Who they were
After defending Cusco against a rival people, Pachacuti seized power and launched sweeping conquests across the Andes. He is credited with reorganizing the Inca state, army, and religion.
What they did
He rebuilt Cusco on a grand scale and is traditionally linked to the building of Machu Picchu. He set up the administrative systems, roads, and resettlement policies that held the empire together.
Legacy
Pachacuti turned a small kingdom into the largest empire of the ancient Americas. He is remembered as the Inca’s greatest state-builder, a figure comparable to the great empire-founders of the Old World.