Inca education
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Inca education during the time of the
Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
was divided into two principal spheres: education for the upper classes and education for the general population. The royal classes and a few specially-chosen individuals from the
provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of the Empire were formally educated by the ''Amawtakuna'' (philosopher-scholars), while the general population were passed on knowledge and skills by their immediate forebears. Since the Incas did not have a written language, but instead had
Quipu ''Quipu'' (also spelled ''khipu'') are recording devices fashioned from strings historically used by a number of cultures in the region of Andean South America. A ''quipu'' usually consisted of cotton or camelid fiber strings. The Inca people ...
s to record, it is difficult to determine the type of educational system the Incas did have. The Amawtakuna in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
constituted a special class of wise men similar to the
bards In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
of
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. They included illustrious
philosophers A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
, poets, and priests who kept the histories of the Incas alive by imparting the knowledge of their own culture, history, and traditions throughout the kingdom. Considered the most highly educated and respected men in the Empire, the Amawtakuna were largely entrusted with educating those of
royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...
blood, as well as other young members of conquered cultures specially chosen to administer the regions. Thus, education throughout the territories of the Incas was socially discriminatory, barring the
rank and file Rank and file may refer to: *A military term relating to the horizontal "ranks" (rows) and vertical "files" (columns) of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the officers *A term derived from the above used to refer to enlisted troops, as oppose ...
from the formal education that royalty received. The Amawtakuna did ensure that the general population learned
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
as the language of the Empire, much in the same way the
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promoted
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throughout
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.


Education of the Inca nobility

According to Fray Martín de Murúa, a chronicler of the time, the education of the young novices (''yachakuq runa'', in
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
) received from the Amawtakuna began at age 13 in the houses of knowledge ( Yachaywasi in Quechua) in
Cuzco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
. The Amawtakuna used their erudition to teach the young novices of the empire about Inca religion, history and government, and moral norms. They also ensured a thorough understanding of the
quipu ''Quipu'' (also spelled ''khipu'') are recording devices fashioned from strings historically used by a number of cultures in the region of Andean South America. A ''quipu'' usually consisted of cotton or camelid fiber strings. The Inca people ...
, the Incas' unique logical-numerical system which used knotted strings to keep accurate records of troops, supplies, population data, and agricultural inventories. In addition, the young men were given careful training in physical education and military techniques. Most Inca novices finished their education at around age 19. After passing their examinations, the young men would receive their ''wara'' (a special type of underwear) as proof of their maturity and virility. Their education concluded with a special ceremony, attended by the Empire’s oldest and most illustrious Incas and Amawtakuna, at which the new young nobles, as future rulers, demonstrated their physical prowess and warrior skills and proved their masculinity. The candidates were also presented to the Inca sovereign, who pierced their ears with large pendants and congratulated the young aspirants on the proficiency they had shown, reminding them of the responsibilities attached to their station (and birth, in the case of members of the royalty) and calling them the new "Children of the Sun." Some historians and authors have pointed to feminine schools ("Aklla wasi", in Quechua) for Inca princesses and other women. It is believed the education given at the Acllahuasi in Cuzco was much different from that given at the other Acllahuasis in the
provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of the empire. The women learned Inca lore and the art of womanhood as well as skills related to governance, but on a limited scale in comparison to the men. Other skills included spinning,
weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
, and chicha brewing. When the Spanish chroniclers and
conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...
arrived they viewed these institutions as the Inca version of the European nunnery. Like the men, women were brought into the Acllahuasis from faraway villages throughout the empire after being specifically chosen by Inca agents. After finishing their training, some women would stay to train newly arrived girls, while lower-ranking women might be chosen to be secondary wives of the Sapa Inca, if he wished it, or be sent as rewards to other men who had done something to please the sovereign.


Popular education

The general population did have access to the noble education of the elite people due to the rights given to them, but many did not go to formal schooling. These children got their education from the elder people in their families. The education was primarily on the culture and the artistic aspects of Inca life. Even though education was seen as a right for all people, public education was not formal and many of the children did not go.


Education after Colonization

After the arrival of the Europeans, there were two types of Inca education in the empire. As the Europeans were coming in contact with the natives, interracial relationships between noble Inca women and conquistador men occurred. The interracial children had a combination of two upbringings; one of formal European education, and another of cultural education from the Inca side of the family. One of the most notable people to have this sort of upbringing was Garcilaso, the child of an Inca noblewoman and European father. He had the luxury of formal European education and the tutoring from his Inca relatives. This gave him an understanding of how the Europeans treated the Inca. Another type of education within the Inca Empire was the teaching of Inca culture to the Europeans. When the Europeans arrived, they were surprised to see no written language, but instead the use of the
quipu ''Quipu'' (also spelled ''khipu'') are recording devices fashioned from strings historically used by a number of cultures in the region of Andean South America. A ''quipu'' usually consisted of cotton or camelid fiber strings. The Inca people ...
. There were many instances of conquistadors coming into Peru and learning how to use the quipu. One example is Guama Poma creating a book on the quipu and presenting it to King of Spain Philip II.{{Cite journal, last=Luxton, first=Richard, title=THE INCA QUIPUS AND GUAMAN POMA DE AY ALA's "FIRST NEW CHRONICLE AND GOOD GOVERNMENT", jstor=43392272, journal=bero-amerikanisches Archives, volume=5, pages=315–341


References

Inca History of education in South America Native American education