Iowa Public Television

Time Compass

Incas & The Andean Cultures (#102)

At the same time as the Turks were invading Byzantium, legend has it that Inca civilization was established by the sun god, Inti, who sent his representative to form the first Inca family and establish Inca farming practices. Students learn of the Inca system of terracing, the growth of potatoes and corn, and the remarkable transportation routes where messages were sent thousands of miles by Inca runners. They also learn about the mysteries of Inca architecture as exhibited in the still fabled city of Machu Picchu. In spite of having no written language, government accounts were recorded by a system of knotted ropes. The episode closes with an acknowledgment of the Spanish chroniclers who were the first to record Inca history in written form. Students learn that as the Spanish conquered Inca territories, in Japan, the samurai warrior class was established and so began traditional Japanese isolationism. [18 minutes]