The Incas [antikvár]

ORIGINS OF THE INCASThe Incas learned goldworking skills from peoples th^ conquered, like the Chimus. This 12th-13th centuiy Chimu vase is made of gold and decorated with turquoises.Chimu goldsmiths at work. They blew through long metal tubes to make the charcoalfire bum hotter. Although the Andean peoples made many wonderful objects in gold, most of them hca'e disappeared -melted down by the Spanish conquistadors.bout 50,000 years ago, the first people came to North b America across a land bridge which joined north-east Asia to Alaska. By about 10,000 bc their descendants had moved into South America. Some became hunter-gatherers in the lush Amazonian rainforest. Others became farmers in what is now Peru. It was from this group, about 6,000 years ago, that the first significant South American civilizations emerged.A HARD LANDTiie western side of South America is a harsh, mountainous region dominated by the craggy peaks of the Andes mountains. South America contains almost every type of chmate and landscape from lifeless deserts to lush jungles. Annual average temperatures vary from over 27°C (80°F) in the tropical north to below zero in the south. In the east of the region lie some of the wettest places on Earth vnth an amazing annual rainfall of 10 metres. In contrast, the Atacama Desert in the west is probably the driest region in the world, with an average annual rainfall of zero. The terrain, which contains glaciers, salt pans, mineral-fouled lakes and some of the worid's most active volcanoes, is often shaken by major earthquakes.THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONSPeru is a very mountainous country that has very htde level farming land. The desolate high plains, called punas, are too cold to cultivate. The barren coastal plain is mainly desert. The best areas for cultivation and living are the river valleys. About 10,000 years ago, many small communities sprang up along the banks of the rivers which emptied into the Pacific. But there were only six main regions able to support large groups of people.DEVELOPING SKILLSAt first the people lived in stone or mud-brick huts. They ate fish, potatoes and beans. But as each culture learned from and adopted the ideas of earlier cultures, new skills developed. The first large civilization, the Chavin Culture, flourished in the northern highlands of the Andes from 850 to 350 BC. The Chavins built terraces for growing crops, grain stores to preserve their harvests, and temples where they worshipped a cat god. Their craftsmen produced many beautiful gold and silver objects.