Inca civilization
Pre-Columbian Andean empire
The Inca civilization was the largest empire in pre-Columbian South America, centered in the Andes mountains with its capital at Cusco in present-day Peru.
At its height in the early 16th century, it stretched from Ecuador to Chile.
The Inca built sophisticated road systems, agricultural terraces, and monumental stonework including Machu Picchu.
The empire fell rapidly after Spanish conquest under Pizarro in the 1530s.
The Inca civilization left behind remarkable engineering feats that still puzzle historians.
- lost citySettlement swallowed by time
- llamaDomesticated Andean pack animal
- sunEarth's primary star
- quipuKnotted-cord recording system
- AltiplanoAndean elevated flatland
stone · Cusco · Tawantinsuyu · weaving · gold · Andes Mountains · suspension bridges · stone masonry · stone walls · road networks · South America · aqueducts · terraces · conquistadors · condor · irrigation · fortress · Andes
Inca civilizationAztec civilization
Pre-conquest Mexican empire
Inca civilizationhunter-gatherer societies
Groups living by foraging