How did the people of the Inca empire adapt to to their surrounding physical environment?

The Incas lived in the Andes so they had to deal with earthquakes, avalanches, mudslides, and most importantly the changing altitudes. They adopted their architecture by building structures out of stone which fit together similar to puzzle pieces; that way there was no need for mortar. These buildings were able to survive most earthquakes. They also used Grass Roofs that did not collapse or cause problems if they did collapse. These were often tied together with other buildings' roofs for increased stability. They built footbridges that connected their roads across the Andes.

The Incas used terrace farming to have sustainable agriculture in the Andes. They used different elevations for different crops (potatoes and maize being the main ones). Irrigation ditches were used to help sustain the agriculture.

The Incas also built food storage houses at high elevation (to keep the food cold) along their roads. These were used to feed large standing armies and the populations in case of food shortages.