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Traditionally when we talk about the civilization
developed in this part of the Andes since the year 1200 A.D., we say the
" Inkan" culture, civilization, empire, state, etc. Actually that is not
the best or right way to name it because as it is known in pre-Hispanic
days "Inka" was just one person: the King, Emperor, Ruler, State Chief,
or however we would like to call him. That way, there was only one
"Sapan Inka" (Unique Inka) who occupied the summit of their social
pyramidal stratification. He was followed by the nobility or "orejones"
(big-eared people) called that by the conquistadors because of the
deformation of their earlobes due to the use of heavy earrings and
ornaments that made their difference with common people. Next were the "
runa" (common people) and lower the punished " mitimaes" that were
moving or displaced people. At the end were the " Yanaconas" (Yanakuna)
or household servants. The official language in their broad territory
was the " Runa Simi" that translated to English is "man's tongue". This
same language is also known as " Quechua" or "Quichua" in some Andean
areas; those are Spanish forms of the original " Qheswa". Many modern
scholars are using "Quechua" or "The Quechuas" in order to talk about
that mentioned civilization. Thus, in this work we use indistinctly both
nouns: "Inkas" or "Quechuas". Their territory, native land or country
was the Tawantinsuyo, a compound name that comes from two Quechua words,
"tawa": four, and "suyo": nation or state. So, Tawantinsuyo in the
idiomatic Quechua sense is a whole that has four nations, even though,
in a very arbitrary way many authors translate Tawantinsuyo as "the four
quarters or portions of the world". Space distribution and planning among the Quechuas were based on some
elementary aspects of their daily life. They always took in mind the
relationships of duality, tripartition, and fourthpartition. The
Tawantinsuyo was divided in four " suyo" or "suyu" which central angle
was in Qosqo City, its capital. The word Qosqo is apparently an archaism
that according to chroniclers meant " navel" or " center" of the world;
in this case it would be the center or navel of the Tawantinsuyo. From
the southeastern angle of the city's Main Square started four main roads
towards the four "suyo" or nations and which names are still used in
different sectors of the Andes. Towards the city's northwest was the "
Chinchaysuyo" going as far as the Ancashmayo River in Pasto, present-day
Colombia at 4° of north latitude. Towards the southwest was the "
Contisuyo" occupying part of the Peruvian coast and going as far as the
Maule River in present-day southern Chile at 36° of south latitude.
Towards the southeast was the " Collasuyo" occupying all what today is
Bolivia and going as far as Tucuman in present-day Argentina. Towards
the northeast in the subtropical valleys and even occupying the
beginning of the Amazonian lower jungle was the " Antisuyo". In fact,
what is known as Inkas' Territory spread out over an area more than
3'000,000 Km² (1'158,306 mile²); that is, more than double present-day
Peruvian territory; and covered about 5,000 Km. (3,107 miles) of coast
over the Pacific Ocean.
The Tawantinsuyo's success was due to some factors that are missed in
present-time Peru which were based in order: a social, economic and
legal order according to realities of the moment. The Quechuas were
highly organized people and every aspect of their daily life was framed
in obedient respect and pursuit of permanent and irremovable laws.
Tradition has stated three basic laws attributed to the Tawantinsuyo
that would synthesize their order: Ama Sua, Ama Llulla, Ama Kella (do
not be thief, liar, neither lazy). Though in modern history it is argued
that those are precepts created in colonial times in order to get
complete subjection of the native breed. It is obvious that by that pre-Hispanic
time the legal system tended to state some homogeneity among the
different nations in order to get the high living standard that Quechuas
reached for that age. The "Runa Simi" was established as official
language in the "Tawantinsuyo" territory. They established a land
division system with parts belonging to the Sun, to the Inka, and to the
State. Like that they guaranteed their flourishing social security
system in order to aid old people, orphans, widows or unfortunate people.
Logically the biggest portion of lands were devoted to be shared among
common people. Thus, every newborn boy had right to one "topo" of
fertile farming land and every girl to a half "topo" (topo or tupu:
changing measure based on the human step equivalent to about 2700 m²;
0.27 Ha.; 0.67 acres). All lands were the state's property and they
could not be inherited or sold; thus when a person died his or her
farmland was taken by another newborn. Moreover, they established a
planned sedentarism for all the population, trying to get a land-man
balance with the "mitimaes" that were people or tribes displaced from
their hometowns.
It is really difficult to catalogue the Inkan Society in the right way.
That is determined by the heterogeneous historical interpretation
systems; that is, the different positions, philosophies, interests,
nationalities and even races of the many scholars occupied on it. In
general terms, those who study only or principally the Inkan nobility
suggest that this was an enslaving or early feudal society. Those who
study principally the "runa" or common people suggest that it was
socialist or social-imperialist. In synthesis, the society that was
developed, lived and practiced by the Quechuas was peculiar and unique,
it has no equivalent in traditional European societies. Thus its
production mode is also sui-generis and must be considered as it is; out
of the considered by many scholars "infallible" schemes. It is
outrageous to argue that the Tawantinsuyo was a society of the "bronze
age" only taking in mind that bronze was the hardest metal they got,
without considering their development in planning, social organization,
agriculture, architecture, engineering, etc., that was ahead of many Old
World contemporary societies. The Tawantinsuyo was characterized by its
absolute and monarchical government that developed paternal patterns for
their people. People among who there was neither private property nor
starvation. Protected people who lacked little, in counterpart, were
devoted to work and obedient to the law; making altogether a society
that was not perfect but very well balanced. Consequently, modern
scholars such as Jose Tamayo classify the Tawantinsuyo framed inside the
"Theory of reciprocity and redistribution, and the vertical control of
ecological stages in the Highlands and Coast of southern Peru".
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