The Incas and World History Circa 1500
Height of the Inca Timeline & the Rest of the World – A Perspective
Sep 19, 2009
The Inca civilization conjures up images of lost cities, gold and riches, tribal warfare and Spanish Conquistadors. These images play out against an impressive backdrop of jungle citadels and Andean heights, a storybook adventure of bloodshed and conquest.
It is easy to become immersed in all of this lush imagery. But it is worth taking a step back to look at the bigger picture. If the Inca timeline is frozen at its height, when the Empire was strong and outsiders had yet to spread disease and warfare across their lands, then the Incas can be seen in a global context. Here is a perspective of the Inca civilization circa 1500 alongside events occuring in the rest of the world.
The Americas at the Height of the Inca Empire
In 1498, Christopher Columbus began his third voyage to the Americas. He explored mainland South America. At the same time the Inca Empire was further expanding its boundaries. Pushing as far north as today’s Colombian border and further south into present day Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, the Incas were at their height. Meanwhile, in the rest of the Americas:
- The Aztecs had also reached the pinnacle of their power in Central America under the reign of Ahuitzotl. They, like the Incas, were soon to confront the Spanish.
- In the Yucatán and southern Mexico, the fractured city states of the Post-classical Mayan era were squabbling amongst themselves. Ironically, their very lack of unity, specifically the absence of an all-important political center, made them far more resistant to the imminent arrival of the Conquistadors.
- In 1497, the explorer John Cabot had set foot upon present day Canada. His arrival was to set in motion yet another wave of New World colonialism. Again, the arrival of the Europeans in North America was to spread a fatal wave of disease to which the native North American Indians had no natural resistance.
Europe at the Height of the Inca Civilization
In the Old World, life was very different circa 1500. Technological advancements, artistic developments and war continued apace. While the shadow of the Conquistadors crept ever closer to the Inca realm, Europe went about its business:
- Events at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 saw the Tudor family take power in England. Henry VII would rise to power, followed by Henry VIII in 1509.
- The Moors are finally conquered in Spain in 1492.
- Ivan the Great nears the end of his rule having cemented the foundations of the Russian state.
- Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa in 1503.
- Michelangelo completes his sculpture David in 1504.
- Machiavelli writes The Prince in 1513.
Asia at the Pinnacle of the Inca Timeline
The development of European links with Asia occurred at the same time as contact with the Americas. However, Asian ruling powers were more technologically sophisticated and better prepared than the Incas. Trade became a more viable option than conquest for European explorers.
- In 1498, Vasco de Gama discovered a sea route to India. By 1502 a Portuguese colony had been established in India.
- In China, the Ming Dynasty was firmly established as both the ruling order and an advanced military might. In 1516, the first European, Rafael Perestrello, landed on mainland China and began trade relations.
- In 1500, Japan was engulfed by civil wars. Trade with China was in effect, while European trade links took until 1543 to develop with the arrival of the Portuguese.
Africa and Links with the Inca Civilization
Various African powers – the Songhai Empire, the Benin Empire, the Kingdom of Kongo – were soon to be faced with European explorers. In the 1480s, Portuguese seafarer Bartholomeu Dias became the first European to venture round the southern tip of Africa. In 1497 Vasco de Gama landed in Natal.
By 1500, Portuguese settlements had been established on the islands of Sao Tome and Principe just off the African Atlantic coast. Soon the Portuguese would be taking African slaves to South America. It would not be long before African slaves could be found working in the former territories of the Inca Empire.
A Snapshot of the Inca Timeline at its Height
Despite the Inca civilization being at its height in 1500, its fall would be both dramatic and rapid. When the Old and New Worlds collided in South America, Spanish steel and European diseases overwhelmed the Inca Empire. While a military might in their own lands, the arrival of the Conquistadors proved a brutal exposure to the outside world.
The above perspective of world movements circa 1500 is a rough overview but hopefully it serves to highlight to a degree the position of the Inca civilization on a global scale. For more world events during this period have a look at these interesting timelines:
 |
 |
 |
