What was the main language of the Inca Empire?

Quechua, usually called Runasimi ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes and highlands of South America. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely spoken language family of indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 8–10 million speakers. Approximately 25% (7.7 million) of Peruvians speak a Quechuan language. It is perhaps most widely known for being the main language family of the Inca Empire. The Spanish colonizers initially encouraged its use, but from the middle of their reign, they suppressed it. However, Quechua ultimately survived and variants are still widely spoken today.

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12 Comments

Chandran David

Happy to know that this ancient language has survived through the onslaught of aggression of the spaniards. This kind of brutal and cruel ways were adopted by the aggressors during the colonial era elsewhere too to annihilate the local culture, language, customs etc by the British, French , Spanish , Portugese, Dutch countries in Asian ,African , China , South American countries and other small island nations such as Maritius etc ;

Marianne

silrem, the God Quetzalcoatl belongs to the Mesoamerican (Tezcatlipocas) pantheon. The Quechua or Quichua language is indigenous to the central Andes. The main Inca gods are: Wiracocha, known from time immemorial. Inti, the Sun god. Pacha Mama, Mother Earth. Mama Quilla, Moon Goddess.

Jas Newman

Chandran David, Your attack on western civilization for annihilating local culture in "nations such as Maritius" [sic—you surely meant Mauritius] is strange because prior to the arrival of western explorers the highest lifeform on Mauritius was the dodo. Are you suggesting the current residents of Mauritius would be better off living as dodos?

Joe Mangan

Quechua has official status today in both Peru and Bolivia. Almost uniquely for an indigenous language of the Americas it was actually gaining in number of speakers in the late 20th century, at the expense not of Spanish but of other indigenous languages. This may no longer be the case.

Joe Mangan

John W Shreve, if you mean at the expense of other civilisations I can only say: what arrogance. Google Diego Garcia to learn how one vulnerable community 'benifitted from western civilisation.' Any mention of Diego Garcia here tends to get voted down without rejoinder by the same people who decry Chinese censorship.