The Incas Social Organization

Social Organization
The empire was divided into quarters called “suya”
The suya was further divided into provinces called wamani
The smallest division of government was called allyu and they were responsible for paying taxes
Laws were made by the sapa inca
People were executed for cursing the gods if they were caught stealing, they would have their
hands cut off
Commoners were not allowed to travel on the roads

Meals
The Inca diet for ordinary people was largely vegetarian as meat they had camelid, duck, guinea
pig and wild game such as deer and the vizcacha rodent-was valuable as to be reserved only
for special occasions. More common was freeze-dried meat(ch’arki) which was a popular food
when traveling.

Entertainment
For entertainment the Inca people played sports such as Tlachtil, which was a variant of the
Mesoamerican ballgame. They also had dice games and other games of chance. Musically the
Inca played flutes,drums and pan pipes. Dancing was common, although not always between
the sexes.

Celebrations
The Inti Rami is an ancient Inca religious celebration, as we know the Inca worshiped their god:
the god Initi or Sun in its translation into spanish. Formerly the Inti Raymi lasted about 15 days;
people made sacrifices and presented dances to worship the sun god.
Festivals:
Inti Raymi---------->Festival of the Sun
Qoyllur Riti--------->Pilgrimage of the Bright White Snow
Sondor Raymi------>REligious and Cosmo Festival
Paucartambo-------->Patrimonial Festival

Mode of Dress
The men wore simple tunics reaching to just above the knees. On their feet they would wear
grass shoes or leather sandals. The women dressed in ankle-length skirts and usually with a
braided waistband. They wore a cap on their head and on their hair they pinnied a folded piece
of cloth.

Pregnancy
In the Inca society there was no opportunity to be lazy. Even chilldbearing women got little
respite from the daily grind. The mother-to-be might be excused from agricultural work during
the advanced stages of pregnancy but otherwise she was expected to carry 0ut all her
household chores for as long as was physically possible. From the Inca viewpoint, children were
valued as future additions to the workforce. Abortion therfore accomplishes by beatings, fetal
 The Incas Social Organization

massages and drugs was under the laws of the empire a capital offense for both the mother and
anyone who assisted her in the crime.
More often a peasant woman delivered her baby unaided and bathed the newborn and herself
in the nearest stream. Wherever she went she would carry her infant bundled in a backpack tied
across her chest with a shawl. Every infant was breast fed for as long as possible. Once the
child had been weaned it's parents observed the ceremony called rutuchicoy a feast attended
by relations and friends. Here the senior male relative would cut off a lock of the youngsters
hair.

Religion
The Inca religion combined features of animism, festishism and the worship of nature gods. The
pantheon was headed by Inti the sun god and included also Viracocha a creator god and culture
hero and Apu Illapu the rain god. Under the empire the Inca religion was a highly organized
state religion but while worship of the sun god and the rendering of service were required of
subjects peoples their native religions were tolerated. Inca rituals included elaborate forms of
divination and the sacrifice of humans and animals. These religious institutions were destroyed
by the Spanish campaign against idolatry.