Quechuan , also known as
runa simi ("people's language"), is a
Native American language family spoken primarily in the
Andes region of South America, derived from a common ancestral language. It is the most widely spoken language family of the
indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 8 million to 10 million speakers. It is perhaps most widely known for being the main language of the
Inca Empire.