From the beginning of Pachacuti's reign, the Spanish chroniclers were generally in agreement. We can therefore get a much more accurate picture of [G 11 / Inca] history from this time onwards. From 1438 to the time of the conquest we can say that this was the historical empire as opposed to the legendary empire of previous years.
Pachacuti was a conqueror whose success and will to dominate and expand his kingdom led to him being compared with military leaders such as Napoleon, Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. Between 1438, when Pachacuti became emperor, and 1493, when his son Topa Inca died, the Inca Empire expanded from the limited area of the Cuzco valley to include some 350,000 square miles and 3,000 miles of coastline.
Much of this expansion was under Topa Inca, Pachacuti's son. However, it was Pachacuti who initiated [L3 203 / the imperialist policy] of annexing land beyond the needs of the Inca and bringing the conquered tribes into the Inca empire. Within 25 years, Pachacuti conquered most of the central Andes between Lake Titicaca and Lake Junin in [L3 204 / a series of brilliant military campaigns]. He may also have been responsible for initiating the custom of the [L3 208 / mita].
THE PLANNING AND BUILDING OF CUZCO:
Cuzco had been the [G 11 / Inca] capital from the beginning of their history. It was Pachacuti Yupanqui who organized much of the planning and building of the city which partly remains today. He irrigated the city by diverting the Sapphi and Tullumayo rivers into channels which crossed the city. He also cut agricultural terraces into the hillsides surrounding Cuzco on which crops were grown to support the expanding population of the city.
Cuzco was built around a huge central plaza which was called the Aucaypata. This was central to the life of the inhabitants of Cuzco. Today some of this space is occupied by a much smaller central plaza, the Plaza de Armas. He was also responsible for the building of the Coricancha Temple and the Royal Palace. Some of the walls from this palace still remain on the west corner of the Plaza de Armas.
