Their settlements would be cobbled together near freeway on-ramps and they would all have persistent pneumonia and probably gout. Nobody who can build a bridge across a ravine without modern tools is involuntarily celibate. Inca laborers probably had their pick of partners, lol.

[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

As I recall, the term "Inca" refers to the ruling class from around Cuzco, and as they conquered more lands they made the conquered people pay tribute by spending part of their time on labor. So the Inca laborers would just be regular people. But it's been a while, I really should read up more on the Inca Empire. Looks like there's a good youtube video on the bridgemaking.

[–] PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I'm interested to learn more myself. My point still stands, though. Your average modern person, including incels, couldn't assemble a flat pack from ikea without having a mental breakdown. So when someone is smart, strong, and handy? Swoon.

I once stopped my husband in the middle of a home improvement project because watching him work was such a turn on. And the project was nowhere near as difficult as building an entire bridge with rudimentary hand tools. Incels could never.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Funny enough, there's a native aristocrat born shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Inca who wrote a long series of pleas to the Spanish king, essentially saying "You guys are doing REALLY fucked up things here to your own subjects, please stop", but one of the things he unambiguously praised about the Spanish was that they brought European-style bridges with them. Those rope bridges in the Andes are beautiful, and in some isolated places there was no practical replacement for them until the modern era, but they're positively deadly to make, maintain, and repair.

[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Anyone being carried in an Inca litter can be immediately deposed by a majority vote of their litter-bearers.

[–] PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Or by a poorly placed stone.