Religious and Political Organization of the Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was very highly organized and the political organization reflected the religious ideology of the civilization. The Sapa Inca was believed to be a deity--the "Son of the Sun." Ascension to this exalted position was by hereditary rule, chosen by a committee of elders. The Sapa Inca was formally married to his sister, the Coya, but had legal access to a large group of "Chosen Women." Some of these were devoted to the church and celibate, but other were effectively other wives of the Sapa Inca. A son was chosen from among the offspring of the Coya or from any of the 200 or so concubines. Thus brother and sister, King and Queen in the Incas could be developed from a large group of half-brothers and half-sisters.

The Inca empire was largely administered through an aristocracy. This was essentially the cadre of advisors to the Sapa Inca. The Incas dealt with the problem of the legitimacy of their rulers in an interesting way. Typically, in traditional societies and even in some developed societies, the recognition of the right to rule (legitimacy) is hereditary (ascribed). The problem facing societies that use descent grouping for legitimizing leaders is that there is no guarantee that the most talented people will be utilized (as the history of Europe and other places will attest). The Incas had two routes into this selective cadre -- the "Noble Incas"--ascribed (related to the Inca and Coya) and --the Curacas--achieved (recognized amongst the society as having particularly good judgment). In this fashion the government always had a bloodline to the Inca--but also tapped local human resources.

Perhaps the most amazing this to the Spaniards--after the admiration of the buildings--was the way the general populace viewed their government. The writers of the time universally mention that the government was well loved by the people (at least the original Quechua people). They believed that the taxes and conscription into public service was fair. This might be particularly surprising to modern students because of their work--1/3 went toward the rituals and celebrations of the state church, 1/3 went to the running of the government and military--leaving 1/3 for domestic consumption and trade. Thus, the common people had a 67% tax levied upon them, but they universally reported how they loved their government and the Inca. In addition to tax of this material type, the state conscripted males into distant service. This was occasionally for military service, but often for road building and the re-distribution of goods.

The empire was connected with an elaborate system of "roads" which are really trails as the Incas had no wheeled vehicles. The trail system connected even the far-flung reaches of the region. They consisted of well paved and maintained paths that can accommodate 2 people abreast. Much of the system is now in disuse or lost, but enough trails do remain to understand the early descriptions and provide excellent hiking in the realm.

There are stations along the trails, between 2 and 5 miles apart, that served as living quarters for the "runners." This was a special class of young men who conducted the business on the trails. The trails were "closed" in the sense that you needed permission from the Inca to use the path. These young men would run between stations when time of delivery was deemed crucial. Typically there were 2 men at each station. A runner with a message (oral) or an item (food, fertilizer or such) would call out upon approach to one of these stations. One of the occupants would run out to meet the incoming runner, receive the message or item, and then continue to the next station. The original messenger would rest and then return to their own station. In this way, it was said that the Inca (who resided in Cuzco) ate fresh fish from the ocean and could send and retrieve information throughout the 2,000 mile empire in a matter of a few days.

The Spaniards marvelled at the organization of the Empire and were left with only the excuse that the Quechua people were not Christians in their desire to feel superior. The problem with such a tight theocracy became evident when the Spaniards murdered the current Inca. Since the entire society was run by a single god-man, his elimination without preparation left the society beheaded. They were never able to recover their organizational skills to ward off the Spanish invasion. Although a few revolts were mounted, they were all put down by force and within a few decades (by 1572) all of Peru was under Spanish domination.