Pachacuti

Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, commonly known simply as Pachacuti, was the ninth Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu). He ruled approximately from 1438 to 1471. The Quechua name Pachacuti translates as earth-shaker or transformer, reflecting his reputation for significant imperial change.

During his reign, Pachacuti expanded the Inca state beyond the homeland around Cusco, transforming a regional polity into a large empire through military campaigns, strategic diplomacy, and administrative consolidation. He is credited with reorganizing the empire's government, expanding the imperial road network, and establishing a centralized system of governance that integrated diverse peoples and territories under the Inca state. He is also traditionally linked with major building projects in Cusco and other centers, and the city of Machu Picchu is commonly associated with his era, though exact attribution remains debated among scholars.

Much of what is known about Pachacuti comes from later Inca chronicles written after the Spanish conquest, supplemented by archaeological evidence. While the precise dates and details are debated, he is widely regarded as the imperial founder who laid the foundations for the large, centralized Inca state that endured under his successors. He was succeeded by Topa Inca Yupanqui (Túpac Yupanqui).

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