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Life in an Inca City
The Inca empire was divided into many provinces, each with its own capital and governor. Huánuco Pampa was one of these capitals. It was located in an area known today as northern Peru. Huánuco Pampa was an important provincial city, but most local people only lived there part-time. Commoners came to Huánuco Pampa to perform jobs for the state, like construction projects. In return, the state held huge festivals and gave gifts of beer, meat, and corn. Archaeologists have found many well-preserved storehouses, some still stocked with the broken pottery vessels used to hold food.
Where: Andes Mountains in Peru
Geography: cold, rugged highlands
Founded: about 1450
Importance: capital of one of the Inca provinces
Known for: massive storage buildings, and well-preserved architecture
Archaeologists excavated a group of buildings at Huánuco Pampa where they think a select group of women:
brewed beer and wove cloth
wrote important Inca documents
crafted gold statues
Correct!
These duties were essential to the Inca Empire. The beer, called chicha, was made for Inca festivals, and is still made today. The special cloth was given to people to inspire loyalty.
Huánuco Pampa was abandoned a few years after the Spanish occupation because:
they thought it was too beautiful
it was too cold and inaccessible
there was nothing of value there
Correct!
Huánuco Pampa was built so high in the mountains, (13,000 feet above sea level), that the Spanish found it too cold and harsh. After a while, the city was abandoned and objects were left behind.
There were many houses in Huánuco Pampa, but nobody lived in them most of the time.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
Thousands of farmers or herders came to Huánuco Pampa for elaborate festivals or to work on construction sites.