1. Section 3
The Americas
South America
Preview
•
Main Idea / Reading Focus
•
Early Cultures in South America
•
Map: South American Cultures
•
The Inca Empire
•
Faces of History: Pachacuti
•
Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
•
Video: The Impact of Mayan Achievements on Math and Astronomy

2. Section 3
The Americas
South America
Main Idea
1. Several early cultures in South America adapted to extreme
environmental conditions. One of them, the Incas, built one of
the biggest and most powerful empires in the Americas.
Reading Focus
• How did early cultures of South America adapt to their
environments?
• How was the Inca Empire organized?

3. The Americas
Section 3
Early Cultures in South America
The western region of South America is one of environmental
contrasts where early peoples learned to adapt and build civilizations.
The Chavín
Chavín Crops
• Lived in Peruvian highlands,
800 to 400 BC
• Warmer valleys had irrigation
systems, grew corn
• Chavin de Huantar
• Cooler higher in mountains,
grew potatoes
– Urban religious, trading center
of culture
– Home to about 3,000 farmers,
craftspeople
• Several different ecological
zones represented in Andes
• High-altitude grasslands,
raised llamas and alpacas
• Other Andean peoples later
adopted these methods of
farming

4. The Americas
Section 3
Early Cultures in South America
The Moche
2. The Nazca
• Lived in coastal desert of Peru
in farming, fishing villages 400
BC to AD 600
• Desert people, 200 BC to AD
600, best known for huge
designs on desert floor
• Built irrigation canals in desert,
channeled flow of Andean
streams to crops
• Many theories, including having
to do with location of water
• Best known for skilled
metalwork in gold, silver,
pottery
• Pottery depicted scenes of
everyday life, including warfare
• Built irrigation canals and relied
on springs, flooding of streams
to water crops
• Farming supported large
population

5. The Americas
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6. The Americas
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Identify Problem and Solution
What problems did the environments of
South America create, and how did early
cultures solve those problems?
Answer(s): extremely dry area, high mountain
range, rain forest; planted crops based on zone,
built irrigation canals so streams would flow from
mountains to crops

7. Section 3
The Americas
The Inca Empire
Inca’s expansive empire
• Brought entire South American
region into one empire
• Began as small Andean tribe
• Early 1500s, empire expanded
along Pacific coast, Andes
Ruling a large empire
Government
• Period of rapid expansion
began 1400s from Cuzco
• Pachacuti used political
alliances, military force
• Expanded by later leaders
Creating stability
• Incas needed strong
government
• Emperor had most power
• Moved leaders of conquered
areas out
• Moved loyal new leaders in
• Did not want conquered people
to rebel
• Military used to protect against
rebellion, external attacks

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9. Section 3
The Americas
The Inca Empire
Economy
• Strictly controlled by government
• Common people required to pay labor tax, called the mita
• Government told each household what work to do to pay tax
Mita
• Paid by weaving cloth, working on government farms, mines, building roads
• No merchants, goods distributed by government
• Extra food, goods stored in government warehouses for emergencies
Tracking goods
• Inca used quipu, colored and knotted cords representing numbers, dates
• No written language, quipu used to record taxes, number livestock, census
• Road system improved communication, helped government control economy

10. Section 3
The Americas
The Inca Empire
The government also played a big role in Inca society. Each family
was grouped with others into a cooperative community called an ayllu.
Ayllu
• Members shared
activities like
farming, building
canals, rituals
• Each group of ten
ayllus had chief
• Chain of command
from emperor down
to local level
Class Divisions
• No slaves
• Most belonged to
lower class
– Farmers
– Artisans
– Servants
• Wore plain clothes
• Could not own
more than needed
• Served upper class
Upper Class
• King, government
officials, priests
• Lived in capital,
Cuzco
–
–
–
–
Stone houses
Fine clothes
Did not pay tax
Attended school
to prepare to be
officials

11. Section 3
The Americas
The Inca Empire
Religion a key element of Inca society
People allowed to worship local gods
–
Sun god was most important of all
–
Believed kings related to sun god
• Main temple located in Cuzco
–
Mummies of dead kings worshipped
–
Religious ceremonies often included sacrifices of
llamas, cloth or food, rarely humans

12. Section 3
The Americas
The Inca Empire
3. The level of organization of Inca government and society led to
significant achievements in the areas of engineering and the arts. The
Incas were particularly talented builders of temples, forts and roads.
Many Inca structures were built so well they still stand today.
Metalwork
• Especially skilled in metalwork
• Artisans made intricate ornaments
of gold, silver
• Created a life-sized field of corn out
of gold, silver in temple courtyard
Weaving
• Weavers worked with wool, cotton
• Divided cloth into three categories
oPlain for households
oFiner for taxes and trade
oSpecial for royal and religious
purposes
• Variety of patterns used
In spite of the high level of achievement, the Inca Empire lasted only
about 100 years. Arrival of Spanish in 1532 marked end of Empire.

13. Section 3
The Americas
Summarize
What methods did the government use to
control the Inca Empire?
Answer(s): relocation of local leaders, the mita,
organized society into ayllus

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15. Section 3
The Americas
Video
The Impact of Mayan Achievements on Math
and Astronomy
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