The Incan political system was one of superior sophistication for its time. The political system was that of an aristocracy meaning that a few entitled people ruled the rest of society. The Incan government was organized in a pyramid-like fashion, with the most power resting in the hands of a few and working its way down. The Sapa Inca was at the very top of the pyramid; he was also referred to as the king. He was the descendent of the Sun God Inti. He ruled form the capital Cuzco. The most famous Inca king was Pachacuti. Following the Sapa Inca in power were the members of the Supreme Council, or the Apus. There were 16 men in the supreme council and they held power much like the senate does today. Each Apus had 4 men, and each quarter had 4 apus (16men in total). The Inca Empire was separated into four sections together known as 'Ttahuantin-suyu' or "land of the four quarters". Within the four quarters, the people were further divided into clans called "ayllus". Each Ayllus was in itself a small community. Each quarter was ruled by a governor called 'Apu-cuna'. The governor’s primary responsibility was to make sure its land and people were working smoothly. Then came the officials; this included army officers, priests, judges, and others from the noble class. The tax collectors were next; there was once tax collector for each community (ayllu). At the very bottom of the pyramid of power came the laborers or workers. The majority of the Inca population was included in this section. The laborers were the driving force behind the Inca economy and the reason the hierarchical political system was in place. (Heinemann/Raintree ) Crime in the Inca Empire was virtually non-existent. They live in a peaceful society and cooperated with each other. When a crime did occur however, punishment did follow. The Incas did not have prisons. Instead for serious crimes such as murder, stealing and blasphemy offenders were executed by being pushed off a cliff. Less serious crimes were punished by cutting off the hands or blinding. When the Inca armies conquered other ruling cities, they didn't kill the local rulers. Instead they let them rule as long as they followed Inca rules, didn't rebel, paid taxes, and kept the storehouses full. Basic laws were enforced: don’t steal etc. but the primary law/rule that must be followed was that of taxation. (Terence N. D'Altroy) The tax requirements were high. Women were expected to weave a certain amount of cloth, while men had to mine or serve in the army. Taxes were expected to be paid by commoners. If the commoners didn't have money, they'd pay with service on state projects or make items to sell such as thread or hand-woven cloaks. People could also pay the government by giving a portion of their yearly crop to the collectors for storehouses instead. (Wikapedia) The Inca government was easily the most advanced system at the time. It would have been interesting to see how the Incan government changed over time if they had not been conquered by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Works Cited The Inca empire. Heinemann/Raintree. Wood, Tim. (1996) "Inca Empire." Wikipedia, 2010. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire>. The Incas. Terence N. D'Altroy, T.J. International. (2003)