The Inca settled in the valleys of the . They built their capital, , high in the mountains. Strong emperors helped build Inca Empire. The first of these rulers was . Inca rulers built a strong central . They set up legal , tax bureaus, and military posts. Inca rulers required everyone to learn , the language of the Inca. People also had to work for the for a certain period every year. One project people had to work on was a system of . These helped connect all parts of the . The Inca had little flat land for farming. They built step-like areas called . They grew potatoes and , a grain rich in protein. When harvests were good, the government would collect and the extra food. In years when the were poor, they would distribute the extra food from previous years. The Inca believed their rulers had the protection of the . Inca emperors controlled the lives of their subjects. They owned all the . They set rules for growing .