The Inca Empire engineered an extraordinary food system to feed a mountain civilization, terracing steep Andean slopes to grow thousands of potato varieties alongside quinoa, maize, and beans, while freeze-drying potatoes into chuño for long-term storage at high altitude. Llamas and alpacas provided meat, wool, and transport, and an extensive network of state storehouses meant surplus grain and dried food could be moved to wherever it was needed.

Coca leaves held ceremonial and practical importance, chewed to combat altitude and fatigue during long journeys across the empire's mountain roads. Maize was both a food staple and the basis for chicha, a fermented drink central to Inca festivals and religious offerings—together, potatoes, quinoa, and maize formed a diet remarkably well-adapted to one of the most challenging farming environments on Earth.