INCA-06A
John Jenkins Designs
Not yet released - expected in early January.
The Inca Empire was unique in that it lacked many of the features associated with civilization in the old world. The Incas were able to construct one of the greatest imperial states in human history without the use of the wheel, draft animals, knowledge of iron or steel, or even a system of writing.
They were also capable of monumental architecture, especially the use of stonework, extensive road networks reaching all corners of the empire, finely woven textiles, use of knotted strings for record keeping and communication, agricultural innovations and production in a difficult environment, and the organization and management fostered or imposed on its people and their labor.
The army’s elite units were provided by the Inca troops themselves, composed of the military contingents of the capital’s two rival divisions of Hanan (upper) and Hurin (lower) Cuzco. Which was north and south of the Urubamba river.
These soldiers were fiercely competitive with each other, and were called “huaminca”, meaning veterans.
These veterans received formal military training as part of their coming of age on reaching 14 or 15 years of age. They were taught not only how to use various weapons but also how to manufacture them. They would undergo numerous tests of courage and stamina, on successful completion of which they received assorted insignia denoting their status, including having their ears pierced, as well as being given the traditional Inca weapons of sling, mace and shield.