The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2

by Pedro de Cieza de León

How Manco Capac, when he saw that his brothers had been turned into stones, went to a valley where he met some people, and how he founded and built the ancient and very rich city of Cuzco, which was the capital of the whole empire of the Incas.

WHEN Manco Capac had seen what had happened to his brothers, and had come to the valley where now is the city of Cuzco, the Orejones say that he raised his eyes to heaven and, with great humility, besought the Sun that he would favour and aid him in forming the new settlement. Then turning his eyes towards the hill of Guanacaure he addressed the same petition to his brother, whom he now held and reverenced as a god. Next he watched the flight of birds, the signs in the stars, and other omens, which filled him with confidence, so that he felt certain that the new settlement would flourish, and that he would be its founder and the father of all the Incas who would reign there.

In the name of Ticiviracocha, and of the Sun, and of the other Gods, he laid the foundation of the new city. The original and beginning of it was a small stone house with a roof of straw that Manco Capac and his women built, to which they gave the name of Curicancha,[83] meaning the place of gold. This is the place where afterwards stood that celebrated and most rich temple of the Sun, and now a monastery of monks of the order of St. Domingo. It is held for certain that, at the time when Manco Inca Capac built this house, there were Indians in large numbers in the district; but as he did them no harm and did not in any wise molest them, they did not object to his remaining in their land, but rather rejoiced at his coming. So Manca Capac built the said house, and it was devoted to the worship of his Gods, and he became a great man and one who represented high authority.

One of his wives was barren and never had children. By the other he had three sons and one daughter. The eldest was named Inca[84] Roca Inca and the daughter Ocllo. The names of the others are not recorded, nor is more said than that the eldest was married to his sister, and that he taught them how to make themselves beloved by the people and not hated, with other important matters. In those days the descendants of Zapana had made themselves powerful in Hatuncollao, and sought to occupy all that region by tyranny. But Manco Capac, as the founder of Cuzco, had married his sons, and brought into his service, by love and good words, some people who enlarged the house of Curicancha. After he had lived for many years, he died at a great age, and his obsequies, were sumptuously performed. Besides that, a figure of him was made, to be reverenced as a child of the Sun.

CHAPTER IX.

In which notice is given to the reader of the reason that the Author, leaving the account of the succession of the kings, prefers to explain the government of the people, their laws, and customs.

ALTHOUGH I might write the events of the reign of Sinchi Roca Inca, son of Manco Capac the founder of Cuzco, in this place, it has seemed to me that there will be confusion further on if the system of the government of these lords is not explained as one whole. For one ordered one set of laws, and others others. For example, one introduced the system of mitimae,[85] others the plan of having garrisons of soldiers in fixed positions for the defence of the kingdom. All these regulations are important and worthy to be remembered, that the learned statesmen who regulate the affairs of civilized governments may be informed of them, and may feel astonished at the knowledge that a barbarous people without letters should have been found to have had institutions such as we know that they possessed, both with reference to internal polity and to their plans of extending their dominion over other nations. Under a monarchy they obeyed one Lord, who alone was deemed worthy to reign in an empire which the Incas possessed, extending over more than one thousand two hundred leagues of coast. In order to avoid the necessity for saying that some assert that particular institutions were introduced by one lord, and others by another, on which points many of the native accounts differ, I will relate, in this place, what I understand and hold for certain, in conformity with the statements that I took down from their mouths in the city of Cuzco, which are corroborated by the remains that they have left, and which are visible to those who have travelled through Peru.

It should not appear to learned persons that, in adopting this course, I deviate from the plan of my work; for my aim is to make the matter more clear and intelligible, as I have declared. I propose to write with brevity, and not to dwell on minute details, and in the same way I shall afterwards proceed to narrate the events of the reigns of the Incas, and their succession, down to the death of Huascar, and the entry of the Spaniards which brought them to an end. I desire that those who may read my work, should understand that among all the Incas, the number of which was eleven, three were most capable of governing their lordships, insomuch that the Orejones who relate their history do not cease to praise them. These were Huayna Capac, Tupac Inca Yupanqui his father, and Inca Yupanqui, father of one and grandfather of the other. It may also be assumed that, as these monarchs flourished in recent times, the kingdom must still be full of people who knew Tupac Inca Yupanqui, and accompanied him in his wars, and that they heard from their fathers what Inca Yupanqui did during his reign; so that it may be said that the events took place almost before their eyes. They, therefore, have more light to throw upon this period, and are well able to relate the events; although much has been forgotten touching the history of the earlier reigns. Yet it is certain that they do not lose the memory of events for many years, although they know not the use of letters, as I have already observed in the first part of this Chronicle.[86] The use of letters has not been found either in any part of this kingdom or throughout the whole of the Indies. With these remarks we will now proceed with the narrative.

CHAPTER X.

How the lord, after he had assumed the fringe of sovereignty, was married to his sister the Coya, which is the name of the queen, and how it was permitted that he should have many women, although among them all the Coya alone was the legitimate and principal wife.