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Video description: Inca -
Secret of the Ancestors.
The Incas built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Cuzco, Peru.
Machu Picchu is without doubt the most recognizable symbol of Inca Civilization. "The Inca Trail", as it is known now, was the Royal Highway that led pilgrims and officials of the Empire to the Sacred City of the Incas.
Francisco Pizarro González, 1st Marqués de los Atabillos (c. 1471 or 1476
– June 26, 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Inca Empire and
founder of Lima, La Ciudad de los Reyes, capital of Peru.
Atahualpa (Cusco, 1497 – July 26, 1533 Cajamarca, Peru), Atahualpa born
in Caranqui (Ibarra - Imbabura), was the last sovereign emperor of the
Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire. He became emperor upon defeating his younger
half-brother Huáscar in a civil war sparked by the death of their father, Inca
Huayna Capac, from an infectious disease thought to be smallpox. During the
civil war, the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro crossed his path, captured Atahualpa,
and used him to control the Inca empire. Eventually, the Spanish executed
Atahualpa, ending the Inca Empire.
The Moche civilization (alternately, the Mochica culture, Early Chimu,
Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc.) flourished in northern Peru from about AD 100 to
AD 700. While still the subject of some debate, many scholars contend that the
Moche were not politically organized as monolithic empire or state but rather as
a group of autonomous polities that shared a common elite culture as seen in the
rich iconography and monumental architecture that survive today.
The Moche cultural sphere is centered around several valleys on the north coast
of Peru – Lambayeque, Jequetepeque, Chicama, Moche, Viru, Chao, Santa, and
Nepena. The Huaca del Sol, a pyramidal adobe structure on the Rio Moche, had
been the largest pre-Columbian structure in Peru; however, it was partly
destroyed when Spanish Conquistadors mined its graves for gold. Fortunately the
nearby Huaca de la Luna has remained largely intact – it contains many colorful
murals with complex iconography and has been under excavation since the early
1990's. Other major Moche sites include Sipan, Pampa Grande, Dos Cabezas,
Pacatnamu, San Jose de Moro, the El Brujo complex, Mocollope, Cerro Mayal,
Galindo, Huancaco, and Panamarca.
See also:
History of the Incas 1
- Inca Trail, 2,
3,
4,
5,
6
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