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Age and Defining Gender
The high infant mortality rates that plagued the Inca Empire caused newborn infants to solely be given the term ‘wawa’ when they were born. Most families did not invest very much into their child until they reached the age of two, or most of the times three years old. Once the child reaches the age of three a ‘coming of age’ ceremony occurs. This ceremony is deemed the rutuchikuy ritual. For the Inca’s this ceremony indicated that the child had entered the stage of ‘ignorance’. During this ceremony the family would invite all relatives to their house for food and dance and then each member of the family would get to cut a piece of hair off of the young child. After each family member got a piece of the hair, the father would then shave off the rest of the child’s head. According to Covey, this stage of life was categorized by a stage of “ignorance, inexperience, and lack of reason, a condition that the child would overcome with time.” For the Incan society in order to advance from the stage of ignorance to development the child must learn the roles around the family associated with their gender.

The next important ritual was to celebrate the maturity of child. Unlike the previous ritual ceremony, the celebration of maturity was to signify the child's sexual potency. In the western world this ceremony would be known as a celebration of puberty, however for the Inca's it was called warachikuy for boys and qikuchikuy for girls. The warachikuy ceremony included dancing, fasting, tasks to show their strength, and family ceremonies. The boy would also be given new clothes and taught how to act as an unmarried man. On the other hand, the girls ceremony qikuchikuy signified the onset of menstruation, therefore the girl would go into the forest alone and not return until the bleeding had ended. In the forest she would fast, and upon arrival the girl would be given a new name, adult clothing, and advice. The name for a girl was important because it represented beauty and purity. This 'folly' stage of life was important because this was the time the young adults could have sex without having to be a parent.

Between the ages 20-30 the young adults were "ripe for serious thought and labor,". The young adults were able to hold on to their 'youthful status' during this age by living at home and helping out their home community. The young adults only reached their 'full potential' once they were married.

In the end, the male and female terms describe the individuals loss of sexual vitality and humanity. Specifically, the decrepitude stage signifies the loss of their mental well being and further physical dystrophy.

Marriage
''In the Incan Empire, the age of marriage differed for men and women; men typically married at the age of 20, while women usually got married around 4 years earlier at the age of 16. Men who were highly ranked in society could have multiple wives, but those lower in the ranks could only take a single wife. Marriages were typically within classes and resembled a more business-like agreement. Once married, the women were expected to cook, collect food and watch over the children and livestock. Girls and mothers would also work around the house to keep it orderly to please the public inspectors. These duties remained the same even after wives became pregnant and with the added responsibility of praying and making offerings to Kanopa, who was the god of pregnancy. It was typical for marriages to begin on a trial basis with both men and women having a say in the longevity of the marriage. If the man felt that it wouldn’t work out or if the woman wanted to return to her parent’s home the marriage would end. Once the marriage was final, the only way the two could be divorced was if they did not have a child together.''

Marriage within the Empire was crucial for survival. A family was considered disadvantaged if there was not a married couple at the center because everyday life centered around the balance of male and female tasks.

Gender Roles
In the eyes of the Inca's male and female roles were considered equal. The "indigenous cultures saw the two genders as complementary parts of a whole." In other words, there was not a hierarchical structure in the domestic sphere for the Incas. Within the domestic sphere, women were known as the weavers. Women's everyday tasks included: spinning, watching the children, weaving cloth, cooking, brewing chichi, preparing fields for cultivation, planting seeds, bearing children, harvesting, weeding, hoeing, herding, and carrying water. Men on the other hand, "weeded, plowed, participated in combat, helped in the harvest, carried firewood, built houses, herded llama and alpaca, and spun and wove when necessary". On looking Spaniard's did not understand the complementary nature of men and women roles within the Inca culture and believed women were treated like slaves. However, Inca women did not view themselves as slaves, nor did they do their job for the man. The women completed their daily tasks for the improvement of her household and community, to ensure her family would survive. Furthermore, women were allowed to own land and herds because inheritance was passed down from both the mother's and father's side of the family. Kinship within the Inca society followed a parallel line of descent. In other words, women ascended from women and men ascended from men. Due to the parallel descent, women had access to land and other necessities through her mother, and communities flourished because of the environmental social ties among women.