Editing Inca Empire (section)

=== Organization of the empire ===
The Inca Empire was a decentralized government consisting of a central government with the Inca at its head and four regional quarters, or ''suyu'':
* [[Chinchay Suyu|Chinchay suyu]] (NW)
* [[Anti Suyu|Anti suyu]] (NE)
* [[Kunti Suyu|Kunti suyu]] (SW)
* [[Qulla Suyu|Qulla suyu]] (SE)

The four corners of these quarters met at the center, Cuzco. These ''suyu'' were likely created around 1460 during the reign of Pachacuti before the empire reached its largest territorial extent. At the time the ''suyu'' were established they were roughly of equal size and only later changed their proportions as the empire expanded north and south along the Andes.{{sfn|Steward|1946|p=262}}

Cuzco was likely not organized as a ''wamani'' or province. Rather, it was probably somewhat akin to a modern [[federal district]], like Washington, DC or Mexico City. The city sat at the center of the four ''suyu'' and served as the preeminent center of politics and religion. While Cusco was essentially governed by the Sapa Inca, his relatives and the royal ''panaqa'' lineages, each ''suyu'' was governed by an ''Apu'' a term of esteem used for men of high status and for venerated mountains. Both Cuzco as a district and the four ''suyu'' as administrative regions were grouped into upper ''hanan'' and lower ''hurin'' divisions. As the Inca did not have written records, it is impossible to exhaustively list the constituent ''wamani''. However, colonial records allow us to reconstruct a partial list. There were likely more than 86 ''wamani'', with more than 48 in the highlands and more than 38 on the coast.{{sfn|Steward|1946|pp=185–192}}{{sfn|D'Altroy|2014|pp=42–43, 86–89}}{{sfn|McEwan|2008|pp=113–114}}

==== Suyu ====
[[File:Inca Empire South America.png|thumb|upright|The four ''suyus'' or quarters of the empire]]

The most populous ''suyu'' was [[Chinchaysuyu]], which encompassed the former [[Chimor|Chimú Empire]] and much of the northern Andes. At its largest extent, it extended through much of what are now Ecuador and Colombia.

The largest ''suyu'' by area was [[Qullasuyu]], named after the [[Aymara language|Aymara]]-speaking [[Qulla people]]. It encompassed what is now the Bolivian [[Altiplano]] and much of the southern Andes, reaching what is now Argentina and as far south as the [[Maipo River|Maipo]] or [[Maule river]] in modern [[Incas in Central Chile|Central Chile]].<ref name="Dillehay1988">{{Cite book |last1=Dillehay |first1=T. |last2=Gordon |first2=A. |author-link1=Tom Dillehay |editor-first1=Tom |editor-last1=Dillehay |editor-first2=Patricia |editor-last2=Netherly |chapter=La actividad prehispánica y su influencia en la Araucanía |title=La frontera del estado Inca |chapter-url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=F9UuVyGcZ7MC}} |publisher=Editorial Abya Yala |isbn=978-9978-04-977-8 |date=1998}}</ref> Historian [[José Bengoa]] singled out [[Quillota]] as likely being the foremost Inca settlement in Chile.{{sfn|Bengoa|2003|pp=37–38}}

The second smallest ''suyu'', [[Antisuyu]], was northwest of Cusco in the high Andes. Its name is the root of the word "Andes".{{sfn|D'Altroy|2014|p=87}}

[[Kuntisuyu]] was the smallest ''suyu'' located along the southern coast of modern Peru, extending into the highlands towards Cusco.{{sfn|D'Altroy|2014|pp=87–88}}