The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

It is related of Viracocha that, upon his return from the battlefield, he sent three messages; the first to the Temple of the Sun and its priests, commanding that sacrifices be offered in thanks; the second to the Mamaconas, or abbesses, in the convent of the vestal virgins; and the third to his father. The Incas never forgot the obligations of their dual sovereignty, and in proportion as their earthly power was extended and increased, the evidences of their spiritual glory became more impressive, and might be seen in the greater riches of the temple, the increased splendor of the annual feasts, and the higher interpretation given to their religion. The priests in the various provinces numbered more than the imperial army, four thousand being engaged in the service of the temple in Cuzco alone. The high priest who stood at the head of the order held his divine office for life and was a near relative of the Inca, as were his colleagues in charge of the various temples throughout the provinces, the rest of the priesthood being chosen from among the curacas, who were chiefs of conquered territories, and formed one of the three orders of nobility. The highest nobility of the realm was represented in the princes and princesses of the blood royal, either children of the Coya, the queen-mother, or of the numerous wives in the royal seraglio; next in rank were the Incas “by privilege,” who were descended from the companions and followers of Manco-Ccapac, and who, in dignities and dress, were hardly to be distinguished from the royal family; and finally, the rank of the Curacas, which depended greatly upon the importance of the territory over which they had ruled before its conquest by the Inca; though in every case the Curacas held a position of authority, their number increasing in proportion to the extension of the Inca’s empire. The Incas were obliged to grant especial privileges to the Curacas, as otherwise they could not have held in obedience the conquered people, who regarded these chiefs with great reverence.

THE RODADERO, CUZCO, SITE CHOSEN FOR RUNNING CONTESTS OF THE HUARACU.

It was also in accordance with religious sentiment that the second message of Viracocha should have been directed to the Mamaconas, who were the guardians of the vestal virgins, and were appointed to this office after they had themselves grown old in watching over the sacred fire that burned forever on the altar. Not only did the Virgins of the Sun watch over the sacred fire, but they wove all the beautiful garments of vicuña wool used in the apparel of the Inca and his family, they worked the exquisite embroideries that adorned the hangings of the temple, and they were indispensable in the preparation of the magnificent feasts that celebrated the Inca’s triumphs; probably it was this last fact which led Viracocha to send his second message to the Mamaconas; for the splendors of the festivities held in honor of his triumph over the enemy and his coronation as Inca Emperor eclipsed all previous celebrations, not only in the capital but throughout the empire. The message from Viracocha to his royal father could hardly have afforded unalloyed satisfaction, since it evidently conveyed the intention of the victor to possess the spoils, in the form of the imperial llautu, and to occupy the throne which his energy and courage had successfully guarded, when the cowardly flight of Yahuar Huaccac exposed it to destruction.

In the first year of his eventful reign, Viracocha ordered the construction of the sumptuous temple of which the majestic ruins are still to be seen twenty miles south of Cuzco. The walls of the temple were erected on an elevated base, which was built with five andenes, or steps, leading up to it from the level of the plain, and the temple covered an area one hundred and twenty feet long by twenty-five feet wide, the wall being built of hewn stone from the ground up to half its height, and of adobe for the remainder. The edifice had eight lofty doors and as many windows, and on one side stood an altar with a statue of the deity Viracocha, representing him, as he appeared to the prince during his banishment, “with a flowing beard.” It is believed by many writers that this temple, which shows a different architecture from that of all other Incaic edifices, was constructed before the advent of Manco-Ccapac by the Canas (whom the third Inca subjugated at great cost), and that Viracocha did no more than to restore and embellish it.

Viracocha took advantage of all means to extend and increase the power of his monarchy, and, in addition to the famous temple “Viracocha,” he ordered the construction of many others, as well as of new palaces and gardens in various parts of the empire. He made journeys to all the conquered provinces, and while in Collasuyo, at the head of an army of thirty thousand men, he received ambassadors from Charcas, who came to render homage to so great a prince; it is said that from these emissaries the Incas first received information about a country to the south, called “Chile,” which was destined later to be added to the territories in vassalage to the emperors of Cuzco. During Viracocha’s reign, eleven provinces were added to the empire.

One of the greatest engineering feats accomplished under the civilization of the Incas, was the construction, by Viracocha’s order, of an extensive irrigating canal, twelve feet in depth and nearly four hundred miles long, which, crossing the present departments of Huancavelica and Ayacucho, watered the plains of Castrovireina and Cangallo, making them green and flourishing pasture lands. This enterprise is the more remarkable when the nature of the country is considered, as the work was carried on at an altitude of from twelve to sixteen thousand feet above sea level, and in the face of such obstacles as gigantic rocks that had to be removed without blasting machinery or iron implements, great ravines to be bridged and mountain torrents to be harnessed and utilized. The hydraulic works constructed by the Incas are the wonder and admiration of all who have seen the evidences of their extent and perfection that remain to this day in the sierra and the coast region. Natural lakes at the head of the coast valleys were in many instances enlarged, and immense dams and aqueducts were built to conduct to the irrigating canals the water which descended from the mountain summits to the barren coast land.

At the death of Viracocha the sceptre passed to his eldest son, who, however, was too dull and weak, the records say, to rule over an empire composed of so many elements that had not as yet become settled and consolidated into a united people. It required a strong hand and clear judgment to direct the affairs of state so that rebellion should not overturn the rapidly growing power of the Incas, and that successful insurrection might not lessen the prestige of a monarchy that claimed celestial origin. The second son of Viracocha, Pachacutec, was the opposite of his brother in character, and possessed all the requirements of a monarch which the other lacked. He was elevated to the throne on his brother’s death, about the middle of the fourteenth century, and began his reign by cementing the bonds that held the various tributary provinces loyal to the sovereignty of Cuzco, and by making new conquests, in which the military genius of his son, the heir-apparent, was displayed in deeds as valorous and noble as those performed by his illustrious father.

FOREIGN TOURISTS AT OLLANTAYTAMBO.