|
The Inca Army was a multi-ethnic army〔Waldemar Espinoza, ''Los Incas'', page 361. The Inca armies would have been composed of men from Cuzco and Quito as well as coastal and forest dwellers etc.〕 charged with defending the sovereignty of the Inca Empire, expanding its borders, and putting down rebellions. It was also often used for political purposes, such as executions or coups.〔Such as those carried out by Cápac Yupanqui, Inca Roca y Atahualpa.〕 As the Incan Empire grew in size and population, the army did the same.〔(''"El imperio Inca"'' ) Revised 3 January 2008〕 At the height of the empire (under the reigns of Tupac Yupanqui and Huayna Capac), the army grew to approximately 200,000 men. The militaristic nature of the Incan monarchy caused great emphasis to be placed on the army and the position of the common soldier. Soldiers were given food and clothing and state aid was also provided for a soldier's family to ensure that agricultural production did not suffer due to the absence of a productive worker. For these reasons full-time soldiers were held in high regard and they even occupied their own position in the socio-political pyramid.〔Waldemar Espinoza, ''Los Incas'', page 361. Agriculture was the foundation of the Inca economy, which could not be weakened for any reason.〕 When the army returned to Cuzco following a successful campaign they were received by women and children as heroes in a ceremony held in their honor. The ceremony took place in the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco and consisted of exhibiting the plunder and parading the prisoners as a symbol of the victory.〔Waldemar Espinoza, ''Los Incas'', page 377. The Inca armies were received in Cuzco's Plaza de Armas.〕 == Composition == As the Inca empire grew, the army of peasant warriors was replaced by an army with professional officers. Officers were chosen during the Warachikuy festival during which candidates had to undergo various tests of physical skill such as racing, marksmanship, simulated combat and battle drill. There was even a competition to see if they could stay awake for a long period, and in fact it is reported that some officers could remain awake for a whole week.〔Victor Angles Vargas, ''Historia del Cusco incaico'', page 265.〕 Inca battalions contained permanent staff (generals and officers) and non-permanent personnel composed of drafted ''hatun runa''s (common men) who would be serving their military mit'a public service (comparable to a mandatory military service). Once the mita was fulfilled, each hatun runa would return to their respective ayllu (community). Each battalion was made up of a single ethnic group, the whole group being directed by a ''kuraka'' (warlord) who had the same ethnicity. In the event that a ''kuraka'' fell in battle a replacement was appointed from within the same ethnic group. In order to prevent rebellions and to promote performance in battle, each ethnic group was divided into two battalions, each one under the command of a general (and both under the command of the ''kuraka''), who would compete against his counterpart in displaying bravery on the battlefield, thus increasing his chances of promotion.〔Waldemar Espinoza, ''Los Incas'', page 361.〕 This concept of "duality" is widespread in the Andean world, and represents the two Inca dynasties: Hanan and Hurin.〔María Rostworowski, Historia del Tawantinsuyu page 145.〕 Since the government of Tupac Yupanqui, a specialized elite group of soldiers was appointed for the safekeeping of the Sapa Inca ("the one and only Inca") during parades, travel or campaigns.〔Waldemar Espinoza, ''Los Incas'', page 361. A written source dating from 1582 states that Tupac Yupanqui had a bodyguard of professional soldiers.〕 These bodyguards originated primarily in Cusco, even though with time outstanding soldiers from other ethnicities were accepted into the group. This imperial guard, all of them belonging to the nobility, reached a size of 10,000. All members of the Inca army were between 25 and 50 years old.〔(''"Discovery Channel-Incas"'' ) Revised 3 January 2008.〕 All of the empire's citizens had to perform either military or community service. One of every 50 men over 25 years old (legal age in the Inca Empire) would be chosen for military service. For noblemen, this was an honor and a duty, for common men, it was a means of social promotion. In accordance with the duality concept, one of every 50 young women were selected to serve in the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun. After a certain period of time (usually 6 or 7 years), the military service was considered to be fulfilled for common men. However, professional officers were permanent soldiers and paid by the state. This military caste enjoyed several privileges as the State paid for their food and housing costs as well as clothing and several other gifts such as coca, jewelry, and wives. ''Runas'' (common men) from the coastal region, unlike people from the highlands, were not compelled to serve in the army. This is probably explained by their lack of adaptation to the harsh climate conditions of the highlands, where most wars took place.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Peruchay: Servicio militar obligatorio en el ejercito inca )〕 It is worth noting that the army units would march in the company of a large number of women, mostly relatives of the soldiers. Women would take care of cooking and repairing the soldiers' clothes and after battles would attend the wounded and help bury the dead. Inca armies would not fight at night for religious reasons. A group of priests would also be attached to the army units, in order to pray, make sacrifices, and try to weaken the opposing force by casting spells before and during battle. Weapons and other equipment were transported by llamas. During the beginnings of the Incan empire the army was mainly formed of ethnic Inca troops, however, later on only the officers and imperial guards were Incas (the Incas were 40,000〔(INCA PACHACUTEC - Cap1 (Dinastias) )〕 to 100,000〔(Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui )〕 strong and they ruled an empire of 10 to 15 million〔Noble David Cook. 1981. ''Demographic collapse, Indian Peru, 1520–1620''. New York: Cambridge University Press〕). The squads were organized according to the ethnicity of the soldiers (auca runas), they were armed and dressed according to their tribe, with animal skins, fabric shields, feathers, jewels or body paints. Once a battle was over, enemy leaders would only be executed if they refused to accept the sovereignty of the Incas. The majority of conquered nations would be absorbed into the Empire. Conquered nations were forced to adopt Quechua as their main language, worship Inca gods and adopt Inca social customs. Inca government officials would perform a careful study of the conquered zone to ensure the achievement of these objectives. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Inca army」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|