The Quechua people are the indigenous peoples of South America who speak any of the Quechua languages. Most Quechua speakers live in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The most common Quechua dialect is Southern Quechua. The Kichwa people of Ecuador speak the Kichwa dialect; in Colombia, the Inga people speak Inga Kichwa. The Quechua word for a Quechua speaker is runa or nuna ("person"); the plural is runakuna or nunakuna ("people"). Some historical Quechua peoples are: \n* The Chanka people, who lived in the Huancavelica, Ayacucho, and Apurímac regions of Peru. \n* The Huanca people of the Junín Region of Peru, who spoke Quechua before the Incas did. \n* The Inca, who established the largest empire of the pre-Columbian era. \n* The Cañari of Ecuador, who adopted the Quechua language from the Inca. \n* The Chincha, a extinct merchant kingdom of the Ica Region of Peru.

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