With his throne secure, Pachacuti embarked on a military campaign to expand the empire. He had inherited a well-disciplined and experienced army. Every adult male between ages 25 to 50 had military training, and part of the manhood rituals included getting weapons of war as gifts and learning to use them. A well-equipped warrior wore padded cloth armor and a helmet, and carried a spear, mace, sling, and shield.
The military was organized in a similar way to a modern army. The Incas based their structure on decimal units; thus, a troop of 10 men had a troop leader, like today’s corporal. Five groups of 10 had an officer similar to a sergeant, and units increased accordingly, with officers over groups of 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 warriors. The sapa inca served as commander-in-chief of the army, just as the president of the United States is in charge of the military today. Although most officers were appointed nobles, the military was one area in which commoners could rise through the ranks. An outstanding warrior was rewarded regardless of his position in the public sector.
The Incas recognized the value of a continuous supply chain for military operations. Roads stretched to the limits of the Inca realm, and along the roads were storehouses from which the soldiers were fed, clothed, and rearmed. In addition, llamas followed the army in pack trains, carrying additional supplies the warriors might need.
Military strategy was simple: The Inca forces were divided into three groups. The first group attacked from the front while the other two groups circled to attack the rear flanks. If the enemy retreated to a fortress, the Incas lay siege to the site, cutting off water, food supplies, and communications.
According to Albert Marrin in his book Inca and Spaniard: Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru, “The Inca approached the enemy in mass formations thousands strong. As they came within earshot, they set up an earsplitting racket; noise boosted their own courage and made the enemy jittery. Warriors blew conch-shell trumpets and bone whistles. They shook gourd rattles and beat drums covered with human skin. Men danced wildly, whirling, jumping, shouting. They boasted of their courage and jeered at the enemy as cowards. Some units bellowed a bloodcurdling rhyme:
We’ll drink chicha from your skull
From your teeth we’ll make a necklace
From your bones, flutes
From your skin we’ll make a drum
And then we’ll dance.
Many enemies gave up before the fighting had even begun.
In battle, the Inca army lined up according to weaponry. The first row of skilled sling throwers could fell opponents by hurling their smooth stones. Then followed common warriors with clubs, spears, and stone or metal clubs, and nobles armed with sharp battleaxes made of copper.
As new cultures were conquered, the Incas added the weapons of those cultures to their arsenal. Bolas (ropes with three stones attached) were one such addition. When the bolas were spun around, then hurled, the stones encircled the arms or legs of an enemy, literally tying him up. Another welcome addition was the bow and arrow. The Incas had no archery skills, but their subjects from the Amazon region achieved such great accuracy with bows and arrows that they could shoot birds in flight.
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