How was Inca society organized under the emperor and aristocracy?

Inca society was highly stratified, with the emperor ruling through an aristocratic bureaucracy that exercised authority via strict and often repressive controls. The term "Inca" was traditionally applied to the descendants of the 12 individuals who ruled from Cuzco, though some individuals were later granted "Inca by decree" status as a privilege.12

The empire, known as Tawantinsuyu, utilized an administrative structure that incorporated traditional ethnic lords who demonstrated fealty to the state. To manage the population and rationalize local loyalties, the Inca implemented a decimal system to organize households into units ranging from 100 to 10,000, which facilitated labor assignments and military conscription.23

Rather than a traditional tribute system, the state relied on the mit’a system, where the peasantry provided their energy and labor for public works, agricultural production, or military service. This labor was tracked by professional accountants using quipu, a system of knotted cords. The state also maintained political stability through the forced resettlement of populations to distribute ethnic groups throughout the empire.21