The Inca around 1500

The Quechua

The Inca Empire was made up of many communities that had their own language, but everyone had to know Quechua, the official language. To unify the empire, the Sapa Inca required all the communities to learn Quechua. Even though each region had its own language, they could communicate with people from other regions with this common language.

The quipu

Although Inca society was highly organized, it had no writing. Instead, the Incas used the quipu to record information. The quipu is a thread of wool or cotton in which knots of different sizes and shapes are made. Depending on its shape, colour and length, the quipu provided very precise information about the population, agricultural production or livestock. The Incas used this tool to conduct their censuses.

Words in Quechua

Here are some words used in the Quechua language:

Woman: pronounced as warmi

Man: pronounced as runa

Eat: pronounced as mikhu-y

Drink: pronounced as upya-y

AuthorAlexandre Lanoix

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