Overview

Overview

The Inca empire began about 1438, when Pachacuti, the ninth Inca ruler, put down an invasion by the neighboring Chanca confederacy. The Inca empire became one of the largest and richest empires in the Americas. It occupied a vast region that centered on the capital, Cusco, in southern Peru. At the height of its power, the empire extended more than 2,500 miles (4,020 kilometers) along the western coast of South America. It included parts of present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Inca built large temples, fortresses, and public buildings on mountainsides. The ruins of one of their best-known sites, Machu Picchu, stand on a high ridge in a heavily forested part of the Andes Mountains.

The Inca empire was conquered by Spanish forces soon after their arrival in 1532. Despite their efforts, the Spanish could not wipe out all traces of Inca culture, and the Inca influence on the region continues to this day.