The Incas and agriculture

The Incas and agriculture

The Incas or Incas were one of the major pre-Columbian civilizations that developed in the Andean plateau between the 12th and 16th centuries, constituting a vast empire there.

History –
The Incas were an advanced civilization that flourished in the Andean regions of South America between the 12th and 16th centuries. Their history is rich in legends and myths, but many details have been lost due to the lack of a written tradition and the destruction of many documents during the Spanish conquest. However, we can outline a general history of the Incas based on archaeological sources, Spanish written evidence, and oral legends.
The history of the Incas begins with the legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, considered by the Incas as the progenitors of their civilization. According to legend, the god Inti (the sun god) sent Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo to Earth to found the Inca kingdom in Cuzco.
Around the 13th century, the Incas founded the city of Cuzco, which became the center of their empire. Manco Cápac was the first ruler, and from him began a dynasty of rulers who led the Incas for many years.
The Inca began to expand their empire under Emperor Pachacuti (reigned c. 1438-1471), who implemented political, economic, and military reforms. During this period, the Inca created a vast empire that stretched from Colombia to Chile.
Inca society was hierarchical and based on a rigid social structure. The population was divided into social classes, and the terrace cultivation system allowed food production in different climatic regions.
The Incas built an advanced road system, known as Qhapaq Ñan, which connected different parts of the empire. This communication system facilitated trade, administration, and the rapid transfer of troops.
The religion of the Incas was based on the veneration of the sun god, Inti, and other gods. Ancestor worship was also important, and many ceremonies and holidays were dedicated to honoring the spirits of the ancestors.
In 1532, the Inca emperor Atahualpa was captured and killed by the Spanish led by Francisco Pizarro. This marked the end of the Inca empire and the beginning of Spanish rule in that region.
Despite the Spanish conquest, Inca culture had a lasting impact on the region. Many aspects of language, religion, and agricultural practices continued to influence Andean society.
The story of the Inca is a fascinating narrative of an empire that reached its peak only to be quickly overwhelmed by European conquest. Many of their accomplishments and culture have been preserved and studied to better understand the rich history of the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas.

Agriculture –
The Incas implemented advanced agriculture, overcoming the difficulties dictated by the terrain and climate. The adaptation of the agricultural techniques used allowed the Incas, first, to organize the production of different bands of crops in the coastal, mountain and jungle regions. The products were then distributed to villages that did not have access to other regions. The results obtained in agriculture would not have been possible without the manpower that was available to the Sapa Inca, or the road system that allowed the crops to be stored and distributed throughout the empire. These techniques were so efficient that some experts think that, if reapplied today, they would solve the nutrition problems of the Andean people for many centuries.
Inca agriculture was a fundamental component of the Inca civilization that flourished in South America, primarily in the Andean regions, between 1438 and 1533 AD. The Incas ran a vast empire that stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile and Argentina. Agriculture was essential to the survival of the Inca empire, and the Inca developed advanced agricultural techniques to adapt to the various climatic and topographical conditions of the different regions of the empire.
The Inca were known for building agricultural terraces on mountain slopes. These terraces allowed crops to be grown in mountainous regions, making the most of the available space and preventing soil erosion.
To increase the usable surface area, the Incas used numerous techniques typical of the Andes which allowed them to cultivate the hillsides and land at high altitudes.
Characteristic accommodations were:
– Anden, artificial agricultural terraces used to recover land suitable for sowing on Andean slopes. They made it possible to make the most of the water, deriving from both rainfall and irrigation, by circulating it in channels communicating between the different levels. With this method they avoided, at the same time, hydraulic erosion of the soil. The Andes were not only used for growing corn, but also for other agricultural products or for different uses: for sown fields, to avoid erosion, to wash mineral salt. It is believed that their construction required a large amount of manpower, which the Incas were able to easily provide.
– Camellon, artificial areas built on the shores of Lake Titicaca. They consisted of treating the hills in order to improve water exploitation in areas where floods were frequent, due to rainfall. In many ways, artificial furrows were traced between them to protect the plants, to facilitate drainage during rains, floods, irrigation and to reduce the cold at night, thus avoiding freezing of the crops.
– Cocha, or artificial lagoons, which in pre-Hispanic times, were created in punas used for cultivation, and to provide livestock with something to drink. These lagoons could be round, oval or rectangular, and were made up of numerous symmetrical grooves that collected rainwater and channeled it.
The Incas also developed sophisticated irrigation systems to guarantee the water supply of their crops. These systems included canals, reservoirs, and aqueducts that allowed water to be transported from springs to agricultural areas.
The main crops of the Incas included the potato, corn, quinoa, pumpkin, bean, and coca. The potato, in particular, was a key element of their diet and was grown in different varieties, adapted to different altitudes.
The Incas also practiced crop rotation to maintain soil fertility. This practice helped prevent soil nutrient depletion and promoted sustainable agricultural production.
The Inca also had an agricultural calendar based on the phases of the moon and the stars, which they used to plan their agricultural activities. This temporal organization contributed to maximizing crop yields.
Others developed food preservation methods, such as freeze-drying and drying, to preserve food for longer periods.
Inca agriculture was closely linked to their social organization and system of resource redistribution, in which the emperor controlled the distribution of arable land and agricultural resources to ensure the stability of the empire.

Agricultural tools and crops –
Inca farmers did not have domestic animals suitable for field work, so they relied on manual tools. These tools were adapted to the hilly terrain of the Andes, and to the limited extent of arable land.
Among these tools, the following are particularly noteworthy:
– Chakitaqlla, a man-powered plow that consisted of a wooden pole with a curved, rounded tip, often made of stone or metal. At the end of this pole there was a wooden transversal bar, on which the farmer could place his foot to make it sink into the ground, producing a furrow. This tool is still used in the Andes for plowing, sowing and building.
– Raucana, a hoe with a thin blade of chachacomo wood, no taller than 40 cm. It was used to harvest tubers, remove weeds and plant small seeds.
Furthermore, agriculture was celebrated with rituals, sacrifices and songs. Teams of seven or eight men, accompanied by an equal number of women, worked together to prepare the fields. Men used foot plows, chakitqlla, to break up the soil. The women followed, sowing. This work was accompanied by chants, striking the earth in unison. According to one source, Spanish priests found these songs so pleasant that they introduced them into religious services.

Guido Bissanti