The Incan Empire began as a small ethnic group located in Cuzco until it rapidly expanded into a vast empire during the 15th century CE. Under the reign of the emperor Pachacuti, who ruled between 1438CE to 1471CE, the Incan Empire expanded as the emperor decided to spread the Incan culture through warfare after successfully defending Cuzco from a neighbouring tribe called the ‘Chancas’. However instead of invading and attacking their targets, the emperor used a more pragmatic approach, forming harmonious relationships, promising peace and gifts and using the threat of military conquest as a back-up. They used this strategy to conquer most of the land in modern day southern Peru. Pachacuti’s son, Tupac Inca, and the leader of the Incan army began to diplomatically conquer northern civilisations; and Tupac Inca’s son, Huayna Capac added important territories to the southern side of the empire. At its peak, the Incan empire included Peru, Bolivia, most of Chile and a part of Ecuador.
