History of Peru

The Incas Back to top

The Incas did not have writing, and so knowledge of their beginnings is based on oral tradition and much information has been lost by the destruction of the Spanish conquest.

There are several stories about the founding of the Inca people, and the first leader (called the Sapa Inca, or just the Inca), Manco Capac. He was believed to have been created by the sun and rose out of Lake Titicaca with his sister. They then travelled by underground caves to found Cusco.

The main alternative version says that four brothers and four sisters were created in caves at Paqari-tampu, and sent to found a chosen people. Manco Capac is said to have killed his brothers and married his sister Ocllo. They had a son, Sinchi Roca, who led them to the Cusco valley and founded Cusco, with Manco as the leader, and the first of the eight lords of Cusco. The creation was believed to have happened about 1200 A.D.

For the first two hundred years, this small tribe ruled little more than the Cusco valley. However, in 1438, Cusco was attacked from the West by another tribe, the Chancas. the eighth Inca, Viracocha, left with his son Urcon, to a fort at Calca leaving Cusco to be defended by his other son, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (Pachacutec, “World shaker”). Viracocha died, Urcon was killed and Pachacuti’s army defeated the Chanchas. His army seemed unbeatable and the Incan empire rapidly expanded, many other peoples agreeing to join the empire without a fight.

Pachacuti reorganized the kingdom of Cusco into an empire, the Tahuantinsuyu, (“Four united provinces”) which consisted of a central government with the Inca at its head in Cusco (“The navel of the world”) and four provincial governments or Suyus: Chinchasuyu (NW), Antisuyu (NE), Contisuyu (SW), and Collasuyu (SE). As the Incas did not have a written language, much communication and tax gathering was done using a system of knotted strings, called quipus. This was a complicated and sophisticated system, but much of the knowledge about how it worked is lost as the Spanish later ordered all quipus to be destroyed.

Pachacuti is also thought to have built Machu Picchu (meaning “Old City” in quechua, this is not the original Inca name) Pachacuti’s son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, took over as Sapa Inca after Pachacuti died in 1471.

The Incas were very successful and their empire ranged from the Titicaca basin and northern Chile and Argentina, to much of the northern and central coast. The Incas subjugated the Chimu people and took over their capital, the former Moche capital of Chan-Chan. Many of the administrative methods of the Chimu were copied by the Incas and incorporated into their system of government. The Incas allowed conquered people to continue worshiping their own gods, as long as they worshipped the Inca ones as well, the main one being Inti, the sun god.

Huayna ruled after Yupanqui, and spent much of his reign conquering the area that is now Ecuador, where he set up a second capital city there, called Tumi Bamba. In 1527 he received news that a plague (smallpox) had struck Cusco and he returned there, only to catch the disease himself and die, his son dying a few days later. This left a problem with the succession, two half-brothers, Atahuallpa and Huascar both claiming the leadership. This led to a civil war in which Atahuallpa, based in the north, finally defeated Huascar of Cusco. This civil war, along with the smallpox epidemic, had left the empire dangerously weakened.

In 1532, about 200 Spanish troops, led by Francisco Pizarro, came to Peru after looking for it for 20 years (they gave it the name Peru as they had heard rumours about a land where there was masses of gold – when they asked a native American where it was he pointed west and said “Biru” – which meant “a long way over that way”). Pizarro had first reached Inca territory in 1526, and realising the amount of wealth and treasure there had returned to Spain to get approval from the King to conquer the region and become its viceroy.

Pizarro fought a battle at Puna in present day Ecuador, then founded the city of Piura nearby in July 1532. Hernando de Soto was sent inland to explore, and returned with an invitation to meet Atahuallpa, who had defeated Huascar and was resting at Cajamarca with his army of 80,000 troops.

A Catholic priest met Atahuallpa in the main square in Cajamarca, and explained that he must convert to Christianity or be considered an enemy of the Spanish king. Atahuallpa was handed a Bible and threw it on the floor. Pizarro gave the signal and his troops ambushed the Incas. The Incas were astonished and terrified at the sight of horses, muskets and canon, none of which they had seen before, and it is estimated that 7,000 of them were killed. Atahuallpa was captured and imprisoned in a large room. He offered the Spaniards enough gold to fill the room, and twice that amount of silver, to let him go. The Spanish agreed, and temples across the empire were stripped of their gold which was brought to the “cuarto del rescate” or ransom chamber. In total, 13,265 lb (6,020 kg) of gold was brought to the Spanish, worth $117 million at today’s prices.

Pizarro needed Atahuallpa’s influence over his generals and the people in order to maintain control. Atahuallpa was concerned that if the Spanish found Huascar, Pizarro would no longer need him and have him killed. To avoid this, Atahuallpa ordered the death of Huascar.

After several months it became clear to Atahuallpa that Pizarro would not let him go. He called on his general Rumiñahui to attack the Spanish. Fearing this, the Spanish decided to have Atahuallpa killed, and he was condemned to be burnt at the stake. Atahuallpa agreed to convert to Christianity and so was killed by garrotte instead, in August 1533.

 

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