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CONCLUSION

The religious practices of the Inca Empire were based on a millennia of cultural experience. The

purpose of the Inca religion was to meet the needs of the people, and to provide structure within a constantly

expanding civilization. While the rulers of the Inca Empire were responsible for maintaining the Andes cycle

of life and a constant water supply, the focus of the Inca religion was that of land ownership--including the

right to use land--water usage, the fertility of soils and animals, and the abundance of water, crops and herds.

Sacrificial offerings and laborious worship of major Inca deities, by Incas, and mandatorily by the native

peoples that the Incas conquered, was intended to stimulate the consecration of these critical focal points. The

veneration of ancestors in the form of honoring mummies was also utilized for similar reasons. Within the

Inca Empire, all facets of life were interconnected with religious beliefs. Political, economic and social

institutions were established with the sole purpose of systematically executing the theology of the Inca

religion, so as to maintain an equilibrium within the universe that allowed life to persist. Though the vigor of

the Inca Empire is said to exclusively survive through the cornucopia of archaeological sites that were

abandoned following the Spanish conquest, the supremacy of the Inca civilization has been historically famed,

and their impact on the world has been deemed everlasting.

CITATIONS

Anitei, S. (2008). Inca: The Empire of the Sun. Softpedia News.
https://news.softpedia.com/news/Inca-The-Empire-of-the-Sun-78866.shtml

Cartwright, M. (2016). Inca Religion. Ancient History Encyclopedia.
https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Religion/

Clark, L. (2000). The Lost Inca Empire. NOVA.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html

Clark, L. (1998). Ice Mummies of the Inca. NOVA.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ice-mummies-inca.html

History of Inca Society Class. Inca Religion. USIL Cusco.

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