Travel in Peru is enhanced if you know a bit about Peru’s Inca history. You can see the past reflected everywhere, in the culture, society, architecture and traditions of Peru. However, some of these things only become evident when you know what to look for.
Despite having been home to numerous tribes and societies over the centuries, Peru is best known as the heartland of the Incas. You’ll probably see some Inca sites during your Peru travels – Machu Picchu being the most likely, but hundreds more can be found throughout the nation as well as neighboring countries.
It’s not just about increasing your appreciation of sites and museums and understanding what guides are talking about. It will also spark your imagination and let your mind conjure up those rich historical images that have decayed or disappeared over time.
Inca Information for Peru Travel
The following Inca articles are either located here at HowtoPeru or were written by me for Suite101.com during my capacity as Latin American History Feature Writer.
Inca History Overview
The Inca Timeline: Following this timeline should help give you some perspective on the Inca civilization from its rise to rapid fall.
- The Incas and World History Circa 1500: The Incas were at their height circa 1500. This article helps to place the Inca civilization in a global context.
- The Inca Empire: Tawantinsuyu: An overview of the four administrative regions of the Inca Empire, or Tawantinsuyu.
- Inca Population: How Many Incas Were There?: Due to the lack of recorded Inca data, the exact population of the empire remains unknown. However, a number of modern studies have tried to estimate the Inca population.
- Why Was Machu Picchu Built?: Read the various theories, past and present, about why and when Machu Picchu was built.
Inca Daily Life & Society
- Inca Food, Past and Present: A good one to read if you’re going to Peru, where you may well be eating the food of the Incas.
- Inca Tools: Ancient Inca Farming Techniques of Traditional Peru: This article covers Inca farming practices, techniques and tools that are still used in some parts of Peru today.
- Inca Clothing: What Did the Incas Wear?: An overview of Inca clothing and its role in society. For traditional Andean clothing still worn today, read Look Like a Local: Andean Textiles in Peru.
- Inca Cloth: Weaving Grades of Ancient Peruvian Textiles: Inca cloth production was a highly specialized & strictly organized process; this article talks about the three main grades of Inca textiles.
Inca Gods & Religion
- Inca Mythology: The Realms of Hanan Pacha, Kay Pacha & Uku Pacha: An overview of the three realms of the Inca cosmos.
Inca Weapons & Warfare
- Ancient Inca Weapons and Inca Warriors: Inca history in Peru and neighboring territories was marked by great and rapid expansion. The Inca military, even if not used to aggressively conquer a neighboring tribe, was nonetheless a potent threat and certainly very persuasive.
- Rumi Maki – Inca Fighting Style or Modern Martial Art of Peru?: A slightly doubtful look at a supposed Inca martial art.
- Battle Tactics of the Inca Civilization: The effectiveness of the Inca army was based largely upon discipline and organization, both of which made the Incas superior to most, if not all, rival civilizations in the New World.
The Inca, Conquistadors & Columbian Exchange
- Inca Battle Tactics Versus Spanish Conquistadors: Rivals from the Old World were to prove a different threat altogether. The technological advantages of the Spanish Conquistadors, however, were not the only European threat.
- Columbian Exchange Diseases – Latin America & the Old World: European diseases decimated the Inca population, particularly the newly introduced smallpox epidemic.
Inca Peru – More Inca Information to Follow
More Inca articles will be added here when written. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below, or add any of your own thoughts about Inca history in Peru.
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