03.03 Lesson Summary and Assessment What Do I Have To Do?
The Incas created a lively, thriving culture in ancient times. The six images shown here all relate to the Incas. Each image is also related to one of the six S. P.R. I.T. E. elements you’ve learned. Your task is to write a caption for each image shown. Your captions should be three to five sentences and explain how the image shows the Inca’s contribution to civilization.

What is a contribution? It is something meaningful. It can be unique or surprising. If you’re not sure what an image is, look over the lesson for clues. Take a minute to view the example below. Be sure to note how the caption describes the picture and the contribution.

Photograph of the ruins of Machu Picchu. Stone walls of a large complex cover the top of a very high mountain.
© 2012 The Associated Press
Example of student-written caption: This is an image of Machu Picchu. It has stone walls. The Incas were skilled stoneworkers. They built temples and walls with smooth, cut stones. The stones fit together so well that they did not need any mortar to hold them together.

Now it is your turn:

Requirements: Write a three to five sentence caption for the following six images. Don’t forget that your caption should:

1. Name and describe the image

2. Explain how the image shows the Inca’s contribution to civilization

Make sure to label each of your captions in your file that you send to your instructor. It should look like similar to this example.

Image #1 Social Contribution: (Your caption)
Image #2 Political Contribution: (Your caption)
Image #3 Religious Contribution: (Your caption)
Image #4 Intellectual Contribution: (Your caption)
Image #5 Technological Contribution: (Your caption)
Image #6 Economical Contribution: (Your caption)

Social Contribution: The social hierarchy of theIncas was broken down intofour different groups. Thesegroups included the Sapa Inca, who was the emperor at the top of the hierarchy. He owned and controlled everything in the Inca empire and was believed to be related to the sun god. Next came the royalfamily, which included the queen andrelatives of the Sapa Inca. Third was thenobility, which included distant relatives of the royalfamily or the highly educated, and last was theayllu which included everyone else. Becausethe Sapa Inca owned and controlled everything, no trading outside the Inca empire was necessary. Everything needingto be done inthe empirewascompleted through ‘tributes' or free labor from everyonefrom the agesoffifteen through fifty.

PoliticalContribution: Therewereabout20millionpeoplelivingin

theIncaEmpireatitspeakinthe1400s.ItscapitalcitywasCuzco,

whichislocatedinwhatknowtodayasPeru.Cuzcowaslocatedat

thepointwhereeachoftheempire’sfourdistrictscametogether.

Eachdistrictwasgovernedbysomeonefromemperor’sfamily.Over

time,severalemperorsconqueredmoreterritoryandthe

governmentwassetupforallpeopletopaytaxesor‘tributes’to

makesurethemilitaryor anysocialneedslikeroadsweremanaged

throughfreelaborfortheempire.

ReligiousContribution: TheIncasworshippedmanygodsandbelievedthat

theirprincipalgod,Viracocha,createdalllife.Eachgodalsorepresented

somethinginnaturesuchasInti,thesungod,whotheythoughtwasthemost

powerfulgod.TheIncapeoplealsorespectedtheirancestorsbymummifying

them.Cropsandpiecesandclothweresometimesburnedasofferingsand

llamasweresacrificedtotheGods,buttheydidn’tpracticehumansacrifice

exceptwhentherewasamajorcrisis.

IntellectualContribution: WhiletheIncasdid

notusewrittenlanguage,theydiduseacomplexmathand

communicationsystemofcoloredropescalledquipu.Notmany

peoplecouldreadthequipustrings,buttheywereavery

effectivewayofbothmathandcommunicatingacrossthe

empire.TheIncasalsousedcocaplantleavesasapowerfuldrug

inmedicine.

TechnologicalContribution: TheIncasusedveryadvancedforms

ofterracingtofarminthehighhills.Theywereexcellentstoneworkersandcouldbuildwallsof

stonefortheterracesthatdidnotrequireanymortar. TheIncas

wereveryskilledmetalworkers.Theyworkedwithcopper,tin,

bronze,silver,andgold whichtheyalsolearnedtoblend

togethertoformmetalalloys whichcouldthenbemadeinto

weaponsandtools.

EconomicalContribution: Macchu Picchuwasbuilthighinthe

mountains andwasabletosurviveearthquakesbecauseofthe

excellentstonework. TheIncanEmpirewasveryspreadout and

thegeographyvaried widelyso theIncastocreateahuge

systemof14,000milesofroadsthroughmountainsand

deserts.AllroadsledthroughthecapitalcityofCuzco. These

roadsgreatlyhelpedtheireconomybecausetheyusedthemto

communicate,movetheirarmiestoconquerneighbors,and

movesuppliesaroundwhereandwhentheywereneeded. The

Incasevenbuilt ropebridgesacrossdeeprivers,cutstepsinto

steepslopes,andtunnels throughmountains. Economicgrowth

wouldneverhavebeenpossiblewithoutthem.

Explanation:

the roman army grew in size and became dominant in the mediterranean region.

1. explain aspects of the democratic process as it was developed in ancient athens

2. trace the roots of the americans political process to ancient athens

3. explain the relationship of citizens to the political process