Jobs
for the common people: Some people did escape life on the farm. Some
boys were trained as artisans. Others were trained to be the
servants and temple assistants of the royals, nobles, priests. Some
actually rose to rather high positions in governmental service, but
they were the exceptions.
Profession:
Chosen Women
The most beautiful 10-year-old girls of each ayllu were selected to
become "chosen women". They lived in the
temples. They were taught domestic arts. They studied religion.
After a few years, they were assigned jobs in the homes of the
wealthy, perhaps even the home of the emperor himself. Some were
sacrificed to the gods and buried on mountain peaks.
Profession:
Herders
The Incas did not have sheep, oxen, horses, chickens, goats or
pigs. They had llamas and alpacas, both greatly prized for their
meat and their wool. Young boys had the job of driving off foxes or
any animals that might harm the herd. The carefully collected llama
dung t use as fuel in the winter. In the mountains, herders slept in
small tents. They wore thick clothing to protect themselves from the
cold.
Profession:
Craftsmen
The artists of the time were well-respected. They made
necklaces for the rich of gold and pearls. They made beautiful as
well as functional weapons. They made many religious items.
The Incas never invented the wheel, including
the potters wheel. Their pottery was made by hand. It was gorgeous.
The Incas are famous for a weird pot they made that has a pointed
bottom. When filled, this pot balances itself upright. When it's
empty, it lays on its side.
They made bronze by melting copper and tin
together. They mined precious metals. They made statues, knives,
weapons, pins for garments, and tools.
Profession:
Weavers
Weaving was probably the most important of all the arts. Both
men and women were weavers. Weavers made blankets, ropes, clothing,
baskets, and thick twisted rope cable for the suspension bridges.
Some of the wool fabrics they made felt like silk. Some weavers wove
feathers into their fabrics. Weavers in Peru today use the same
methods as the ancient Incas. The Incas used the same methods as the
people before them. Some of the designs have remained unchanged for
thousands of years.
Profession:
Sorcerers
The sorcerers were local people who had special abilities. There
were not priests, but they were locally powerful because they could
cast spells, read omens, and help or hinder you in your goals though
the use of magic.
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