﻿280 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  chief 
  way 
  by 
  which 
  a 
  common 
  taxpayer 
  could 
  improve 
  his 
  social 
  

   rank. 
  Awards 
  began 
  with 
  gifts 
  of 
  clothing 
  and 
  decorative 
  gold 
  and 
  

   silver 
  plates 
  to 
  be 
  hung 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  or 
  chest. 
  The 
  gift 
  of 
  a 
  Chosen 
  

   Woman 
  was 
  an 
  especial 
  mark 
  of 
  the 
  Emperor's 
  favor. 
  Soldiers 
  

   could 
  keep 
  women 
  they 
  captured 
  in 
  a 
  campaign. 
  Outstanding 
  

   warriors 
  could 
  aspire 
  to 
  an 
  official 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  administrative 
  

   bureaucracy, 
  and 
  hand 
  the 
  office 
  down 
  to 
  their 
  descendants. 
  Nobles 
  

   who 
  distinguished 
  themselves 
  were 
  rewarded 
  with 
  wives, 
  promotion, 
  

   gifts, 
  and 
  special 
  privileges, 
  such 
  as 
  riding 
  in 
  a 
  litter, 
  carrying 
  a 
  parasol, 
  

   or 
  sitting 
  on 
  a 
  stool. 
  

  

  All 
  soldiers 
  on 
  active 
  service 
  were 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  Government; 
  

   their 
  neighbors 
  tilled 
  their 
  fields 
  and 
  military 
  service 
  inflicted 
  no 
  

   economic 
  hardships 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  9; 
  Anonymous 
  

   Discurso, 
  1906, 
  pp. 
  153 
  ff.). 
  

  

  Transport. 
  — 
  Transport 
  was 
  a 
  problem 
  only 
  beyond 
  the 
  frontiers 
  of 
  

   the 
  Empire, 
  as 
  storehouses 
  and 
  camping 
  places 
  were 
  so 
  distributed 
  

   along 
  the 
  main 
  roads 
  that 
  a 
  moving 
  army 
  found 
  all 
  necessary 
  stores 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  each 
  day's 
  march. 
  These 
  military 
  storehouses 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  both 
  Inca 
  armies 
  throughout 
  the 
  civil 
  war, 
  and 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   troops 
  used 
  them 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  10 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  Conquest 
  (Polo, 
  

   1917 
  a, 
  p. 
  69). 
  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  easy 
  communications 
  and 
  

   full 
  supplies 
  probably 
  expanded 
  and 
  prolonged 
  the 
  civil 
  wars 
  among 
  

   the 
  Spanish 
  conquerors 
  far 
  beyond 
  anything 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  taken 
  

   place 
  in 
  an 
  impoverished 
  country 
  where 
  travel 
  was 
  difficult. 
  Outside 
  

   of 
  the 
  Empire, 
  the 
  supplies 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  enemy's 
  country 
  were 
  

   carried 
  by 
  llamas 
  and 
  men, 
  and 
  supplying 
  the 
  army 
  became 
  a 
  serious 
  

   problem. 
  

  

  Ceremonial 
  aspects. 
  — 
  Inca 
  warfare 
  was 
  deeply 
  affected 
  by 
  religious 
  

   beliefs 
  and 
  practices. 
  From 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Pachacuti, 
  religion 
  was 
  

   used 
  to 
  justify 
  the 
  Inca 
  conquest, 
  on 
  the 
  pretext 
  that 
  the 
  purest 
  and 
  

   highest 
  form 
  of 
  religion 
  was 
  the 
  Inca 
  way 
  of 
  worshiping 
  the 
  Creator, 
  

   the 
  sky 
  gods, 
  and 
  the 
  place 
  spirits, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  Inca's 
  duty 
  to 
  

   spread 
  this 
  religion 
  throughout 
  the 
  world. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  state 
  

   this 
  claim 
  without 
  making 
  it 
  sound 
  like 
  an 
  echo 
  of 
  crusading 
  Christ- 
  

   ianity, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  small 
  doubt 
  of 
  its 
  aboriginal 
  character 
  (Polo, 
  1940, 
  

   p. 
  132). 
  

  

  Before 
  going 
  to 
  war, 
  the 
  Inca 
  held 
  a 
  ceremony 
  to 
  lessen 
  the 
  powers 
  

   of 
  the 
  enemy 
  idols 
  (huacas) 
  and 
  to 
  divine 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  cam- 
  

   paign. 
  It 
  began 
  with 
  the 
  sacrifice 
  of 
  various 
  wild 
  birds, 
  burned 
  on 
  

   a 
  fire 
  of 
  thornwood. 
  The 
  priests 
  walked 
  around 
  the 
  fire 
  holding 
  

   stones 
  on 
  which 
  snakes, 
  toads, 
  pumas, 
  and 
  jaguars 
  had 
  been 
  painted, 
  

   and 
  chanting, 
  "May 
  it 
  succeed" 
  and 
  "May 
  the 
  huacas 
  of 
  our? 
  enemies 
  

   lose 
  their 
  strength." 
  Then 
  they 
  sacrificed 
  some 
  dark-colored 
  llamas 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  tied 
  up 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  without 
  food, 
  and 
  prayed, 
  

  

  