Quechua /ˈkɛtʃwə/, also known as runa simi ("people's language"), is an indigenous language family spoken by the quechua people primarily in the Andes of South America. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely spoken language family of indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 8–10 million speakers. It is perhaps most widely known for being the main language of the Inca Empire.