Incan women were typically married between the ages of twelve and fourteen. In Incan society, monogamy was not strictly imposed, however, due to economic restrictions men tended to only have one wife.  For the common people, marriage was strictly monogamous.  Polygamy only existed for the nobility, the Inca himself having several hundred concubines.  All of the ruling classes had multiple wives.  The first wife remained head wife, while the others were merely secondary.  Marriage was motivated by economics rather than by love, as was common with marriages in most cultures around the world.  If a man did not marry by the time he was twenty years old, a woman would be chosen for him.  These marriages were arranged by the chieftain.    If a man wanted a woman, he appeared frequently at her father’s house and joined in the work in order to be eligible for marriage to the girl in question.  Trial marriages were typical within Incan culture. In this type of marriage, the man and woman would agree to try out being married to one another for a few years. At the end of this time the woman could go home to her parents if she wished, and her husband could also send her home if he did not think it would work out. However, once the marriage was made final, they could only divorce if the woman was childless.

Women would almost always marry men in the same social class as them. However, while it was very rare for them to marry a man with a higher social ranking, it was still possible for some young women. The only way for a young woman to alter her social ranking would be if a man of higher ranking took notice of her.  In the Incan society, a wedding was not a joyous celebration, as it is in many cultures. Instead, it was looked at more as a business-like agreement. Therefore, it is important to note that for the Incans, marriage was an economic agreement between two families. Once a woman was married, she was expected to collect food and cook, watch over the animals and the children, and also make trips to the market. A woman’s household obligations would not change after she became pregnant. When she did find out she was pregnant she prayed and made offerings to an Incan god, kanopa.

Scene of a sacred ritual in Inca marriage.

The Inca also had a cult of the sun, in which certain young women were chosen as acllas (women dedicated to the sun), and either remained virgin-priestesses in special buildings or married the king of the Inca or one of his favorites.  In Inca society everyone except the acllas was expected to marry, and marriages, except for those of the Inca king and his favorites, were monogamous.  Fertility and procreation were viewed as extremely important, with a girl’s first menstruation marked by a special ceremony giving her her adult name and clothing.

FAMILY LIFE

Women were very important in Inca family, although, they were extremely inferior to men. They took care of the children and also of household jobs.  Upon marriage, women were overwhelmed with work; collecting fuel, gathering herbs and fruits, preparing food, looking after children and animals, spinning and weaving, helping in the fields, and many other chores.  Because of the many tasks that needed to be done, women learned to multi-task by binding their children in cloth and carrying them on their back as they continued on with the necessary work. Inca mother loved their children. Mothers took care of the baby from the moment it was born. The baby was placed on a cradleboard only when it was four years old.  At seven or eight children were expected to help their parents. Boys began to herd llamas and alpacas, while little girls ran errands for their mothers, thus beginning the strenuous role of an Inca woman. Daughters of noblemen entered establishments called “Houses of Chosen Women” once they turned eight years old and were directed by matrons who initiated them into the duties of wives.  When a girl reached maturity in any social class, there was a ceremony to introduce her into womanhood. During the ceremony the girl remained shut up in her home. She feasted for three days. First two days she ate nothing and on third day she could chew some kernels of corn. On the fourth day her mother bathed her and then she put on a new dress. A feast was held for her. She waited on the relatives in the feast and her most important uncle gave her a permanent name.  Many rituals were acted out with the family as a whole.  Children were extremely important to any man’s lineage.  By doing religious rituals and sending children out to get married, society was more accepting of his children and therefore, his lineage lived on.

An example of a family working the crop.