Who were the Incas?

Incas were indigenous people native to Peru. At the height of their power, Incas controlled the largest empire in the Americas from their capital in Cusco, Peru. Their empire contained a population of 12,000,000 people and encompassed a wide stretch of territory in what is now Ecuador, Peru and Chile.

By the time of the Spanish conquest in 1532, the Incas had established a thriving civilization in South America. Within one hundred years, their empire expanded across the Andean highlands and controlled the Andean population. The Incas left no written records behind, but traces of their civilization can be seen in temples, forts and irrigation systems remaining throughout South America.