this video is brought to you by captivating history incus the word evokes images of the magnificence of machu picchu incredible wealth and a vast empire the Inca Empire stretched across western South America from Quito in modern-day Ecuador then south to Santiago Chile all linked by a sophisticated road system in the 15th century it was the largest empire in the Americas and indeed the whole world and yet it flourished for only a short time from roughly 1400 to 1533 seee the Incas were conquerors architects engineers and astronomers although they numbered only about 100,000 they ruled over an empire of about 10 million people made up of many ethnic groups but all it took was a small group of Spanish conquistadors to bring the whole thing crashing down early Inca rulers in their creation story the Inca were the direct descendants of the Sun God inti according to legend the first Inca ruler manco capac and his sister wife mama ochio traveled to the Cusco Valley in southeastern Peru after defeating the local chunk of people Makkah is then said to have thrown a golden rod into the ground where it landed marked the spot of the eventual capital Cusco as the creation myth was so tightly intertwined with the story of their rulers it was believed there were only 13 generations of Inca Kings starting with he ruled from about 1200 to 1230 seee the kings were called Sapa Inca meaning mighty or only Inca there were only two dynastic lines the hirin and the Hana the hirin Kings did little to expand their lands beyond the Cusco Valley in 1350 the han dynasty came to power under Inca Roca he had supported the murder of his father after a family dispute while Inca Roca took on neighboring peoples during his reign his motives were more about plundering than gaining new territory it would be almost another 80 years before the inca empire truly began the Empire Rises Veera coca inca came to power in 1410 declaring that he would conquer half the world he was the first to rule rather than just pillage the Lancia taken over in 1438 however he was forced to flee Cusco after coming under attack from the rival Changa his son pocha Kuti said that he would not abandon the city during the crisis and led his forces to victory despite this Veera coca could not forgive his son's defiance or during his death however patch akuti prevailed once again when his father abdicated in his favour although some 100 years earlier Inca astronomers have predicted the end of their people Pecha Kucha refused to believe this grim forecast he began an era of conquest because of his efforts the Inca Empire covered almost the entire western side of South America within three generations the Incas took a three-pronged approach to expansion diplomacy fortification and logistics negotiations with those the intended to conquer always began diplomatically with the offer of trade monetary rewards high ranking jobs and influential marriages Inca forces would put on a good show of intimidation tactics without actually attacking this gentle siege usually led to capitulation as the Empire expanded fortifications Garrison's and storage depots were built especially in areas with a charm in intimidation offensive had not been as successful sometimes people in these so called hot spots were resettled in order to subdue them the Inca army comprised conscripts from all conquered peoples who had to make a tribute of themselves as soldiers in times of war they were led into battle by their own Lords ensuring loyalty on route to battle they were provided with food clothing and weapons from the storehouses built along main roads a victorious Inca Emperor would walk on his enemy's heads in Cusco Spain plaza sometimes heads were fashioned into drinking vessels or flayed skin would make ceremonial drums soldiers of all classes would be rewarded for acts of bravery Emperor Pachacuti also found time to rebuild much of Cusco including the important temple of the Sun he called for constructing the road of the Inca which stretched like a binding force from Quito to Chile many archaeologists also believed that he built Machu Picchu as a personal estate the Empire continued to flourish under pachuco t son tupac inca Yaphank ii it is twenty two years on the throne tupac added lands to the north along the andes up through to ecuador the city of Quito became a favorite of his and he brought in architects to rebuild it his son huayna Capac was one of the last great Inca leaders in his 34 year-long reign he made Quito the second Inca capital built strongholds and observatories and oversaw an empire at the zenith of its size and might by the time he died in 1527 though the stage was being sent for its eventual fall diseases brought by the Spanish conquistadors were already present at the royal court the Emperor himself died of either smallpox or measles his death unleashed a civil war between his sons Huascar and at the wampa as they fought to be sole ruler of the whole empire not just the half they each had inherited when anta Wafaa defeated and imprisoned his half-brother the new emperor had other rivals murdered and punished those who had taken Huascar son he may have even ripped out his enemies hearts and forced their supporters to eat them the civil war was most unfortunately timed as it created fractures in the empire and caused a distraction from the oncoming Spanish it also allowed for those who wanted to end Inca domination to side with the European invaders the Spanish conquistadors and the fall of the Empire the conquistadors who ended the Inca Empire were not a vast army there were only about 168 men but they came with weapons and tactics that the Inca had never seen before Toledo steel swords and Lance's guns European armor and cavalry many were filled with a fierce desire for fame glory and gold others fought in the name of the Christian gun the Holy Mother Church and for their ruler King Charles the fifth the man who led this small force was Francisco Pizarro born illegitimate in Trujillo Spain in the 14 70s he knew that he would need to make his own fortune in the new world decades later in 1532 he was battle-hardened and forging into the inca kingdom as he made his way he received gifts and an invitation to visit the Emperor the Spanish didn't realize this was the traditional threat issued to an enemy Atahualpa spies relayed information about the invaders as they made their way to cajamarca in northern Peru the conclusion was these strangers were not gods they got tired sick some even died gods didn't die Pizarro issued an invitation to a de Wamba soon after reaching Kaja marca he hadn't made up his mind as to what his next move would be demand that the Inca leader swear allegiance to the Spanish throne in ambush or maintained the pretense that the Spanish were a benevolent presence just to be on the safe side his armed men hid around the place ready to act otta wampa made a dramatic entrance with thousands of courtiers and unarmed soldiers the papal envoy presented him with a Bible explaining that now he would need to follow the true Catholic faith and pay tribute to the Holy Roman Emperor atahuallpa was curious about this new religion but quickly grew angered when he couldn't understand the writing he threw the holy book on the ground giving bizarro a reason to attack cannons went off and the cavalry charged overwhelming the crowd less than two hours later some 7,000 Inca lay slaughtered in the plaza and at the wampa was under arrest the Inca leader realizing that the Spanish were after riches offered gold and silver filled rooms Pizarro took the money and then put onto guapa on trial he was found guilty of among other charges treason for ordering the death of his half-brother Huascar on July 26th 15:33 he himself was executed by the Spanish shortly before he converted to Christianity so he would not be burnt of a stake as a heretic the conquistadors installed the puppy king monk alinka upon qui within a few years however he had grown tired of Coe ruling with the Spanish he escaped Cusco embraced an army of up to four hundred thousand men a ten month long siege of the capital failed and his men deserted him to return to their farms monka led his remaining followers into the remote jungles of vilcabamba where he founded a short-lived neo Inca state in 1572 the last independent Inca ruler Tupac Amaru died the Inca Empire had fallen after flaming so brightly yet so briefly the jungles covered many of the remote sites for centuries palaces and sacred sites were converted into Catholic churches and other colonial buildings waves of epidemics along with infighting amongst the Spanish and war against the remaining Inca resistance caused a loss of 50% of the indigenous population within the first century after conquest and yet the Inca Empire persists in the memories of the many people its territories touched Quechua the language of the Inca is still spoken by eight million people who live in the central Andes ancient rituals such as the greeting of the Sun on a June solstice continued and archaeologists are still uncovering information about the intriguing people to discover more about the Incas then check out our book Incas a captivating guide to the history of the Inca Empire and civilization it's available as an e-book paperback and audio book also grab your free mythology bundle ebook for free while still available all links are in the description if you enjoyed the video please hit the like button and subscribe for more videos like this