The Way Incas Worked

What was the quipu used for? To store information about their culture. It was a system of cords where the cord color, way the cords were connected, placement of the knots on the cord, and type of knot all were part of their numerical recording. What is Terrace Farming and how was it done? Inca carried topsoil and gravel form more fertile lands up to hillsides so they could plant on land closer to where they lived. The government saved surplus food in a building in case of drought or flooding. How are pan pies made? By joining together pipes and tying them with grass the cutting the pipes to different sizes. What is the purpose of alpaca? Alpaca was used for fleece, food for the Incas, and companionship in the mountains. They were almost eliminated by the spanish who saw them as competitors but they were saved by Incas. What where potatoes used for and what happened to them? Potatoes were food and also used for art and in pottery. A unit of time the Incas went by was how long a potato took to cook. They became a main part of a person's diet until the famine in the 19th century. What was the Inca's greatest achievement in stonework? The Inca's could join together stones with out mortar and they fit together perfectly. How did the Inca's create their stonework? No one knows for sure but most people think that they took smaller stones from the river and used them as hammers (since Inca's didn't have any metal tools). Then they would use a scribe to fit them together perfectly. How did the Inca's make their rope bridges? The Inca's had women take grass and tie the grass together to make rope. Then stone anchors would go on both sides of the canyon. A huge rope would be thrown from one side to the other and then another rope would follow. It took three days to create the footpath out of branches and make the handrails out of more woven grass. What was the purpose of the rope bridge and why was it so necessary? Incas lived in a very hilly place filled with many canyons so rope bridges were needed for easy transportation to and from the empire. What did the Inca's calendar look like? The Inca's solar calendar had 365 days, twelve 30 day months, and 5 festival days. The Inca's also had a lunar calendar. Special towers called time makers used the positioning of the sun to mark the passage of the sun. How did the Inca's perform open skull surgery and keep the person alive? The Inca's removed shards of debris from a person's skull that had been crushed and allowed the brain to swell as part of the healing process. The first instance of open skull surgery was in the early 16th century in Machu Picchu What happened to the mummies of Inca rulers? Most of the mummies of Inca rulers were destroyed by the Spaniards during their conquest. Children were mummified in hilltops. How did the Incas preserve their mummies so well? Children were found in mountain tops in Peru and their lungs and organs still had blood on them because of the freezing temperature and the cold wind.