Andean Civilizations: Chimú and Inca

Chimú Culture (ca. 900-1470)

• Rose to prominence in the 900s, building on Moche foundations.
• Capital: Chan Chan.
• Created the largest empire in the Andes with excellent infrastructure and administration.

Inca Empire (1300s-1500s)

• Emerged in the Cusco region in the 1200s.
• Expanded rapidly, stretching 3,000 miles from north to south.
• Absorbed the Chimú empire by the mid-1400s.

Keys to Incan Power

• Road network: over 13,000 miles.
• Complex bureaucracy.
• Extreme social stratification legitimized by religion.

The Great Inca

• Considered the descendant of the sun god.
• Owned all property.

Inca Might

• Reached its peak in the 1400s, controlling 4 to 6 million people.
• Weakened by resentment among exploited subjects.
• Fell to Spanish colonists in the 1500s.