

These developments not only ensured the cohesion of the Inca Empire, but also contributed to its wealth and prosperity. These include an advanced road system, highly-developed agricultural techniques, and a centralized language and religion. Maintaining the empire’s cohesion was not an easy task and sophisticated innovations had to be devised.

At its height of power, the Inca Empire stretched from northern Ecuador all the way south to central Chile and ruled over a population of 12 million, from over 100 different ethnic groups. The Inca Empire was the largest pre-Hispanic civilization in South America and ruled the area along the continent’s Pacific coast. The Inca (also spelled as Inka) Empire was a South American empire that existed between the 15th and 16th centuries.
