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The Inca army (Quechua: Inka Awqaqkuna) was the multi-ethnic armed forces^[1] used by the Tawantin Suyu to expand its empire and defend the sovereignty of the Sapa Inca in its territory.^[2]

Thanks to the military mit'a, as the empire grew in size and population, so did the army, reaching 200,000 men in a single army (during the reign of Huayna Capac).^[3] The soldiers were provided with food, clothing and state aid in replacing their family in regard to the agrarian activity that the recruited should be fulfilling, in such a way that being a permanent soldier was not a bad position and even occupied its own space in the political-social pyramid.^[4]

During the Manco Inca rebellion, the soldiers used Spanish weapons and armor, and learned how to ride horses. After the retreat to Vilcabamba, they began to use guerrilla tactics against the Viceroyalty of Peru. The Inca army was finally dissolved after the death of the last Inca of Vilcabamba, Tupac Amaru I, in 1572.