The Incas divided their empire, known as Tawantinsuyu, into four administrative regions. Geographically, however, the realm encompassed three distinct zones, with each band stretching from north to south across the Inca Empire. Differences in climate, terrain and available resources gave each of these geographic zones its own unique characteristics, both socially and in terms of political significance.
Geography of the Incas: Andes Mountains
The Andean range was the geographic backbone of the Inca Empire. Stretching from north to south across the length of Tawantinsuyu, the highlands and foothills of the Andes were the heartlands of the empire, both spiritually and geographically. The Incas worshipped mountain peaks as gods, while the vast altiplano (high plateau) was home to Lake Titicaca, the legendary birthplace of the Inca civilization.
The range formed a distinct barrier between the vast jungle region to the east and the arid coastal plains to the west. The mountains and gorges of the highlands hindered travel in the region, but at the same time offered a strong defensive platform to the Incas. Rope bridges served as vital links along the highland road system, and were closely monitored and maintained (and severed or burned in the event of attack).
Life was hard in the high altitudes and cold climate of the region. Inca clothing was thick and heavy, and cultivating the steep, terraced slopes of the uplands was no easy feat in the thin Andean air. The cultivation of maize and potatoes played an important role in the upland Inca food supply.
Inca Coastal Desert Plains
Lodged between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the arid desert plain dominated the entire western flank of the Inca Empire. Rivers created infrequent strips of fertile land as they cut across the lowlands from the highlands, and the Incas built dams and irrigation systems in order to maximize available water for farming purposes.
However, the entire geographic region remained sparsely populated (particularly the Atacama Desert region of northern Chile, arguably the driest place on Earth). The Incas were not a seafaring civilization, but the sea did at least provide food and materials for the inhabitants of the coastal plain. Anglers took to the sea in small boats, using nets and hooked lines to catch fish and other marine animals. The coastal Incas used fish bone for decorative and practical purposes.
The traditional llama wool of the highlands was not suitable for the hot desert regions. Lighter Inca cloths were commonplace, and the cotton growing regions along the more fertile lowland valleys provided much of the necessary materials (the same regions produce Peruvian Pima Cotton today).
Inca Geography: Jungle Regions
The vast expanse of the Amazon jungle lay to the east of the Andean range. The Incas did not penetrate far into this inhospitable land; it was, for them, a savage land populated by equally savage peoples. 500 years after the Inca Empire, the region still lies relatively untouched and inaccessible (and many of the “savages” remain untouched by the modern world, as these photos from 2008 reveal).
The Inca realm became undefined and fragmented as it pushed east into the jungle, and major Inca settlements were limited to the upland cloud forest and the tropical foothills of the eastern slopes of the Andean cordillera.
According to Tamara Bray in the Encyclopedia of Prehistory, the tropical forests east of the Andes were the source of a number of important products. These included hardwoods (used for Inca weapons), coca, feathers, wax and honey. The jungle was also an important source of medicinal herbs and hallucinogens (used in religious ceremonies and rites of passage).
However, says Bray, the Incas “never succeeded in completely dominating this important resource zone”. Warriors, traders and explorers ventured east into the dense lowland jungle, but due to the problematic geography, Inca occupation of the region was not a priority.
Sources:
Tamara Bray – "Inca," Encyclopedia of Prehistory: South America, Volume 7; ed. by Peter N. Peregrine and Melvin Ember; Human Relations Area Files, Inc; 2002.
Gordon Francis McEwan – The Incas: New Perspectives, ABC-CLIO, 2006.
Tony Dunnell - Tony Dunnell is a freelance writer and a specialist in South American travel. He has two Peru blogs, howtoperu.com and tarapotolife.com
