Machu Picchu

Inca culture

At the turn of the XIV-XV centuries. on the Pacific coast and northern regions the first empires began to appear on the South American continent. The most famous and significant of them was the state of the Incas. The term "Inca" denoted the title of the ruler of several tribes in the Andes region, and the Aymara, Huallacan, Keuar and others who lived in the Cusco Valley and spoke the Quechua language also wore this name.

According to archaeological data, at the dawn of history, four tribes, which later formed the basis of this nation, came from the eastern highlands of the Andes to the Cuzco valley. They created a grandiose empire covering an area of ​​1 million km, its length from north to south was more than 5 thousand km. During its heyday, from 8 to 15 million people lived here.

The Inca state, divided into four provinces around the city of Cusco and located in the vicinity of Lake Titicaca, included the territory of modern Bolivia, northern Chile, part of present-day Argentina, northern part modern republic Peru and present-day Ecuador. During its peak, the population of the Inca state was at least 5-7 million people. The supreme power in the state belonged entirely to Sapa Inca - that was the official name of the emperor. Each Sapa Inca built his own palace, richly decorated according to his taste. The best artisan jewelers made for him a new golden throne, richly decorated precious stones most often emeralds. Gold in the Inca Empire played an exceptional role. It was widely used in jewelry, but was not used as a means of payment. The Incas did without money, since one of the main principles of their life was the principle of self-sufficiency. The whole empire was a huge subsistence economy.

Religion occupied an important place in the life of the Incas. Each group of the population, in each area of ​​the state had their own beliefs and cults. The most common form of religious representations was totemism - the worship of a totem (animal, plant, stones, water, etc.), with which believers considered themselves to be related. The lands of the communities were named after deified animals. Another religious cult of the Incas was the cult of the ancestors. The dead ancestors, according to the ideas of the Incas, had to contribute in every possible way to the ripening of the crop, the fertility of animals and the well-being of people. The Incas believed that the spirits of their ancestors lived in caves, so the Incas erected stone mounds near the caves, which in their outlines resembled human figures. The custom of mummification of the corpses of the dead is associated with the cult of ancestors. Mummies in elegant clothes, with decorations, utensils, food were buried in tombs that were carved into the rocks. The mummies of rulers and priests were buried especially magnificently.

Few monuments of the ancient culture of the American continent have survived to this day. But from the surviving most information about the characteristics of the culture of various Indian tribes and peoples, they give us architectural buildings. This statement fully applies to the culture of the Incas. The Incas built their buildings from various types of stone: limestone, basalt, diorite and, of course, raw brick. They made light roofs from thatch and bundles of reeds. There were no stoves in the houses; the smoke from the hearth came out right through the thatched roof. Temples and palaces were built especially carefully. The stones from which the walls were built were so tightly fitted to each other that no binders were used in the construction of buildings. In addition, the Incas built fortresses, which were surrounded by numerous watchtowers. Fortresses were built on mountain slopes, and the most famous of them rose directly above the city of Cuzco and consisted of three rows of walls 18 m high with a total length of over 50 m.

In their temples, the Incas worshiped a whole pantheon of gods who had strict subordination. The highest of the gods was considered Kon Tiksi Viracocha. It was the creator of the world and the creator of all other gods. Among those gods that Viracocha created was the god Inti (golden Sun) - the legendary ancestor of the ruling dynasty. Next in importance was the god Ilyapa - the god of weather, thunder and lightning. People turned to him with requests for rain, because Ilyapa could make the waters of the Heavenly River flow to the ground. The wife of Inti was the goddess of the moon - Mama Kilya. The Morning Star (Venus) and many other stars and constellations were also revered. In the religious ideas of the ancient Aztecs, a special position was occupied by extremely ancient cults of mother earth - Mama Pacha, mother sea - Mama Kochi.

Throughout the calendar year, the Incas had many religious and ritual festivities associated with the agricultural calendar and the life of the ruling family. All holidays took place on main square Cusco - Huacapata (Sacred Terrace). Roads radiated from it, connecting the capital with the four provinces of the state. At the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, three palaces towered in Huacapata Square. Two of them have been turned into shrines. When an Inca ruler died, his body was embalmed and the mummy left in his palace. From that time on, the palace turned into a sanctuary, and the new ruler built another palace for himself.

The highest achievement of Inca architecture is considered to be an ensemble of temples, called Coricancha(Golden Court). The main building of the ensemble was the temple of the sun god - Inti. It contained a golden image of the god, adorned with large emeralds. This image was placed in the western part of the temple in such a way that it was illuminated by the first rays rising sun. Windows and doors were also studded with precious stones. The walls of the temple were completely upholstered with sheet gold. The ceiling of the sanctuary was covered with wood carvings, and the floor was covered with carpets stitched with gold threads. Several chapels adjoined the temple of the Sun - in honor of thunder and lightning, rainbows, the planet Venus, and the main one - in honor of Mama Kilya - the Moon. The image of the Moon in the Inca Empire is associated with the idea of ​​a woman, a goddess. Therefore, the chapel of Mama Chigli was intended for the koim - the wife of the Inca ruler. No woman but her had access to this chapel. Here were also the mummies of the dead wives of the rulers. Unlike the temple of the Sun, where everything was made of gold, in the chapel of the Moon, all the decoration was made of silver.

However, the art of the Incas reached its peak in various crafts. They mastered mining quite early and extracted copper and tin ore in mines to make bronze. The Incas could smelt metal, they knew the technique of casting, forging, chasing, soldering and riveting, and they also made products using the cloisonné enamel technique. They cast axes, sickles, knives and other household utensils from bronze. But the artistic creativity of the Inca artisans manifested itself in the art of jewelry. The chroniclers reported that the Inca masters could make a golden cob of corn, in which the grains were golden, and the fibers surrounding the cob were forged from the finest threads of silver. The pinnacle of Inca jewelry was the image of the sun god in the form of a huge golden solar disk with a skillfully chiselled human face. This image adorned the Temple of the Sun in Cusco.

The golden wealth of the Incas reached its apogee during the reign of the ruler Huayn Capac. He lined with gold the walls and roofs of his palaces and temples, royal palace was filled with golden sculptures of animals. During solemn ceremonies, 50 thousand soldiers were armed with golden weapons. A huge golden throne with a cape of precious feathers was placed in front of the residence palace. However, all this was plundered by the conquistadors from the Pissarro expedition. All works of jewelry art were melted down into ingots and sent to Spain. But much remains in hiding and has not yet been discovered.

According to the researchers of the Inca culture, their empire was destroyed by religion. First, the rite was approved by religion, in which the ruler chose a successor from among his sons. This led to an internecine war between the brothers Huascar and Atahualpa, which significantly weakened the country before the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro. Secondly, there was a legend among the Incas that in the future new, unfamiliar people would rule the country, who would come here, conquer the empire and become its sole rulers. This explains the fear and indecision of the Incas before the Spanish conquistadors.

Control questions

• 1. What architectural and sculptural monuments did the Olmec civilization leave behind?
• 2. What periods are distinguished in the history of the Maya?
• 3. What sculptural genres did the Maya use in architecture?
• 4. What city was the capital of the Aztec state?
• 5. What, according to the Aztecs, was the main purpose of poetry?
• 6. Which monument is considered the greatest architectural achievement of the Incas?

Literature

• 1. Baglay V.E. Aztecs: history, economy, socio-political system (Pre-colonial period). M., 1998.
• 2. Galic M. History of pre-Columbian civilizations. M., 1990.
• 3. Daggers R. Art of Ancient America. M., 1962.
• 4. Daggers R. Eagle, quetzal and cross. M., 1991.
• 5. Lamberg-Karlovsky C., Sablov J. ancient civilizations. Near East and Mesoamerica. M., 1992.
• 6. Sodi D. Great cultures of Mesoamerica. M., 1985.
• 7. Stingl M. Secrets of the Indian pyramids. M., 1982.

Before the 15th century, the Andean region was inhabited by various tribes of people. Under the military leadership of Pachacuti and his son Topa Inca, who ruled between 1438 and 1493, the Inca state expanded into a great empire.

WITH geographic point view of the Inca Empire was not a very attractive place to live. Northwestern border - coastal region Pacific Ocean, which is the driest desert on earth. The lack of rain began there over 500 years before the Incas. High mountains The Andes begin to the east of the desert with steep slopes that pose serious problems for agriculture. The Incas solved that problem by creating terraces and filling them with fertile earth raised from mountain valleys. To the east of the Andes lie the vast and humid jungles of the Amazon Basin, inhabited by fierce tribes that the Incas never succeeded in conquering.

Story

The Quechua peoples inhabited the Andes as early as 1000 BC. Up to 1200 AD the tribes lived separately, but around 1250, Inca Manco Capac from the banks of the Titicaca founded the city of Cuzco and began to develop an empire, conquering people after people. The second round of the development of the empire began with the reign of the Inca Pachacuti (Pachacutec), marked by the active conquest of more and more new lands. At its peak, the empire spanned from north to south from present-day southern Colombia to central Chile, and from east to west from the Pacific Ocean to the deep jungle.

Chronology of Inca rule:

1. Sinchi Roca
2. Luque Yupanqui
3. Maita Capac
4. Capac Yupanqui
5. Inca Roca
6. Yauar Huakak
7. Pachacutec Yupanqui
8. Tupac Yupanqui
9. Huayna Capac
10. Huascar
11. Atahualpa

The Inca Empire and their culture were destroyed by the Spaniards in the most brutal conquest that took place on the American continent. The last stronghold of the Incas were the fortresses in , Saxahuiman in . Under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro, the Spaniards stole more than 280,000 kilograms of gold, and the works of art were melted down into bullion. The Spaniards for the sake of conquering the Indians banned all expressions of their native religion and culture. But still, many traditions managed to survive in the myths and crafts of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

The modern Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes are descendants of the Incas. They make up almost 45 percent of Peru's population. The Indians live in close-knit communities and practice traditional agriculture. Most of agricultural work is done jointly. Even though Catholicism is now the official religion in these places, in practice there is a very noticeable mixture of Western and native Andean religion and culture.

Religion of the Incas

The Incas have completely unique religious beliefs. The Incas believe that the supreme god Viracocha created everything that exists, including the main god for worship - the sun god Inti. From someone, as it is believed, the great Inca family descended, the first of which was Manco Capac. The Incas divided the world into three zones: underworld, earthly world and upper world gods, in which lived Viracocha, Inti, Mama Kocha, Pacha Kamak, Mama Kilja. Since the Inca Empire included a large number of different peoples, their faiths are strongly intertwined, and therefore it is quite difficult to clearly define the mythological hierarchy of the gods.

Pachacuti decisively reorganized the religion of the Incas. He claimed to be a direct descendant of Inti, the Sun God, and this made his people extremely obedient. Their daily work has become almost a religious duty. Pachacuti created around himself and Inti, the god of the sun, a real cult. Every day the emperor wore new clothes, the old ones from the previous day had to be burned, and he ate only from golden dishes. Inca society was theocratic, meaning that politics and religion were completely intertwined. The religion of the Incas combined the functions of animism, fetishism and worship of the gods of nature, representing the forces of nature. Inca rituals included elaborate forms of divination and human and animal sacrifice.

Society, economics and politics

Pachacuti and his son Topa Inca succeeded in transforming a very disparate area inhabited by more than 100 different tribes of people into a political union that could feed and clothe millions of people, carry out very serious building plans and supply a large army. He invented new scheme government, social system, the rules of economics and religion. He was one of the most powerful sovereign rulers that ever existed in world history. He did not depend on the council of elders, making all decisions on his own.

The Inca emperor Pacacuti, in the first place, appointed himself as a holy emperor. He claimed to be a direct descendant of the creator god Pachacamac (also called Viracocha). Under his reign, Cuzco became a holy place dedicated to Inti, the god of the sun. Pacacuti broke down the old mud buildings and rebuilt the entire city in stone. He built the Koricancha temple dedicated to Inti and, at the same time, to himself. Its walls were covered with a huge amount of gold.

One of the problems of the government was the distribution of food and clothing. The grain, potatoes and cotton needed by millions of people were all produced in different areas of the empire. The Inca solved this by developing a form of practical socialism. Each village produced what its ecosystem allowed and gave the surplus to other villages in different areas. In turn, the poorer villages, farming in the barren mountain terraces, received food they could not grow themselves. Part of the surplus was set aside to feed the soldiers or labor teams who built temples or roads. This was called the system of reciprocity, which is why the Incas had no markets. Everyone supplied and received essentials through this system of reciprocity.

The Incas didn't just produce different crops where they were more productive. The Incas also conducted research on which crops were more hardy and productive, using special concentric terraces, such as those in Morai. On different height was different temperature which allowed crop selection. So we can say that the Incas developed science, as well as education.

Inca culture

Every Inca citizen was assigned a very clear role in life, related to their age, gender and social position. For example, children over five years of age carried the task of transporting water to areas where adults were growing crops. And women older than fifty had to weave cloth in order to make clothes. Even people with physical and mental disabilities were given daily tasks that were tailored to their abilities. For example, chew on corn or grains and spit into a large bowl. It all fermented and the Incas made their own special grain beer called Chicha, which they drank on holidays.

All individual tasks were recorded by officials through a system that replaced the script called Kipu. It was a complex form of communication using woven ropes, dyed in a certain sequence, and tied into various knots. Emperor Pakakuchi also created religious holidays for his people. Six times a month the whole empire celebrated holidays, held parades, listened to sermons.

The Incas were incredible builders and architects. Their irrigation systems, palaces, temples and fortifications are still found throughout the Andes. They had an extensive road system which was mainly used for government and military purposes. Couriers carried quipu-shaped messages throughout the empire. Unfortunately, this road network was also used by the Spaniards, which greatly facilitated their conquest of the Inca Empire.

Textile

The art of Inca textiles developed in symmetrical geometric patterns, symbolism. The priority colors were white, red, black and yellow. According to the established rules, the style of the Inca ponchos strictly corresponded to the occupation and social status its owner. The Incas also made beautiful cloaks from alpaca and vicuna wool, which are so common in the Andes.

Ceramics

Inca pottery was created on the basis of the art of conquered peoples, such as Chimu or. The predominant colors of the coloring were black, white, yellow, orange and red. As a rule, geometric decorative elements were depicted on polished surfaces. Inca pottery was distinguished by a wide variety of different utensils. Both sides of the product were often painted.

Gold

The Incas, according to the Spanish conquistadors, mined a lot of gold. Most of the gold went to decorate temples and other religious purposes. When the Incas ransomed Atahualpa, Francisco Pizarro ordered that the sickly room be filled to the top with gold. As a result, the Incas brought about 6 tons of gold items. At that time, it was the largest production in the history of mankind. Nevertheless, Atahualpa was executed. After that, as it is believed, the Incas hid their remaining gold, far exceeding in volume everything stolen by the Spaniards, somewhere in the jungle. Until now, expeditions from all over the world are trying to find Inca gold, but so far to no avail.

Fortunately, not all Inca gold was melted down by the Spaniards into bullion. Many works of art can still be seen in numerous museums in Peru, South America and around the world. In gold items, the Incas depicted their gods, animals, and simply beautiful ornaments.

The history of the Inca civilization begins from 1200 BC. e. The most prominent culture at this stage is Chavin. The next cultures were Paracas, Mochica, Ica-Nasca until 1200, when the culture of the "golden empire" appears. It was this period of development of the Inca culture from 1200. to 1572 is considered in the thesis.

XIV-XVI centuries on west coast South America spread the power of a powerful "golden empire". Thanks to the leadership of talented architects and engineers, the social life of the Incas reached a very high level. The territory of the state covered all the lands from southern regions modern Colombia to Argentina and reached a length of 5000 km. The Incas believed that they conquered almost the whole world, and those lands that still remained outside their state did not represent, in their opinion, any value. However, in another part of the world, no one even knew about the existence of their state.

Who are these Incas? What is their origin? Legends tell about the origin of this people. The sun god Inti sadly observed the life of people on earth: after all, they lived worse than wild animals, in poverty and ignorance. Once taking pity on them, Inti sent his children to the people: son Manco Capac and daughter Mama Oklio. Having given them a staff of pure gold, the divine father ordered them to settle down where the staff would easily enter the ground. It happened not far from the village of Pakari-Tambo, lying at the foot of the Wanakauri hill. In fulfillment of the divine will of the Sun, his children stayed and founded the city, which they named Cusco. They gave religion and laws to the people who lived there, men were taught to cultivate the land, mine rare metals and process them, and women were taught to weave and run a household. Having created the state, Manco Capac became its first Inca - the ruler, and Mama Oklo - his wife.

severe natural conditions(oxygen deficiency, low atmospheric pressure, low land fertility) and rapid population growth necessitated the struggle for survival and expansion of the occupied territory. At the same time, the Incas resettled the indigenous inhabitants of the conquered territories in the internal regions of the state, and their lands were settled by people from the central regions of the empire; as state language the Quechua language was introduced. When the ascent of the Inca culture began, all the previous outstanding civilizations of South America left the arena of history or were rapidly approaching sunset. During its heyday, 15-16 million people lived on its territory.

The Incas were the great state of pre-Columbian America, or, as the Incas themselves called their country, Tahuantinsuyu or "Land of the Four Parts". last name due to the fact that the country was divided into four provinces: Kuntinsuyu, Colyasuyu, Antisuyu and Chinchasuyu with the capital in the city of Cusco. indian tribe language family Quechua. Descendants of a people who settled in the Cuzco Valley, located at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet above sea level, the Incas began to develop their culture only after 1200 AD. e. Although the capital city of Cuzco grew steadily, their power remained rather limited. Then in 1438 Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui seized the throne. Calling himself "Earth Shaker", he and his troops made a campaign across all the Andes, conquering some states, negotiating with others, trying to unite several neighboring countries into a single powerful empire. Pachacuti rebuilt Cuzco, turning the capital into a city with beautiful stone palaces and temples. His provinces were governed by numerous disciplined, well-functioning bureaucrats, who stood in defense of the interests of the state. His successor, the son of Topa Inca, who came to power in 1471, dealt such a crushing blow to the Chimu that he secured complete control of this entire vast region, stretching from Ecuador to the heart of Chile. Having consolidated their power, the Incas achieved an unprecedented rise in culture. Armies marched along the extensive road network and trade took place.

From the mists of legend and myth, the Incas emerge around 1438 when they defeat the neighboring Chaika people. The organizer of this victory, the son of the ruler of Cuzco - Viracocha Inca - took over the supreme power, and with it the name of Pachacuti. The historicity of his personality is beyond doubt. Further expansion of the Incas unfolded mainly in the southern and southeastern directions. In the middle of the 15th century, the Incas intervened in the struggle between the Aymara leaders and, as a result, relatively easily subjugated the area around Lake Titicaca. Here the Incas took possession of colossal herds of llamas and alpacas. Pachacuti declared animals royal property. From now on, the armies of Cusco did not need vehicles, clothing and food.

Together with his heir Tupac Yupanqui, Pachacuti organized a large northern campaign, during which the Inca state finally approved its status as an empire, striving to unite the entire ancient Peruvian ecumene. The Inca expansion on the plateau near Titicaca brought them close to confrontation with the kingdom of Chimor. The ruler of the latter - Minchansaman - also began to expand his possessions. However, both the highlanders and the inhabitants of the lowlands tried to delay an open clash. Both experienced difficulties when they found themselves in an unusual landscape and climatic zone. Tupac Yupanqui led an army into mountainous Ecuador, where he had to wage a grueling struggle with local tribes. The Incas tried to make forays into the coastal plain of Ecuador, but the hot marshy land turned out to be unattractive for people accustomed to mountain air. In addition, its large population actively resisted. In the late 60s - early 70s of the XV century, it was decided to attack Chimor. The victory remained with the Incas, although the peace concluded by the kingdom of Chimor was relatively honorable for the latter. Only after the uprising that soon broke out, the coastal state was finally defeated. Chimor lost all possessions outside of Moche, and Inca military posts settled in this valley itself.

After the death of Pachacuti, Tupac Yupanqui set off on a new campaign. Without much difficulty they were subordinated petty states and the tribes of the central and south coast Peru. The Incas met with stubborn resistance only in the small valley of Cañete, south of Lima. Even easier than the capture of the southern coast of Peru was the conquest of thousands of kilometers of space south of Titicaca. Small groups of herders, farmers and fishermen in the local oases were not able to put up any noticeable resistance to his army. After the southern campaign of Tupac Yupanqui, the empire reached its natural boundaries. The peoples living on the plateau in mountain valleys and in oases pacific coast. The Inca rulers tried to push the borders of their state also to the east. Tupac Yupanqui's successor Huayna Capac defeated the Chachapoya tribes in the Eastern Cordillera. However, further east - to the Amazon - the Incas could not advance. The eastern frontier was the only one that needed permanent protection. Here the Incas erected a series of fortresses, and on the territory of modern Bolivia, these fortresses were even connected by a stone wall stretching along the ridges of the mountains, almost 200 km long.

Under Huayne Capac (1493-1525), the Inca Empire reached its apogee. After his death, an internecine war broke out between the two pretenders to the Inca throne - Atahualpa and Huascar, which ended with the victory of Atahualpa. Pissarro took advantage of this struggle, luring Atahualpa into a trap. Taking a huge ransom in gold from Atahualpa, the Spaniards then executed him and placed Huascar's younger brother Manco Capac on the throne. The latter soon raised an uprising, but was unable to recapture Cuzco and led his supporters northwest of the capital, where he created the so-called New Inca kingdom in a remote mountainous region. Its last ruler was executed by the Spaniards in 1572.

In 1524, Francisco Pissarro, together with Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luque, organized an expedition to the undiscovered territories of South America. In 1527, Pissarro entered the Inca city of Tumbes. From local residents he learns of the great quantity of gold and silver decorating gardens and temples in the depths of their lands. Around the same time, Huayna Capaca (Sapa Inca) dies. And among his close associates begins a struggle for power. With the help of cunning and force, the throne is captured by one of the sons of Huayn Capac Atualpa. In 1532, Pissarro and Almagro returned to Tumbes along with 160 well-armed adventurers. Once upon a time blooming city they found only ruins. It suffered greatly from the epidemic, and then from the civil war. As a result, Pissarro goes to the court of Atahualpa. Learning about the movement of white people within his country, Atahualpa invites them to visit him. From the words of the ambassador, he understood that the Spaniards looked and were friendly. During a meeting with the ambassador, Pissarro made gifts to the monarch and talked a lot about peace. Pissarro posted his men on open space, on the main square of the city of Cajamarc. He sent Hernando de Soto to pay his respects to Atahualpa, so that he tried to seduce him with his offer to meet in person. Atahualpa agrees to pay a visit to Pissarro in Cajamarca. Pissarro, following the example of Cortes, who conquered the mighty Aztec empire by kidnapping the emperor, began to prepare his ambush.

At dawn, Pissarro posted his men in the buildings around the square. At sunset, the imperial procession approached the square. Atahualpa was carried by 80 servants on a wooden stretcher, inlaid with gold and decorated on all sides with parrot feathers. They came without weapons. In the square they saw only one Dominican monk in a cassock with a cross in one and a Bible in the other hand. According to Spanish law, the invaders were obliged to provide the savages with the opportunity to accept the "true faith". Atualpa refuses insulting words, and Pissarro, with almost no loss, captures the ruler of the Incas. Realizing that white people were attracted by gold, he decided to pay off, offering for his freedom to fill the rooms in which he was staying with gold, and also “fill the Indian hut with silver” twice. Instead of releasing Atahualpa with such a proposal, he signed his death warrant. By ordering to break all the gold in Cuzco, and delivering it to the Spaniards, he only ignited their passion for the precious metal. The Incas did not perceive gold and silver as something valuable. For them, it was just beautiful metal. They called gold "sweat of the sun" and silver "tears of the moon". For them, fabrics were valuable, as it took a lot of time to make them.

At a meeting of the council, headed by Pissarro himself, it was decided to burn Atahualpa. Pissarro understood what benefits a local ruler under Spanish control promised him. He opted for Huayna Capac's son, Manco Inca. When the Spaniards arrived in Cuzco, they were greeted as well-wishers who restored the rightful ruling branch of the Incas, although all the mummies were safely hidden before their appearance. But the atrocities perpetrated by the Spaniards led to the fact that Manco flatly refused to cooperate and attempted to leave Cuzco. The Spaniards returned him to the capital in chains. As a result, Manco again, but successfully, escapes. As soon as he got out of Cuzco, he called on his people to revolt. The matter ended with the siege of Cuzco, which lasted almost whole year. The hopelessness of the siege became clear when reinforcements arrived from Spain. After the failure of the siege of Cuzco, Manco took 20,000 of his compatriots with him into the dense jungle. There they built the new city of Vilcabamba in a short time. From this city, the Incas sometimes raided the conquerors, attacking outposts. In 1572, the Spaniards decided to do away with this last stronghold, as evidence of the former power of the natives. When they reached Vilcabamba, they found only deserted ruins on the site of the city. The defenders, before leaving the city, burned it. The Spaniards continued the pursuit, penetrating further and further into the jungle. As a result, they captured the last leader of the Incas, Tupac Amaru. He was brought to Cusco and beheaded in the town square. Thus ended the dynasty of the Inca rulers.

Huge amounts of gold and silver were exported to Spain. Art objects, as a rule, were melted down before export. The most beautiful products were delivered to the court of Charles V, then they were put on public display in Seville. When Charles began to lack funds for military campaigns, these outstanding works of Inca art were ordered to be melted down. The result of the fifty-year stay of the Spaniards was the reduction of the indigenous population - by three quarters. Many died from diseases brought from the Old World, and many from hard labor.

Thus, great empire The Incas died at the hands of a more cunning and powerful enemy - the Spaniards. The culture of the people, who seized vast territories, built magnificent structures, and had a well-organized army, was destroyed to the ground. There is very little archaeological evidence of its existence. We mostly know about the Inca culture from the records of the Spaniards. The Inca civilization developed rapidly. Literally a few decades were enough for them to reach such a high level: a clear control apparatus, an organized army, cities with powerful structures. The Incas, like the Aztecs, came to the lands where ancient civilizations already existed before them, and also did not have much time before the invasion of the Spaniards to rally the newly defeated peoples around them. Comparing them with other civilizations, you immediately find that in the life and religion of the Incas there was much less mysticism and philosophy than the Aztecs or Mayans. But the Incas had great organizational skills aimed at creating one of the most consolidated theocratic empires in the history of mankind. If the Aztecs became famous for their rich heritage in the form of philosophical treatises and knowledge in the field of astronomy, then the Incas achieved an unsurpassed level of urbanization, including a complex transport system, which connected their highland capital of Cuzco with the entire region of the Andes.