MARRIAGE

In Inca society was expected that everyone got married with the exception of the Virgins of the Sun. The headman, one man, selected the couples to be married. Normally were from the same community and the same social class. It was not good to marry strangers because it was very important to maintain the purity of the breed, especially at the highest social levels.

The marriage was part of the traditional customs. Normally men had 25 years and women 18 years. It was also important that they were in the same physical condition.

There was not much choices of people to get married. It was more an economic union than union of love. They had so many things to worry about making in the community that there was no time to think about compatibility. Sometimes for good luck couples found love, but it was not common. His job was to have more children to be able to have more hands to work with crops and tissues.

All marriages were celebrated together. Several times in the year all couples met to get married and had a celebration full of rituals. One very important change was to strip the quipus. They put th strips which indicated that the couple was married. This was very important because it was the way to maintain records of everyone in society. They also add more strips when a new child born.

A house and a new land was given to the new couple. So, they could think about start a new family to work in the production of crops and tissues.diana