The Incas were no slouches when it came to technology. But what about invention? What are some things that they pioneered that we today do not readily attribute to them? You might be surprised.
Freeze-Drying Food
As far as recorded history goes, the Incas were the first people to develop freeze-drying techniques. This consisted of taking advantage of freezing weather by leaving potatoes under a cloth overnight. The next day, the Incas would return to trample over the potatoes to squeeze out any excess moisture. This process was repeated several times until they had manufactured freeze-dried potato, called chuño in the Quechua language.
There were very many benefits to preparing food this way. First and foremost, it made food easier to carry because it was lighter. It also made it last longer. When prepared properly, chuño could last several years before going bad. In a society that was dependent on agriculture, this was a literal lifesaver in the event of a crop failure. And good news for troops who would be eating the stuff often, the process actually improved the taste of some strains of potato.
Brain Surgery
They didn’t exactly perfect it, but the Incas are on the record for developing an effective form of brain surgery. They found out how to save the lives of wounded men by reducing the inflammation caused by serious head injuries. They even incorporated anesthetics in the form of tobacco, alcohol, and coca.
As you might imagine many of these early patients didn’t make it through the process. They were easy prey for complications both from injuries and from the operations. But after several hundred years of practice, it’s believed that the Incas had refined their technique to the point that they achieved a 90% success rate.
A Government That Actually Worked
If there’s any common thread running through human history, it’s the quest for a government that is just as effective in action as it is on paper.
When the Spanish had conquered the Incas, they were impressed by how few beggars or criminals they were in Inca society. Every single person seemed to have a place. The empire had the power to put its people in motion in whatever way or aim suited it. Everyone pitched in towards a unified goal and everyone received shelter and food in return.
No small part of the system was attributed to the decimal system. A local ruler was in charge of 10 families. The next authority figure up controlled 100, and the one higher than him 1,000, and so forth. Every year the more important rulers were elected democratically and there was very little internal conflict up until the very end of each reign.
Brilliant Bridges
The Incas are famous for their highway system, but what did they do when there wasn’t even any land to build a highway on? There were canyons and rivers in their realm that needed to be traversed on a regular basis.
The answer was a form of a rope bridge that was safe to cross but perilous to construct. Picture the scene. An Inca engineer ties a rope to an arrow and shoots it across a canyon or river to another Inca who would then secure the rope into place. The second to Inca would then have the esteemed privilege of making sure that the structure was sound.
Not a few test subjects perished in this process, but this was an infrastructure that was key to the empire’s expansion, so these self-sacrificing colleagues were remembered With honor.
Since there’s no evidence of a written language, determining what else originated with the Incas is an ongoing project. That heavy cloak of mystery is part of the allure of the things they’ve left behind.
You can see some of these things in Machu Picchu when you visit Peru through a licensed tour operator like TOUR IN PERU. You’ll be glad you did.
