In-depth Notes on the Inca Empire

Context: 15th and early 16th centuries marked the rise of significant empires in the Americas before European colonization.
Focus: The Inca Empire, established shortly before the Spanish conquest, alongside the Aztec Empire.

Kingdom of Cusco:
- Does not exist as the Inca Empire at the onset of the 15th century.
- The ninth ruler, Pachacuti, initiates expansion efforts, leading to the formation of the Inca Empire.
- They referred to themselves as the rulers (Inca) rather than the Empire.
Name and Meaning:
- Inca: Term used for rulers, specifically in reference to Pachacuti Inca.
- Tawantesuyu: The name for the empire, referring to four regions with Cusco at the center.

Aztec Empire:
- Forms around the same time as the Inca Empire in the 15th century.
- Previously existing civilizations such as the Mayans had reached their post-classical period, with many independent city-states remaining.

Empire Size:
- Largest empire in the Americas at the time of European conquest.
- Estimated population of approximately 10 million people.
Remarkable Infrastructure:
- Constructed significant structures like Machu Picchu, believed to be built as Pachacuti’s estate.
- Sophisticated construction achieved despite the lack of a traditional written language; utilized a system of knots for record-keeping.
Economic System:
- Lacked a formalized monetary system, no coinage as known today.
- Mit'a System: Taxation through labor; citizens contributed a specific percentage of their labor directly to the empire's projects, similar to modern tax systems but without monetary exchange.
- Example: Building of Machu Picchu funded through this labor taxation.

Timeline:
- The Inca Empire lasts about 100 years before Spanish conquest.
Francisco Pizarro:
- Led the conquest with only several hundred men, against the powerful Inca forces numbering in the tens of thousands.
- Factors in conquest:
- Superior weaponry of conquistadors.
- Possible complacency of the Inca ruler, underestimating the Spanish threat.