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The Inca first appeared in the Andes region in the 12th century A.D. They built a massive kingdom through the military strength of their emperors. Tawantinsuyu, the Inca state spanned the distance of northern Ecuador to central Chile and consisted of 12 million inhabitants.
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The Incan Empire was founded in 1438. The man who established the Incan Empire was Manco Capac. Manco Capac declared himself the Sapa Inca (the divine son of the Sun). He was a skilled warrior and leader who had absolute power. There were near thirteen emperors during the time when the Inca Empire existed.
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Topa Inca Yupanqui got the throne in 1471 and pushed the southern border of the empire to the Maule River. The instituted a tribute system in which each province provided women to serve as temple maidens or brides for celebrated soldiers.
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Topa Inca Yupanqui’s successor, Huayna Capac. Embarked on successful northern campaigns that carried to the Ancasmayo River later in 1471. The current boundary between Ecuador and Colombia.
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The Inca began expanding their land by the region with the help of their fourth emperor, Mayta Capac. However, they did not truly become an expanded power until their eighth emperor. Viracocha Inca, took control in the early 15th century. Viracocha Inca defeated the Ayarmaca kingdom to the south and took over the Urubamba Valley.
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The Spanish carried diseases as smallpox that wiped out a huge chunk of the population before killing Huayna Capac and his successor around 1525. That sparked a civil war. With Atahualpa eventually outlasting his half-brother, Huascar, to grab the throne.
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A Spanish conquistador who helped conquer Mexico and Peru, Francisco Pizarro, lured Atahualpa to a meeting for a supposed dinner in his honor and kidnapped the emperor in November 1532. Atahualpa was executed the next summer.
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The Spanish were extremely outnumbered by the local people. They easily took down Cusco in 1533 with their superior weaponry. This helped them fight back against the the local people.
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The Spanish were attempting to keep the peace. In result, they installed a young prince named Manco Inca Yupanqui as a puppet king. The move that was made eventually backfired on them during a spirited rebellion in 1536.
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Manco Inca Yupanqui and his men eventually were forced to retreat to the jungle village of Vilcabamba. They were forced to retreat from the causes of a little amount of men and basically no power. This remained the last stronghold of the empire until 1572.
