1823-1841
The Institution was founded in 1823, alongside the Federal Republic of Central America. Many of its members came from Guatemala and El Salvador, with Costa Rica offering the least amount of support to the fledgeling organization. These two decades saw the construction of the Institution's first facilities and a boom in the understanding of Central America's abundant parafauna. These first years, INCA was more of a wildlife conservation group, protecting the native peculiar species from poaching, overhunting, and other threats to their existence. However, as the sun set on the Republic, the organization became more and more militarized, in some cases outright abandoning jurisdiction over some peculiarities in favour of more weaponizable ones. Once the final state left the Federal Republic, most thought the Institution had fallen along with it. Most were wrong.
After the Republic fell, INCA went under the radar. They became insular with their facilities, the leadership falling off the face of the Earth. Towns near these facilities became fronts for them, providing homes to their personnel in exchange for access to some peculiar flora and livestock. Within these facilities, they got to work, preparing weaponry in case a foreign force attempted to invade the region. Many of the facilities during this time has since been abandoned or lost. Rumour has it many of these still contain active, dangerous peculiarities.
Many see this era as a Golden Age for the Institution, while others still see it as a humble beginning to a much grander future.
1855-1857
After the falling apart of the Federal Republic, many thought the members of INCA had disbanded along with it. With no government backing them, how would they continue? Many government heads were surprised, however, to receive communications from the Institutional Director at the advent of the Filibuster War. Costa Rica was the first to act, ignoring William Walker's threats and declaring war on Nicaragua. Walker sent forces into Costa Rica in an attempt to take over the country. Led by Colonel Schlessinger, these forces were arrogant and expected little resistance from what they saw as lesser people. They were surprised however when, at the Battle of Santa Rosa, the Costa Rican army ambushed and attacked them with the aid of paraweapons developed by INCA. The other three countries of Central America soon followed suit, obtaining peculiar weaponry from INCA to fight back against the filibusters. One notable weapon developed by INCA was the protection phrase, "Filibuster bullets don't kill!" The phrase proved capable of guarding its speaker against harm and was used extensively by the Guatemalan forces.
With William Walker defeated and handed over to the US Navy, INCA was seen as the protector of Central America. The organization saw an increase in funding, allowing them to expand their prospects beyond weaponization. However, as time went on, the reputation of INCA faded along with it. They soon fell out of the limelight once more, once more barely making enough money to stay afloat.
1896-1898
In 1896, when the countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua came together in an attempt to reform the Federal Republic of Central America, INCA was brought into the fold, once more being backed by a strong governmental body. However, from its inception, the Greater Republic was weak and doomed to fail. With El Salvadoran general Tomás Regalado taking over the country and leaving the union, the GR quickly faltered, being dissolved only two weeks after El Salvador's departure. INCA, however, profited greatly from those short three years. It had received a great deal of capital from the three nations, and an even greater amount of members. However, with the changing climate of Central America, more success was heading in their direction. The Battle Hymn of the Republic could be heard from across the ocean…
1898-1934
Americans love bananas. Everyone knows this. They go crazy like a bunch of chimps when they don't get their bananas. But these chimps have warships. And money. Lot's of it.
With the advent of what would later be known as the Banana Wars, INCA was in a delicate position. It could stay true to its history and fight back against the United Fruit Company and invariably be destroyed by ASCI, or it could falter and cooperate with the United States. In the end, INCA betrayed their kin and began to protect American interests. During American "interventions" in Latin America and the Caribbean, INCA was regularly commissioned by the Americans and their companies to produce paraweapons and soldiers for them. Many of the peculiarities they had used in the Filibuster War were revamped and redeployed, alongside newer, more modern pieces of paratech. Many see this as a Gilded Age of sorts for the organization, noting a sharp increase in what the Insititution was capable of in exchange for having to put down their brothers and sisters. The Americans took INCA with them to Mexico and the Caribbean, aiding them in gaining footholds in the regions. The influx of plantation money from American fruit companies allowed INCA to expand their horizons even further than ever before.
Not all members of INCA were okay with these. While most were dissatisfied with bowing to foreign entities, others took it to further extreme. Some more idealistic elements of INCA broke off from the main group in 1899, forming what has come to be known as the "Institución Liberada de la Normalidad Centroamericana", or ILNCA. Official reports by the modern Institution indicate that ILNCA was wiped out by a joint coalition of the ASCI, US Marines, and INCA. Despite this, reports still come up occasionally of INCA members being attacked by individuals claiming to be apart of ILNCA and professing that the Institution has been tainted by American dollars. To add to this, facilities claimed by ILNCA back in 1899 have yet to be recovered, and their locations seemingly scrubbed from the databases.
With the implementation of the Good Neighbour Policy, and the Americans withdrawing from the area, INCA lost their American ties. The governments of the Caribbean and Mexico quickly forced the Institution out of their regions, sending them running back to Central America. The governments they had betrayed there were friendlier, but not by much. They shut down INCA operations when they were made aware of them, and never again offered them financial backing. One nation that was rather friendly to INCA was Panama. The recently formed nation, backed by the US of A, was rather warm to INCA, offering them what little money and resources they could offer. Soon enough, though, something began to happen. The workers began to rise.
The Red Choir sang to INCA from across the world, drowning out the Battle Hymn of Manifest Destiny…
1960-1996
The Cold War. A global conflict between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Between Capitalism and Communism. Between the Right and the left.
Many people remember Korea and Vietnam as being the main battlefields for the Cold War, but Central America served as another battleground, one between the US and the local left-wingers. Throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, there were a series of homegrown leftist revolutions in Central America, mostly in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. It hadn't even been half a decade and the US was back in Central America, trying to make sure these leftist revolutions didn't topple their puppet governments.
Once more the American government, now with the UIU and Pentagram instead of the ASCI, looked towards INCA for assistance in this task. The Institution, having learned from the years between the Cold War and the Banana Wars, refused America's offer for money and resources in exchange for support, and instead stayed neutral for the most part. INCA had a minor fracture during this time, split between the conservative right-wingers and the more progressive left-wing. The two halves of the organization engaged in bureaucratical warfare, beginning and ending each other's projects. They produced and designed peculiar weaponry to aid both the governments and leftist rebels. This era saw the first use of biological weaponry by INCA, finally taking advantage of the abnormally large amount of parafauna and paraflora in Central America. Despite all of this, the anti-communist and right-wing governments of Central America succeeded, backed by the military might that was the US. INCA suffered many losses during this era, and still hasn't recovered from all the peculiars and men they expended during those years.
1996-Present
The modern era hasn't been the best for INCA. They had difficulties digitalizing their database, especially with the remoteness of some of their facilities. The Foundation, the big name in the paracommunity, has begun moving into Mesoamerica. And they've been aggressive about it. The Jailors have been infiltrating INCA and gaining intel on their facilities. They scout out these buildings, and lay siege on them, driving INCA out of the area. There have been talks within the Institution about putting an end to this, and merging with The Foundation like so many other organisations have. Despite this, there's been no effort to move forwards with this. The members of INCA are too proud to go out so quietly.
In 1997, INCA began construction on a new base of operations, the original one, Primo, having been razed to the ground by Americans in 1989. Located within the Galápagos Islands (specifically Isa Isabela), Principal finished construction in 2006, and is the largest INCA facility to date. The construction of the facility was a huge drain on INCA's reserves, and they're still recovering from the costs.
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