When did the Incas exist?

The first known Incas date back to 1200 A.D. and were a noble family that ruled Cuzco. The Inca Empire was conquered by Francisco Pizarro in 1532 A.D. Technically, the word Inca refers to the original noble family and their 40,000 descendants who ruled the Inca Empire.

However, the word has been popularly used by historians to describe the nearly 100 nations that the Inca conquered. The Incas' rule brought about a universal language, a sun-worshipping religion and a road system 14,000 miles long. The Inca Empire stretched north to south for approximately 2,500 miles along the Andean mountain range from Colombia to Chile and west to east from the Atacama desert to the Amazonian rain forest.