Inka
Machu Picchu builders
Inka is an alternative spelling of Inca, referring to the indigenous South American empire that flourished in the Andes before Spanish conquest, or to a member of that civilization.
The k spelling reflects Quechua orthography more accurately than the Spanish-influenced c.
Both spellings appear in academic and general usage: the Inka road system, Inka agriculture.
Quechua name for realm
Knotted-cord recording system
- textilesWoven or knit materials
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- potteryFired clay objects
- metalworkShaped metal objects
gold · silver · panpipes · oral tradition · featherwork · woodcarving · coca · llama
Tiered hillside agriculture
- suspension bridgesRoadways hung from cables
- masonryBuilding with mortared blocks
- ashlarPrecision-cut building stone
- way stationsIntermediate stops on routes
irrigation · aqueducts · storehouses · urban planning · Machu Picchu · earthquake resistance
South American western range
- CuscoFormer Inca imperial seat
- Lake TiticacaHigh-altitude Andean lake
- highlandsElevated, hilly land areas
- altiplanoElevated mountainous plain
Giving up something precious
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- ancestor worshipReligious honoring of forebears
- offeringsThings presented or given
coca leaves · chicha · priests · shrines · pilgrimage · cosmology · afterlife
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- mummiesPreserved wrapped bodies
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
carbon-dating · stratigraphy · ruins · settlements · burial sites · Juanita · fieldwork · conservation
Tawantinsuyu
Quechua name for realm
census · tribute · reciprocity · redistribution · state religion
quipu
Knotted-cord recording system
metalwork · gold · silver · panpipes · oral tradition · featherwork · woodcarving · coca · llama · alpaca
terrace farming
Tiered hillside agriculture
- suspension bridgesRoadways hung from cables
- masonryBuilding with mortared blocks
- ashlarPrecision-cut building stone
way stations · irrigation · aqueducts · storehouses · urban planning · Machu Picchu · earthquake resistance
Andes
South American western range
- CuscoFormer Inca imperial seat
- Lake TiticacaHigh-altitude Andean lake
- highlandsElevated, hilly land areas
altiplano · cloud forest · coastal desert · Moray · cordillera
sacrifice
Giving up something precious
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- ancestor worshipReligious honoring of forebears
offerings · coca leaves · chicha · priests · shrines · pilgrimage · cosmology · afterlife
excavation
Act of unearthing
potsherds · carbon-dating · stratigraphy · ruins · settlements · burial sites · Juanita · fieldwork · conservation · looting
Inkamodern
Of recent times
contemporary · present-day · Western · industrial · technological
Inkaconquistador
Spanish colonial soldier-explorer
Spanish Empire · Spanish · colonial power · invader · Hernán Cortés