The Inca Empire

El Tahuantinsuyo

c. 1438–1533. In barely a century the Inca of Cusco went from a local kingdom to rulers of some twelve million people from Quito to central Chile.

Draft: not yet checked against its sources.

What happened

In barely a century the Inca of Cusco went from a local kingdom to rulers of some twelve million people from Quito to central Chile. Tradition credits Pachacuti (r. c. 1438–1471) with defeating the Chanca, rebuilding Cusco in stone and creating the machinery of the state: provincial governors for the four quarters, tribute paid in labour, roads and storehouses, and privileged status for Quechua speakers. His son Tupac Inca Yupanqui and grandson Huayna Capac pushed the frontiers north and south. A war between Huayna Capac's sons had just ended when Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa at Cajamarca in 1532; the empire fell the following year, though Inca resistance continued at Vilcabamba until 1572.

Its events

1. c. 1438–1471: Pachacuti and the rise of the Inca

Sources

1. Inca Civilization — World History Encyclopedia
2. Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui — World History Encyclopedia