The Inca Empire lasted from 1438 to 1533 AD and was the largest civilization in the world at the time. It was located in modern-day Peru and was one of the fastest expanding empires. With the help of many strong rulers such as Sapa Inca Yapanqui, the Inca empire expanded along the coast of South America until it spanned over 4000 km2 across the country. The main language of the Incas was Quechua, however there were also many other smaller languages, usually those of other tribes that the Incas had conquered. Even after the decline of the Incas, they continued to live on through their ancestors, and Quechua is still spoken throughout South America. In 1960, Peru made Quechua one of its official languages, along with Spanish. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While there is much evidence of the Inca Empire, one of the most fascinating and well-known of these is the city of Machu Picchu. This city is one of the 7 modern wonders of the world, thanks to the display of Inca architecture. This city, although not the most populous of its time, helped historians discover the pre-Columbian life of South Americans. Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is an abandoned city on top of a mountain. This city was built by the Inca ruler, Sapa Inca Tupac Yupanqui, between 1460 and 1470. This city was built exclusively for religious purposes such as prayer as it was located 2434 m above sea level and therefore very close to the gods. The city's existence was known only to Sapa Inca Tupac Yupanqui's closest advisors and so, when the Spanish conquered it, they did not discover it. It was discovered only in 1911. Although Machu Picchu is the most famous testimony of the Icans, other artifacts have been found: idols, which mostly relate to religion. This is an artifact that represents a representation of an Ican god, i.e. the sun god, on a sacrificial and ceremonial knife. In addition to religious material, a basis for the model of a gold artifact is the llama. These animals were highly prized in Ican society for their practicality, as they were used for clothing, transportation and, in some cases, as a food source. This versatility led the golden llama idols to sacrifice themselves in exchange for the good fertility of their herds. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Machu Picchu and the archaeological discoveries that occurred tell us a lot about the daily lives of the Inca citizens. The skeletal remains of the bodies showed unique levels of bone fractures following intense labor. This most likely meant that the skeleton was once a farmer. Llama and alpaca bones were also discovered, further proving that llamas had some significance to the Inca. The man-made terraces also show us how important agriculture was as there were so many built at Machu Picchu. Temples dedicated to various deities have also been discovered in Machu Picchu, which tell us a little about the religious beliefs of the Incas.