If only he himself [the Inca] had
Delicate dishes and coca leaves.
Our lamas are dying
When crossing the sandy highlands.
And our legs are tormented by thorns, And if we do not want [in military service]
die of thirst, We must travel great distances
Dragging water on your own back.
(Poem "Apu-Ollantai". Stingle Miloslav. "The State of the Incas. Glory and death of the sons of the sun")
War and diplomacy of the ancient Incas
In the state of Tahuantinsuyu, there was universal military service, and any citizen of the Inca empire could be drafted into the army, if only he was physically healthy. Not all were called, but by lot. But since the empire fought almost continuously (especially during the reign of its last six rulers), it turned out that almost every man acquired experience in military affairs. Moreover, only those who either fought or were called up for military service received the right to marry and start their own family from the Incas!
There is a private archaeological museum of Raphael Larco Herrera in Lima. So it is a modern and very rich repository of ancient Peruvian artifacts, including those belonging to the Incas. True, the Spaniards mercilessly melted the gold jewelry of the Incas, but, nevertheless, there is something to see in the museum. Well, let's say, for these headdresses of the Inca leaders. And one can imagine how such and similar ornaments acted on the simple souls of peasants and soldiers of the Inca army. (Larco Museum, Lima)
Well, the introduction to military service for commoners began from a very early age and took place directly in the Ailiu communities. By the early 15th century, the Inca empire introduced compulsory military training for all young people between the ages of 10 and 18. Experienced warriors, usually from among the junior officers, supervised their training, who taught young people the art of using weapons, the basics of hand-to-hand combat, the ability to overcome water obstacles, besieging enemy fortresses, giving smoke signals and many other things important for a warrior.
Museum building.
After training, the young men passed something like an exam, which was attended by the Inca state inspector, who observed how well the future soldiers mastered the military wisdom. Only after successfully passing this exam, the young man was considered an adult. At the same time, the sick and the crippled were not subject to military training. But, as elsewhere, including today, young people who have undergone military training look down on such people. Well, as soon as the war began, the communities fielded the required number of soldiers, and they went on a campaign along with the unit to which this community was assigned on the basis of the administrative division of the empire.
Such a "T-shirt" with gold discs could be both a shell in battle (why not?) And the insignia of a high-ranking commander. (Larco Museum, Lima)
All this suggests that the Inca military was both well-developed and had a clear structure. For example, even the powers of power were clearly distributed in such a way that the ruler of the city of Cuzco was engaged in the economic activities of the empire, as well as the supply and maintenance of its army, it was commanded by a military leader - who was either the supreme ruler Sapa Inca himself, any person specially appointed by him - but in any case a person who belonged to the Inca nobility.
Well, just a unique collection of tops of macan maces - the main weapon of the Incas in hand-to-hand combat. They were made from a wide variety of materials - stone, copper, bronze and even gold. (Larco Museum, Lima)
Could the supreme ruler of the empire - Sapa Inca or the Only Inca - be a good general? It turns out that he not only could, but simply had to be, since he was prepared for this from early childhood. In Tauantinsuyu, it was believed that the higher a person occupies a position, and the more noble he is, the more abilities he should have. Therefore, the young heir to the supreme ruler, and he really chose him and his eldest son did not always become one (such were the customs of the Incas!), Had to be not only the most educated among young people of noble birth, but also the most physically developed. He had to train methodically, while performing complex physical exercises, develop endurance and strength, and, of course, the ability to defend himself. Why the future Inca was taught the art of wielding weapons: he had to be able to fight with a spear, the mace of a macan, and throw stones from a sling. They taught him and the art of war itself, that is, everything that the Incas knew about strategy and tactics, and they knew, judging by their successes in wars with neighbors, not so little at all.
This is a copper pommel. (Rio de Janeiro Archaeological Museum)
Metal top. (Larco Museum, Lima)
The head is made of gold. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
A club with a pommel set on it. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
A club with a stone pommel. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Moreover, the martial art of the Incas differed in its essence from the martial art of other Indian peoples, including the same Aztecs and Mayans. After all, if they fought in order to capture more prisoners and use them first as slaves, and then sacrifice them to their gods, then the Incas set their goal exclusively to seize new territories and … to familiarize the conquered with their high culture! Therefore, the invasive wars of the Incas were large-scale operations with the participation of thousands of soldiers who simply suppressed the enemy with their numbers. At the same time, the Incas built powerful fortresses that protected their lands from retaliatory strikes. Diplomacy was also an important weapon in the hands of the Incas. It was through negotiations and promises of all kinds of benefits that the Incas managed to subdue many rulers of the surrounding lands and avoid unnecessary bloodshed. And only the arrival of the Europeans with their more modern weapons could stop the Inca rulers from expanding their empire.
Inca ax. (Archaeological Museum of Rio de Janeiro)
Reconstruction of an ax (Museum of America, Madrid)
That is, diplomacy in the Inca society has always preceded the war! Their ambassadors offered lucrative trade agreements to the rulers of neighboring territories, an exchange of gifts that impressed their imaginations, arranged intertribal marriages between representatives of the nobility. That is, they carried out a very skillful policy of "soft power". And only if all these efforts failed, were troops sent out against the stubborn ones. Moreover, if at first the Incas sought to defeat the enemy and take possession of his wealth, then later they simply tried to control the territory of their neighbors, receive tribute from them, spread their language and customs and thus promote their influence throughout South America.
Moreover, the conquest of adjacent territories was of great importance in the eyes of the Incas also because in this way the prestige of one or another of their rulers increased. And not only during his lifetime, but also after his death! And it is understandable that since each new ruler sought to surpass his predecessors, the empire continuously expanded throughout the history of the state of the Sons of the Sun!
Also the pommel of the club, but not typical of the Incas. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
However, this did not mean that the religious element in the Inca wars was completely absent, not at all. The Incas, too, viewed their conquests as a continuation of their service to their sun god, Inti. Therefore, for example, the declaration of war was preceded by a two-day fast, and then the sacrifice of black lamas and even children, and then a massive feast. The priests, just like the Aztecs and Mayans, marched with the army, were on the battlefield, where they performed some religious rituals during the battle itself. I had to pay attention to numerous signs and follow many prohibitions. For example, it was impossible to fight on the new moon, which the insidious Spaniards often used when fighting the Indians.
People of the system
It is interesting that the Inca army itself consisted mainly of … not the Incas, but the warriors of the peoples they conquered, and not even warriors as such, but strong and sturdy men given by these peoples to the Incas in the form of tribute. For this reason, the Inca army was a rather strange conglomeration of separate ethnic formations, each of which was commanded by a commander who also belonged to this tribe. And they fought with their usual traditional weapons. Of course, due to the fact that they spoke different languages, they were most likely difficult to command. In addition, all these warriors were actually peasants who fought under duress, and therefore not very willingly. That is why the Incas quickly abandoned such a system of recruiting troops and created a real professional army. Tactically, they were divided according to the decimal system, that is, the smallest group consisted of 10 people, commanded by a chunka kamayok, of which a detachment of 100 people was recruited, led by a pachaka-kuraka, then 1000 under the command of a lizard kuraka and, finally, the largest the tactical unit consisted of 10,000 warriors led by the kunuku hunu. There is information that the Inca army units had two commanders, but it is not clear how they divided their responsibilities among themselves.
Moche culture clips made of gold inlaid with turquoise depicting warriors with spears, shields and slings with stones in their hands. (Larco Museum, Lima)
That is, in principle, the Inca army could consist of several tens of thousands of soldiers, and in some cases even more than 100,000 people. Warriors were chosen by lot from the general population between the ages of 25 and 50, and, like the miners, they were allowed to take their wives with them on campaigns. The army also included porters who did not fight, as well as cooks and potters. Moreover, in peacetime, all Inca boys underwent military training and then participated in ritual battles. From the purebred Incas, a kind of guard of several thousand people was formed, which performed the role of guarding the Supreme Inca, and as a difference they wore tunics in black and white with a bright red triangle on the chest.
