Cuzco :: essays research papers

The first place, on my exploration of time, I arrived was in Cuzco the center of the Incan civilization in the year 1505 A.D. Their was much to observe on arrival. The first thing one notices is that Cuzco is in the center of the â€Å"four quarters† of the Incan Empire, Tawantinsuyu. The surrounding four quarters or the four â€Å"suyus† were to the north Chincasuyu, to the west Cuntisuyu, to the east Anitsuyu, and to the south Chinasuyu the largest quarter. Cuzco sat at the center of these four quarters of the empire and served as the capital. This capital of the Incan Empire severed as a home to the political center of the Incas. The rich political and social system proved the most interesting to me as I stayed in Cuzco.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The political system of the Incans proved rather ridged and complex. At the top of their society is the emperor. The Incan emperor was thought to be the a direct descendant of the sun god, Inti. The entire power of the Incan Empire belonged to its emperor. His system of checks and balances were that of their rich culture and of course the possibility of his subjects revolting. The emperor had only one wife that was recognized; though he had many concubines and hundreds of illegitimate children. Many of these children held the positions of advisors to the Emperor. The other relatives of the Emperor and other Emperors before him held the other high posts in the government, religion, and military. The last few government officials were the high nobles of the lands conquered by the empire. The practice of nepotism obviously was embraced by this society#.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The division of power in this civilization was a remarkable system. The governors of each quarter, once again, were blood relatives of the Emperor. Each governor had ten district governors who oversaw approximately ten thousand subjects. The governors then had leaders of about one thousand people who reported to them. Each leader of these small villages then had a foreman who over saw one hundred Incans. This process of division then ends in a series of low officials who would look over at least ten subjects1. This division the will of the emperor to be passed swiftly to the lowest members of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The emperor allocated his resources, through this rigid division of the society, to become more economically and politically sound.