Pachacuti
~1418–1471/1472 · Inca (Cusco, modern-day Peru) · Inca Empire, Pre-Columbian Americas
Known for: Transformed the Inca from a small kingdom into the largest empire in Pre-Columbian Americas—built Machu Picchu
Pachacuti ('Earth Shaker') transformed the Inca kingdom into an empire stretching 2,500 miles along the Andes—the largest state in pre-Columbian Americas. He's credited with building Machu Picchu, redesigning Cusco in the shape of a puma, and establishing the administrative systems that held the empire together.
He built a road system of 25,000 miles through some of the world's most difficult terrain, established the quipu record-keeping system, and created a highly organized society without writing, iron, or the wheel.
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