The Incas’ Family

In the Inca community, the family was not an independent nucleus, but an integral part. There was a man responsible for ten families. He had to regulate the distribution of land and the production of food for all families. Above him there was another man in charge of a hundred families who had to report. He also had to calculate how much food was given to the gods as a form of taxes and sacrifices.

There was a division of work between men and women. The men were working hard to move the land to enable women to sow the seeds for the crops. The children pull up the weed and scare small animals and birds that tried to eat the seeds.

The interdependence between the neighbors was something very important. Normally the ten families from which a man was in charged lived together and were usually part of the same family, always helping with food and crops.

The society was very hierarchical with many levels within levels. It was very difficult to leave a low level to a higher because it was defined at birth.

A complete education was very important in society, not only in the language, history and religion, but also physically. There was much emphasis on martial arts and the correct and accurate use of weapons. Therefore armies were very powerful, because everyone knew how to fight and defend well.

The moral norm of the Inca was: -- Do not be thief -- Do not be liar -- Do not be idle
the idea was to have a collective responsibility and obedience. So it was very important that everyone help and think in the entire community and not just themselves, working together for everyone. Individuality was not a good sight.

The basic social unit was the family. Normally in the community lived three generations: children, parents and grandparents all of them worked together to produce food, build houses and tissues. They lived near each other and the lands to cultivate were also together in order to help easier.

The head of the house was the married man. He was in charge of the production of food, crops, clothing and textiles. He was, in a lower level, as the man in charge of ten families inasmuch as their responsibilities, but only for his family. He Also distributed other needs like food and clothing to the others. A ration of food and clothing were given to the children, they thought it would help them to learn responsibility.

When a couple got married, they did not have to pay taxes for a year, while saving to start their own family with their own children. It was a way to secure that they could established and do not carry with many jobs later. Grandparents pay less tax when they were older because it was believed that they were already weak and could not produce as much as before, and also they had given much to the community while they were young and strong.

The family was a very important production unit.natali