POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE INCAS: PYRAMIDS OF POWER AND ROLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The political organization of the Incas refers to the way in which the ancient Inca or Quechua civilization was structured socio-politically. This was a society that was characterized by being highly hierarchical, which was backed by a theocratic and absolutist monarchy.

Historians affirm that power was centralized in the figure of the Inca, who was supposed to have divine origin. For this reason, their orders and decisions were considered to be backed by the gods. In addition, the right to rule was obtained solely through inheritance, so that only those who shared a blood tie could be rulers.

The Inca civilization was a society that was characterized by being highly hierarchical. Source: pixabay.com

Despite the absolutist character of the political organization of the Incas, many researchers affirm that the Quechua government was one of the most advanced systems in America; Likewise, the Inca State was characterized by seeking the welfare of all its subjects, unlike other historical hierarchies, whose objective was to defend the interests of a small group.

The Inca civilization was one of the most important societies of the pre-Columbian era, since its empire spread over several territories of the continent and was made up of regions of what are currently the countries of Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.

Inca political organization: pyramid of power

The following is a presentation of how the Inca society was politically structured, from the most important role to that of the least political position:

The Sapa Inca or Inca

The Inca or Sapa Inca was the most authoritative figure within the Quechua civilization; in him resided all the power, both religious and political. Therefore, his power was complete and absolute, furthermore, his orders had to be carried out without being refuted. Despite this, some say that the Inca had a collective interest and looked after the popular benefit.

The Inca lived in Cusco, so this city was considered the capital of the empire. In it, the monarchs ordered to build rich palaces decorated with gold and precious stones.

Regarding his clothing, the Inca was identified with the mascapaicha, which was a tassel made of red wool that was placed on the head as a kind of headdress.

Despite living in Cusco, the Inca on many occasions had to travel to the other provinces in order to meet the needs of the people and to ensure that order was maintained in the vicinity of the capital.

The imperial council or the Tahuantinsuyo camachic

The imperial council consisted of a body made up of four chief advisers. Generally, they met with the Inca to inform him about the work that each one had developed in the regions of the Empire. In the same way, they advised the Inca on administrative and political matters in order to speed up the functioning of the State.

These four advisers were known as the Suyuyuc-Apu and had the support of twelve other advisers, four for each of them. Thus, the Tahuantinsuyo Camachic was made up of sixteen people in total: four main and twelve secondary councilors.

The Auqui or Crown Prince

The auqui was the next ruler of the empire and was generally the eldest son of the Inca, although there were some cases where the younger brothers were named successors. It was also possible to select in extreme cases the bastards that were born from the Inca's concubines, who were later legitimized.

After the crown prince was selected, he wore a mask like his father, but yellow. Afterwards, he was educated and advised to effectively carry out the monarch's work; He even took a seat next to the Inca during the meetings.

There are some records where it is stated that the Auqui, under certain circumstances, could participate in decisions about public administration. These types of actions prepared him for the moment when he assumed total control of the empire.

The Apunchic or Governor

The Apunchic were the governors of the Quechua provinces. The objective of these figures was to maintain order in the territories adjacent to the capital and they were chosen among the most distinguished warriors, since the apunchic had to have not only political knowledge, but also military knowledge.

They were generally located in fortresses within their region, although they were allowed to travel to the capital to celebrate the Inti Raymi and to inform the Inca and the Council about the work carried out.

The Tocricoc or «the one who sees everything»

The Tocricoc was an imperial overseer who had the duty to control and watch over all officials. In some cases, he could exercise government authority. He also collected the tributes and then sent them to the capital. In turn, he could marry the bride and groom and exercise justice over the condemned.

As for his clothing, the Tocricoc used a thread from the Inca's mascapaicha, which allowed his subjects to easily identify him.

On some occasions, these officials made trips incognito throughout all areas of the Empire in order to make sure that the Inca's orders were being carried out. This figure was highly respected within the Quechua culture, since it was a representation of the Inca's interests.

It was common for political officials to travel from the capital to the other provinces of the Empire. Source: pixabay.com

The Curaca or chief of the ayllu

The Curaca was the ruler of the ayllu, which was a form of community widely used in the Andean territories, characterized by grouping people who had common descent into the same tribe.

It can be affirmed that the curaca was an equivalent to the figure of the chief of the most primitive societies. This ruler used to be the wisest and oldest of the people, however, in some cases the Incas chose their own curacas, especially in the most important populations of the region.

The curaca could apply justice and watched over the order of his community. He could also collect certain tributes for the Inca.

Likewise, he had certain privileges, such as interviewing the monarch and having a Cusqueña as his main wife, along with a good number of secondary wives. Furthermore, the children of this figure were educated in Cuzco, along with the Quechua elite.

References

1. Bray, T. (2003) The commensal politics of early states and empires. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Springer
2. Cunow, H. (1933) The social organization of the Empire of the Incas. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Marxists: marxists.org
3. Favale, R. (sf) The Inca Empire. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Foreign Trade: Comercioexterior.ub.ed
4. SA (sf) Inca Civilization. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
5. SA (sf) Political organization of the Inca Empire. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Peruvian History: historiaperuana.pe
6. Silverblatt, I. (1988) Imperial dilemmas, the politics of kinship and Inca reconstructions of history. Retrieved on November 5, 2019 from Cambridge: cambridge.org