Here are some notable achievements and contributions of Pachacuti:
1. Territorial Expansion:
a. Pachacuti conquered vast territories, expanding the Inca Empire and its influence significantly.
2. Machu Picchu:
a. Pachacuti is believed to have constructed the famous mountaintop citadel of Machu Picchu. He chose the location for its strategic defensibility and impressive surroundings.
3. Cusco Expansion:
a. Pachacuti transformed the city of Cusco, the Inca capital, into a magnificent urban center with impressive architecture, temples, and public spaces. Cusco was designed, with Pachacuti as the visionary, according to strict urban planning concepts.
4. Infrastructure:
a. He promoted road construction and communication networks throughout the empire, enabling efficient transportation and rapid information transfer. He established a relay system called the "chasquis" for relaying messages.
5. Cusco City Planning:
a. Under Pachakuti's reign, Cusco was divided into four sectors, designed in symmetry and representing different regions of the empire.
b. Temples were constructed based on astronomical alignment for religious and ceremonial purposes.
c. He also commissioned the reconstruction of Sacsaywaman, an incredible stone fortress overlooking Cusco.
6. Administration, Justice, and Laws:
a. Pachacuti established standardized systems of civil administration, tax collection, and storage within the empire.
b. He emphasized communal living, social solidarity, and reciprocity known as "Ayllu system."
7. Education:
a. During his reign, education within the empire focused on military training, governance, administrative matters, religion, engineering, art, and agricultural techniques.
8. Inca Architecture:
a. Many important Inca religious and symbolic structures in Cusco, along with the monumental city itself, were developed during Pachacuti's time. His building strategies have left a enduring architectural legacy of the Incas.
Pachacuti is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the Inca Empire, laying the foundation for what would become a vast network of territories and societies, and leaving a cultural, technological, and political legacy, many elements of which still remain intact and are visible until today.