The Domestication of Plants and Agricultural Innovation in the Inca Empire

Works Cited The Inca Empire Cartwright, M. (2014, September 15). Inca Civilization. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/. Inca. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://projectshum.org/society/history/inca/. Picasa. (2013). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_of_Machu_Picchu_Inca_empire_Peru.jpg Agricultural Innovation (2014). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Incan_aqueduct_at_Tipon._Cusco,_Peru.jpg (2010). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stipagyneroides.jpg Meier, A. (n.d.). Grass Cords. photograph, Washington DC. Meier, A. (n.d.). The Inca Rope Bridge. photograph, Washington DC. Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (2005). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Museum_of_the_American_Indian.jpg

Here are questions for you to think about and answer. Question 1 The Inca Empire's ultimate demise was when the Spanish came and conquered them. (Even though this would inevitably happen) where do you think they could have kept going with their technological advancements? Question 2 The domestication of plants was an integral part of the advancement of society. From what we have learned in Anthropology, we know that a sedentary lifestyle helped the advancements of civilizations. If you were living in this time period, what do you think some downfalls to living this kind of lifestyle would lead to? (All photos were taken by me at the National Museum of the American Indian unless stated otherwise).

Agricultural Innovation was key to their survival. Terraces The Inca Empire spanned along the Andean Mountain range. This meant that much of their land was not able to be farmed due to erosion. Agricultural Terraces were invented to help grow crops on the side of the mountain. The terraces helped to control the flow of water so the soil did not erode. A picture (of the museum exhibit) below shows the difference in water flow between a terraced mountain and a regular mountainside. Water and Food Storage The Incans also built stone conduits and aqueducts to reroute the water to prevent erosion. Stone irrigation channels and water storage facilities allowed them to have control of the water. With each advancement came the expansion of the population of the empire. Food was grown in excess and stored in man-made, flagstone hutches called Colca. Image from Wikimedia Commons Suspension Bridges These suspension bridges were made out of Jarava Ichu grass, a feather g...

The main crops from the Inca Empire were potatoes, coco leaves, and corn.  Potatoes Potatoes were grown all throughout the Empire. They were one of the few foods that were able to sustain such a large amount of people. They domesticated a plethora of varieties of potatoes that thrive in almost every climate.  Coco Leaves Coco leaves were grown for a multitude of reasons. The leaves provided adults with energy as they chewed while working; they also were used to relieve altitude sickness among other things. The Andean people used the leaves as an offering at holy sites. Coco leaves were controlled by the Inca Empire. Teams were assigned to tend to and harvest plants. Below is a small recreation of the coca plant along with a small Inca coca bag. Corn Corn was used for food, drinks, and offerings. Corn was grown in many different varieties and was offered to every newly conquered territory. It also led to the agricultural innovation of terraces on mountainsides. ...

Image from Wikimedia Commons Inca Empire The Inca Empire was founded in 1438 AD, centered in Peru, the entirety of the Empire ran up and down the Andean Mountain range ("Inca"). Their terrain was different in many different parts of the empire, but they adapted to each of them with man-made structures, for example, the terraced structures and mountain communities (Cartwright, 2014).