Final answer:
The Sapa Inca held the top position in the Inca class structure. The Sapa Inca's authority was believed to come from a direct descent from the sun god Inti, giving him divine status and absolute power. The Inca Empire was economically and administratively organized in a centralized manner to maintain imperial cohesion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The top position in the Inca class structure was held by the Sapa Inca, who was regarded as the supreme leader of the Inca Empire. The Sapa Inca was seen as a divine ruler with authority stemming from a claimed direct descent from the sun god Inti. Because of this sacred lineage, the Sapa Inca wielded absolute power over all aspects of life within the empire, both secular and religious.
Inti, being one of the most important deities in the Inca pantheon, endowed the Sapa Inca not only with the right to rule but also with a divine status that was undisputed among the Inca population. This religious symbolism and the integration of conquered peoples' deities into the worship of Inti helped to strengthen and maintain the cohesion of the vast and diverse Incan Empire, which reached from modern Colombia to southern Chile. The Inca class structure itself was a hierarchical system that included nobility, priesthood, administrators, and the peasantry.
Under the Sapa Inca, the economy was characterized by the principle of reciprocity and redistribution. Commoners would work on lands managed by the state or the religious establishment as part of the mita labor system and, in return, would receive care from the state. This centralized control, combined with a sophisticated road system and administrative practices, including the use of the quipu for record-keeping, allowed the Inca to manage and hold their vast empire together effectively.