Why did the ancient Incas chop off heads of enemies?

Throughout history, people commitbrutal murders, from the description of which goose bumps run through the body. One need only recall the crime committed 1,400 years ago in Scotland. Then a group of people dragged the 30-year-old rich man into the cave, knocked out his teeth, broke his jaw and hit his head several times. Horror, isn't it? However, similar killings were committed much earlier, and on a very large scale. For example, in the XI-XVI centuries, the Inca warriors mercilessly cut off their heads and disfigured their enemies. But why?

The ancient Incas didn’t just cut off their heads - they mutilated them

It’s worth saying right away that such sophisticatedthe Incas did not kill because of their extreme bloodthirstiness. Rather, it was a necessity and a means of demonstrating one's strength. And it was extremely important for them to show other nations their armament and danger, because the Inca empire was in the territory of present-day Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. The map clearly shows that this is a huge territory.

Inca people

Cruel peoples of antiquity

Many nations wanted to take possession of this territory,but the Europeans were the most important enemies of the Incas. It all started in 1525, when a Portuguese traveler and invader named Aleju Garcia appeared on the territory of an ancient people. Perhaps the Europeans were the first who were not particularly frightened by the terrifying landscapes on the territory of the ancient people. Archaeological finds hint that the Incas intimidated their enemies with the severed heads of their victims, which were mounted on spears.

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Skulls serve as evidence of this cruelty.found in 2003 in the Copiapo Valley in the North American country of Chile. Not far from the village cemetery, among a pile of household waste, archaeologists have found at least three skulls with holes made on them. Scientists believe that the Incas chopped off the heads of two women 16-30 years old and one boy 11-13 years old. Subsequently, they were mounted on spears to scare away enemies.

One of the skulls found in Chile.

Besides these three skulls, in the same placearchaeologists unearthed five more remains of severed heads. According to scientists, the Incas used such a cruel method of demonstrating their strength from 1476 to 1534. Do you know why they suddenly stopped showing cruelty? And because in 1533 the Spanish invaders, not afraid of severed heads, established control over most of the empire. In 1572, the Inca empire completely ceased to exist.

How did the Inca civilization live?

After all of the above, you may havethe impression that the Incas are bloodthirsty savages. This is far from the case, because the ordinary inhabitants of the empire led a fairly peaceful lifestyle. They lived in modest but solid brick houses and were engaged in agriculture. It is known that people did not have furniture at all, and they sat, ate and slept on pillows stuffed with straw.

Incas lived in such facilities

See also: Scientists uncovered a crime committed 33 thousand years ago

Among ordinary people, meat was a luxury, thereforethe Incas mostly ate porridge from a grain-based grain crop called quinoa. However, sometimes they could afford fish meat, because in the nearby lakes and rivers it was possible to catch anchovies, salmon and tuna. Evenings of the Incas were usually spent on a visit and played musical instruments. This people had a strong development of music and theater.