1 The Incas used to recite and 2.They had a custom where sing the legends about how they the ruler would marry his own sister. began. According to one of these This may have been to keep power legends, a family of four brothers over the tribe within the royal and four sisters came out of a cave family. 15 miles South of Cusco. They were3. They thought that the best way to led byManco Capac, and his sister, change their ruler was for him to Mama Ocllo, whom he married. choose his successor from among the They persuaded tenayullus (small sons of his chief wives. The idea tribes or extended families), who was that he would choose the most emerged from two other caves, to capable of his sons to rule after him. come with them to find somewhere to settle and Each of grow crops. VilcapampaLare these things Paucartampu Quechua may have Cotapampa The Incas Chanca YanahuaraIncas helped the eventually ChilqueCavina Incas to arrived in the Sora become Omasayo Kanche Cusco area. Aymara Chumpivilca stronger than They made Kana their neigh- the people Cuntisuyu Azangaro bours. While there accept Colla some of the Parinacocha Collagua them as their Cavana details of the rulers. From Inca legends Ubina time to time Lupaca are disputed they The main tribes near the Incas by historians, attacked the Incas neighbouring tribes, forcing them to must have started somehow, perhaps hand over their wealth. round about 1200 A.D. The legends do not provide us According to the Inca stories, the with firm facts about how the Incas leaders who followed Manco Capac, began. But they do tell us at least Sinchi Roca and Lloque Yupanqui, three things about how the Incas were not particularly warlike. wanted to remember their rulers: As can be seen from the map, the 1. They admired powerful warriors, Incas were just one of many tribes but knew that cruel ones might lose living in the central Andes. the support of their own people. ©Norman Pratt Nov 2006 2 A time of tribal warfare The Incas became more warlikeSapa Inca on the death of under their fourth leader,Mayta Inca Roca. The kidnapping Capac.One reason why the Incas shows that the Incas were not became more aggressive may have at this point any more powerful than been a change in climate resulting in their neighbours. less rainfall. More land was needed to During the reign ofViracocha grow the same amount of food. Inca, in the early 15th century, the Mayta Capac led the Incas in a fight Incas began their permanent with their neighbours over water conquests, at first on a small scale. rights. The Incas won the war, lootedViracocha’s uncles,Vicaquirao and their neighbours’ homes, and took Apo Mayta, were able generals. They over some of their land and water. defeated theAyarmaca kingdom by attacking it from two directions. But According to some accounts theinstead of just helping themselves to fifth leader, Capac plunder they took Yupanqui, was the Chiefdoms the kingdom first one to fight Farmers over. This set a outside the Cusco pattern for future valley. He defeated chimu Inca conquests. two very small tribes, the Virococha was Cuyumarca and chancas now the ruler of a Ancasmarca. His incas powerful state, successor,Inca Coastal one of only 8 Roca, conquered states powerful states in land to the south east the Andes area of colla of Cusco. South America. Lupaca Two of these, the One of Inca Colla and the Roca’s young sons, Hunters Lupaca, lay to the Yahuar Huacac, Farmers south of Inca was kidnapped and territory. The held captive for a Incas became number of years Organisation of states allies of the because of a quarrel and peoples in 1430 Lupaca, so the between two Colla were faced neighbouring tribes, theAyarmaca by enemies in two directions. But in and theHuayllaca. Yahuar Huacac’sthe fighting that followed the Inca mother,Mama Mikaywas, was from army arrived at the scene only to find the Huayllaca tribe. Yahuar Huacac that the Lupaca had already won the was eventually released and became battle! ©Norman Pratt Nov 2006 3 A time of tribal warfare To the West of the Inca many people left the Calca kingdom, the Chancas seemed set togroup to join Pachacuti. become the leading power in the Central Andes. They had already Pachacuti had to deal with two conquered the Quechua tribe, and in enemies at the same time, the about 1438 attacked the Incas. Chancas, and his father's forces at Calca. Pachacuti struck eastward, According to one storyViracochato the edge of the tropical rainforest, Inca and his chosen heirInca Urconto add to the territory he controlled, left Cusco. They withdrew some and to hem in Viracocha’s forces at miles to the north to Calca. Calca. However, another son, later to be known asPachacuti or At this point Viracocha Inca ‘Earthshaker’, remained in Cusco to died, and Inca Urcon was killed defend the city, supported by shortly afterwards in askirmish. generals Vicaquirao and Apo Mayta.Viracocha’s and Urcon’s followers accepted Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui Pachacuti successfully defended as the new Sapa Inca, and the Inca Cusco. (According to legend, stones nation was reunited. turned into Pachacuti warriors in continued order to fighting the complete the Chancas until Chanca he had defeat!) More completely Inca soldiers subdued joined them. The Pachacuti’s Incas now had army, and he the resources was able to of a large and drive the powerful Chancas away kingdom to from Cusco. add to their own, and in By now Pachacuti there were two they had a Inca states, one in Cusco, led by Sapa Inca who had a vision of what Pachacuti, and the other in Calca, ledhe could do with that power. He by his father Viracocha Inca. As the believed the gods had given him the power of the Cusco group grew, task of conquering the Andes. ©Norman Pratt Nov 2006 4 2 - The conquests of Pachacuti ‘Earthshaker’ Before 1438 the Andes had the same way that Andean villages been occupied by a hundred or so had already done over hundreds of larger tribal groups, and thousands of years. smaller ones. The kingdoms, Pachacuti would thenask the chiefdoms, tribes and lordships of theneighbouring tribe to provide him Andes had many different languages with troops or labourers, in return for and customs. Tribes sometimes the gifts he had given. Overall, traded with one another, but often although both sides in the agreement they fought for did both giving and scarce land and taking, in practice Chiefdoms resources. From the Incas did most the reign of Farmers of the taking! Pachacuti all this Even so, when the changed. chimu Incas later became Thousands of more powerful, they different peoples still had torequest chancas became one - ‘The incas help in this way, Land of Four and if the custom Quarters’, Coastal was forgotten it states Tawantinsuyu. In could cause trouble. theory, and some- colla But it was an times in practice, Lupaca effective way of the entire Andes raising very large was at peace. Hunters armies. As the Incas conquered Farmers Pachacuti more tribes, they ‘Earthshaker’ gained more and began this change Organisation of states more goods, which partly through and peoples in 1430 in turn allowed defeating other them to have even tribes and partly through talking to larger armies. them. He made specialGive-and- The first important group the Takeagreements with neighbouring Incas conquered were the Chancas. tribes, using age-old Andean customs.By using the wealth gained in this ‘Give-and-Take’ meant that the Incas victory, the Incas were able to start exchanged gifts with another tribe, in out on their programme of conquest. ©Norman Pratt Nov 2006 5 The conquests of Pachacuti ‘Earthshaker’ The Chancas were the first majorwhich the Chancas became tribe to come under Inca control. It the junior partners. happened gradually. Pachacuti With the resources of defeated them in battle on several these two ‘super-tribes’ Pachacuti was occasions. At one point the two tribes able to send Capac Yupanqui on a joint agreed not to attack one another, Inca-Chanca expedition to the north. leaving them both free to gain more He had orders not to go too far north. territory. There was then something Pachacuti probably did not want him to like a competition between the two stir up the powerful northern kingdom tribes to see who could conquer the ofChimu. most land. It turned out that the Chancas did The most of the Chancas’ army fighting. This moved south, made the Incas conquering the look foolish. Colla people in Pachacuti the area of Lake became worried Titicaca. that the Chanca Pachacuti and army would the Incas attack their Inca marched west allies. He sent through an order to Quechua Capc Yupanqui territory to to kill the conquer the Chanca leaders. Vilcas and the Sora tribes. Warned of Pachacuti then this, the Chanca sent his brother The conquests of Pachacuti army fled Capac further to the Yupanqui north east into southwards. He reached as far as the the rainforest. CapacYupanqui tried to Pacific Ocean, and on his return follow them, but eventually gave up. journey to Cusco even captured a few But Capac Yupanqui had now Chanca villages. broken Pachacuti’s orders not to go too Somehow, through threats, far north. He captured the city of bribes and military pressure, the Cajamarca, even though the city was Chancas were forced into a ‘Give-and- an ally of Chimú, and he left an Inca take’ agreement with the Incas, under garrison there before starting the long return journey to Cusco.