Inca Family Life


Society in Inca was arranged by families, and the families were organized by levels. If your husband had achieved a great feat in the name of the emperor, the emperor would grant him passage into the next circle. Ranks or circles were very formal. The groups were based on how much land a man owned and how many wives he had. There was also a rank for cattle and produce.

Inca Family Life

The lowest rank in Inca society was the slaves and farmers who were supported by others or made only enough food to feed their families. Then came people who not only could support their families, but could also manage a job in town working as a jeweler, carpenter, etc. and then came the Ayllus.

Inca Family Life: Marriage

The name of the family unit for the Incas is "ayllu." These people were accepted into a group mainly based on their family background and land ownership. These leaders gave the common people enough land to live but not prosper. To gain more land, people would have to buy it from others or trade for it. The Incas lived in extended families, which is a group of clans living together.

Inca Family Life

A necessity in Incan society because a man could not be considered an adult until he was married. Most men were not married until they were around 20. Just like any other society, monogamy was the norm for the lower classes, but concubines were permitted for the upper classes. Women were able to be married when they could reproduce.

Inca Family Life

Inca Family Life of Women and Childbirth:

After a woman would give birth, the child would be washed in the nearest stream, and on the fourth day the baby was placed in it's cradle for the first time. A child would not be named for the first two years of it's life.

It would only be referred to as "wawa." After two years, the child would be given a temporary name along with their first hair cut. Common women had the ability to move up in society more so than men. In the cold Andes mountains, wool would keep people warm. Women were the weavers.

Inca Family Life: Babies

When a baby was born, his or her arms were tightly bound to their body for three months. The Incas believed this binding made the baby stronger. Babies were rarely held. The Incas believed that if you held a baby, it would cry more.

Children, including babies, were left alone most of the day: Children were fed three times a day, but they also were not hugged. Again, they were only touched to clean or feed them. Many Incan children died young from neglect.

Inca children

Daily life for the Incas was rather routine. Men were soldiers/farmers just like the Romans. This meant they would work their land until they were called upon to fight for the empire. Life started around 6:00 am for the Incas unlike the Aztecs who got up around 4:00 a.m.

The Incas would have two meals daily, and just like the Aztecs, they had no concept of money. Women would make the meals. The primary meal was something called Aka. Making aka was a long process.

More info on- Inca Class Structure, Government, Religion

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