incas

The Incan Civilization The Inca were originally a small warlike tribe inhabiting the south highland region of the Cordillera Central in Peru. In about 1100AD they began to move into the valley of Cuzco, where, for roughly the next 300 years, they raided and imposed tribute on neighboring civilizations. Until the middle of the 15th century, the Inca undertook no major imperialistic expansion, their farthest advance prior to this time was southward about 32 km (about 20 mi.) …

…Spanish and have preserved the customs and folklore of their ancestors. Because of this, in 1979, the Peruvian government made Quechua, along with Spanish, one of the official languages of Peru. Along the coast and in the highland cities, the whites, mestizos, and blacks live in a modern Western style. In contrast to these settlements are the jungles of eastern Peru, where more isolated groups of Native Americans retain lifestyles similar to those of their ancestors.