The Inca army (Quechua: Inka Awqaqkuna) was the multi-ethnic armed forcesWaldemar Espinoza, Los Incas, p. 361. The Inca army would have been composed of men from Cuzco and Quito as well as coastal and forest dwellers etc. used by the Tawantin Suyu to expand its empire and defend the sovereignty of the Sapa Inca in its territory.Waldemar Espinoza, Los Incas, p. 377. The Inca armies were received in Cuzco's Plaza de Armas.
Thanks to the military mit'a, as the empire grew in size and population, so did the army, reaching 200,000 men in a single army (during the reign of Huayna Capac).Sosa Freire, 1996: 27. Campaign of Huayna Capac against the rebels in the north of the empire between 1510 and 1520 approximately The soldiers were provided with food, clothing and state aid in replacing their family in regard to the agrarian activity that the recruited should be fulfilling, in such a way that being a permanent soldier was not a bad position and even occupied its own space in the political-social pyramid.Waldemar Espinoza, Los Incas, pág. 361. Agriculture was the base of the Inca economy and for no reason should it be interrupted, for which, if necessary, punishments were imposed on the peasantry who was frequently forced to eat coca leaves to forget hunger and continue harvesting.
During the Manco Inca rebellion, the soldiers used Spanish weapons and armor, and learned how to ride horses. After the retreat to Vilcabamba, they began to use guerrilla tactics against the Viceroyalty of Peru. The Inca army was finally dissolved after the death of the last Inca of Vilcabamba, Tupac Amaru I, in 1567.
Composition As the Inca Empire grew, an army created by a loose confederation of peasant warriors was replaced by one of professional officers. These officers were chosen during the Warachikuy festival, during which candidates had to undergo various tests of physical skill: such as racing, marksmanship, simulated combat and to see if they could stay awake for a long period, with it being reported that some officers could remain awake for a whole week.Victor Angles Vargas, Historia del Cusco incaico, p. 265.
Inca battalions contained permanent staff (generals and officers) and non-permanent personnel composed of drafted hatun runas (common men), who would be serving their military mit'a public service, comparable to mandatory military service or the draft. Once the mit'a was fulfilled, each hatun runa would return to their respective ayllu (community).
Each battalion was made up of a single ethnic group, the whole group being directed by a kuraka (warlord) of the same ethnicity. In the event that a kuraka fell in battle, a replacement was appointed from within the same ethnic group. To prevent rebellions and to promote successful performance in battle, two battalions were formed per ethnic group, each one under the command of a general (and both under the command of the kuraka). Promotion was given to the general who gave the greatest display of bravery on the battlefield, which led to competition between the two battalions.Waldemar Espinoza, Los Incas, p. 361. This concept of "duality" is widespread in the Andean world and represents the two Inca dynasties: Hanan and Hurin.María Rostworowski, Historia del Tawantinsuyu p. 145.
From the time of the rule of Emperor Tupac Yupanqui, a specialized elite group of soldiers was appointed for the safekeeping of the Sapa Inca ("the one and only Inca") during parades, travel or campaigns.Waldemar Espinoza, Los Incas, p. 361. A written source dating from 1582 states that Tupac Yupanqui had a bodyguard of professional soldiers. These bodyguards originated primarily in Cusco, though soldiers from other ethnicities were also accepted in their ranks. This imperial guard, consisting entirely of men belonging to the nobility, reached a size of 10,000 warriors.
All members of the Inca Army were between 25 and 50 years old."Discovery Channel-Incas" Revised 3 January 2008. All of the empire's citizens had to perform either military or community service. One in every 50 men over 25-years-old (the legal age of responsibility in the Inca Empire) would be chosen for military service. For noblemen, this was an honour and a duty, for common men, it was a means of social promotion. In accordance with the duality concept, one of every 50 young women was selected to serve in the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun.
Commoners were considered to have fulfilled their military service obligations after six or seven years. The professional officers, however, were permanent soldiers, paid by the state. This military caste enjoyed several privileges, with the state paying for their food, clothing and housing costs, as well as supplying gifts such as coca, jewellery, and wives.
Runas (common men) from the coastal region —in contrast to men from the highlands— were not compelled to serve in the army. This is probably explained by their poor adaptation to the harsh climate conditions of the highlands, where most wars took place.
Army units would march in the company of a large number of women, mostly relatives of the soldiers. Women would take care of cooking and repair the soldiers' clothes and, after battles, would attend the wounded and help bury the dead. Inca armies would not fight at night for religious reasons. A group of priests would also be attached to the army units, to pray, make sacrifices, and try to weaken the opposing force by casting spells before and during battle. Weapons and other equipment were transported by llamas.
In the early stages of the Inca Empire, the army was mainly formed of ethnic Inca troops. Later on, however, only the officers and imperial guards were Incas (the Incas were 40,000INCA PACHACUTEC – Cap1 (Dinastias) to 100,000Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui strong, and they ruled an empire of 10 to 15 millionNoble David Cook. 1981. Demographic collapse, Indian Peru, 1520–1620. New York: Cambridge University Press). The squads were organized according to the ethnicity of the soldiers (auca runas). The soldiers were armed and dressed according to their tribe with animal skins, fabric shields, feathers, jewels or body paints.
Once a battle was over, enemy leaders would only be executed if they refused to accept the sovereignty of the Incas. The majority of conquered nations were absorbed into the Empire. Conquered nations were forced to adopt Quechua as their main language, worship Inca gods and adopt Inca social customs. Inca government officials would perform a careful study of the conquered zone to ensure the achievement of these objectives.
Tactics
Before the battle began, each battalion paraded to arouse awe in the opposing army, with their banners and the commander carried in his litter carrying the symbol of his command. After that, the general in command would review the troops while musical instruments were played. After this, the commanding officer would rally the troops for the attack. The Sapa Inca himself would rally the troops in larger campaigns. For smaller rebellions, barbarian invasions, or small campaigns, a general or a prince would be sent as his representative.
Logistics and command The Inca army's military effectiveness was based on two main elements: logistics and discipline. In order to facilitate the movement of their armies, the Incas built a vast road system. Staging areas were set along the roads so the troops and animals could rest and weapons could be obtained (Colcas). Discipline was very rigid. Soldiers weren't allowed to leave the formation, even during the course of a march.Tu discovery. Política inca Troops would maintain silence, only breaking it just before battle by yelling and singing to intimidate the opposing force.
Army squads were organized in a series of lines. The front lines were initially occupied by slingers and archers, who would go to the rearguard of the formation after the initial barrages. The lines behind them were occupied by storm-troopers with clubs and axes, these were followed by short-spear bearers, and closing the formation were long-spear bearers (up to 6 meters long).
The Incas also built forts (Pukaras) where they stored weapons, food and reserve soldiers. These fortresses also controlled the main communication routes and were constructed in easily defensible locations such as in mountains, on the tops of hills or at the side of a river or road.
There was a reward system for distinguished services. Soldiers displaying bravery beyond expectations were rewarded with medals, metal weapons, uniforms and other objects.
Field tactics During a battle on the open ground, the army would usually get divided into three groups. The main group would launch a frontal attack against the opposing force, while the other two would flank the enemy and circle around behind them to attack from the rear.INCA PACHACUTEC – Cap4 (Dinastias) Before the hand-to-hand combat would start, to break the enemy's lines the soldiers used ranged weapons (slings, arrows and short spears). The Inca army sometimes used to feign a retreat to be attacked while launching its own pincer attack.Táctica y logística incas
The main advantage of the Inca army over its enemies was its numeric superiority. While typical adversaries were warriors from a single chiefdom (or at most, an alliance of several chiefdoms), the imperial troops were formed of men from all over the empire. Thanks to the large size of the empire, an army of hundreds of thousands of warriors could be mobilized. This wide variety of men would prove both an advantage (numerical superiority and specialized soldiers for different terrain) and a disadvantage (lack of cohesion between army battalions). Both Inca oral histories and Spanish written accounts estimate that the Incas could field armies of 100,000 at a time.
Most opponents of the Inca in the region were poorly organized and after breaking formation would perform mass frontal charges. The Inca army, by contrast, was so well disciplined that it very rarely broke formation and was able to effectively repel ambushes in the jungle, desert, mountain and swamp terrains.
Sieges
In the event that the opposing force would take refuge in a fortress, mountain, or city, the Inca forces would cut communication and supply lines to isolate the enemy and prevent retreat or requests for reinforcements. If negotiations failed, the Inca forces would attempt to storm the fortress and/or starve the opposing force.
Occupied cities and their inhabitants were usually well treated if they surrendered without resistance. If, however, the enemy did resist then they could suffer a number of punishments depending on the degree of resistance offered. If a city or tribe surrendered and then rebelled, the Inca could even authorize the complete annihilation of the city or ethnic group.
If retreat was necessary, the Inca army would usually march along roads in a disciplined way, following the quickest route available. The army would only rest in fortresses with the objective of rearming in case to make a counterattack. Garrisons would be left in the fortresses that controlled the roads to delay a possible advance by the enemy.
Scouting, diplomacy and colonization
The Incas usually sent scouts to watch their enemies. Groups of nobles were sent to negotiate treaties of peace and, on a number of occasions, the servants of these emissaries were spies that tried to bribe the enemy officers so that they would betray their kin by retreating during a crucial moment in the battle.
After the annexation and division of a conquered territory, settlers from other parts of the Tawantinsuyu were sent to reinforce the loyalty to the empire (Mitma) also to teach them new techniques of agriculture, metallurgy, etc.
Military buildings
Colcas