The Inca Empire was a marvel of its time. The rulers managed to conquer territory from Colombia to Argentina and Chile, spanning the mountain ranges, coastlines, jungles and plains of six modern day countries.
It produced grand achievements, such as the mountaintop city of Machu Picchu, and vastly improved the continental Inca Road system. But the Inca Empire wasn’t around for that long compared to some of the preceding Andean civilizations, like the Wari or Chimú.
The Inca Empire only lasted from roughly 1450 to when the Spanish arrived in 1532. Whereas the Wari lasted from roughly A.D. 500 to A.D. 1000. The Chimú civilization spanned from about A.D. 900 until the Inca conquered them in 1470, and the Tiwanaku civilization lasted for even longer.
