The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2

by Pedro de Cieza de León

The king called a general assembly of his forces throughout all the provinces of his government, and such numbers came from all parts that they covered the plains. After there had been festivities and drinking-bouts, and the affairs of Cuzco had been regulated, the Inca Huayna Capac set out with yscay-pacha-huaranca-runa cuna, which means 200,000 men of war;[237] besides the yana-conas and women, of whose number no account was taken. The Inca took with him two thousand women, and left in Cuzco more than four thousand. The delegates and governors who were in charge at the capitals of the provinces, had arranged that stores and arms should be collected from all parts, and everything else that was required for a warlike expedition. Thus all the great store-houses were filled, so that at every four leagues, which was the length of a day’s journey, there were provisions for the whole of this great multitude of people, and not only was there no fault, but there was a surplus, after the soldiers and all the women and servant lads, and porters, had been satisfied.

When Huayna Capac set out along the road which had been made by his order, he marched until he arrived at Vilcas, where he rested for a few days in the lodgings which had been made near those of his father. He rejoiced to see that the temple of the Sun was finished, and he left a quantity of gold and silver ingots to make ornaments and vases. He ordered that great care should be taken with regard to the due maintenance of the priests and mamaconas. He ascended to a beautiful terrace which had been prepared for him. They then offered sacrifice, in accordance with their blindness, and killed many birds and animals, with some men and children, to propitiate their gods.

This being done, the king set out from this place with his army, and did not stop until he arrived at the valley of Xauxa, where there was some dispute respecting the division of land among the local chiefs. When Huayna Capac understood the controversy, after he had performed sacrifices as in Vilcas, he ordered the chiefs Alaya, Cusi-chuca, and Huacaropa to assemble, and equitably divided the land in the way which is adopted to this day. He sent embassies to the Yauyos and Yuncas, and some gifts to the chiefs of Bonbon, for, as they had a force in the lake, in parts where they swam, they spoke loosely, and he did not wish to converse with them until he saw their intentions. The lords of Xauxa did great services, and some of the captains and soldiers joined the army. Marching by Bonbon, they only halted a short time, because the Inca wished to go on to Caxamarca, a place more suitable for resting, surrounded by great and very lofty districts. Along the road, people were constantly arriving with embassies and presents.

The Inca arrived at Caxamarca and rested there for some days, ordering that his soldiers should be lodged in the neighbourhood, and should be fed with the provisions in the store-houses. With a selected force he entered the country of the Huancachupachos, and waged a fierce war, for the natives had not been reduced to entire submission by the Inca’s father. The Inca was able to complete the work, appointing governors and captains, and selecting chiefs from among the natives to administer the land. Formerly these people had not known chiefs other than those who, being most powerful, led them to war, and arranged peace when they desired it. Among the Chachapoyas the Inca met with great resistance; insomuch that he was twice defeated by the defenders of their country and put to flight. Receiving some succour, the Inca again attacked the Chachapoyas, and routed them so completely that they sued for peace, desisting, on their parts, from all acts of war. The Inca granted peace on conditions very favourable to himself, and many of the natives were ordered to go and live in Cuzco, where their descendants still reside. He took many women, for they are beautiful and graceful, and very white. He established garrisons of military mitimaes to guard the frontier. A governor was appointed to live at the principal place in the district. He made other arrangements, punished several of the principal chiefs for having made war, and then returned to Caxamarca. The Inca continued his journey, and put in order the affairs of the provinces of Caxas, Ayavaca, Huancabamba, and the others which border on them.

CHAPTER LXIV.

How Huayna Capac entered the country of Bracamoros, and returned flying, and of the other events that happened until he arrived at Quito.

IT is well known to many natives of these parts that Huayna Capac entered the country which we call Bracamoros, and that he returned flying before the fury of the men who dwell there. They had chosen leaders, and assembled to defend themselves against any one who should attack them. This is stated, not only by the Orejones, but also by the Lord of Chincha, and some principal men of the Collao and of Xauxa. They all say that, while Huayna Capac was engaged in settling the districts which had been traversed and subjugated by his father, it came to his knowledge how that, in the Bracamoros, there were many men and women who possessed fertile lands; that far in the interior of that land, there were many rivers and a lake; and that this region was well peopled. Desirous of discovery, and anxious to extend his dominion, he ordered a chosen band, with little baggage, to march with him into that country, leaving the camp under command of a Captain-General. Entering the country, they advanced, opening the road with great labour, for, after passing the snowy cordillera, they found themselves in the forests of the Andes. They came to great rivers which they had to cross, and heavy rains fell from the heavens. The Inca came to where the natives were watching in their strongholds, whence they insolently defied him. The war began, and so many of the savages came forth, most of them naked, that the Inca determined to retire, which he did without gaining anything in that land. The natives harassed his retreat in such sort that his soldiers, sometimes flying, at others facing their pursuers, at others sending them presents, returned flying to their own territory, saying that they had avenged themselves on the long-tailed ones. They said this because some of them had brought away the long strips of cloth which the natives wore between their legs.

From these lands they also affirm that the Inca sent captains, with a sufficient force, to explore the sea-coast in a northerly direction, and to bring under the Inca’s dominion the natives of Guayaquil and Puerto Viejo. The captains marched into these districts, where they waged war and fought some battles, sometimes being victorious and at others sustaining reverses. Thus, they advanced as far as Collique, where they met with people who went about naked and fed on human flesh, having the customs which are now practised and used by the dwellers on the river of San Juan. From this point they returned, not wishing to penetrate further, but to report what they had done to the king. Meanwhile, he had arrived at the country of the Cañaris, where he enjoyed himself exceedingly. For they say that this was the place of his birth, and that he found that great lodgings and store-houses had been built, and abundant supplies collected. He sent embassies to inspect the districts, and ambassadors came to him from many provinces, with presents.

I am given to understand that, owing to a tumult which took place in certain towns of the district of Cuzco, the Inca was so incensed that, after having caused the leaders to be beheaded, he gave express orders that the Indians of those places should bring the quantity he should specify of the stones of Cuzco, to make edifices of the first importance in Tumebamba, and that they should drag them with cables; and his orders were obeyed. Huayna Capac often said that to keep the people of those kingdoms well under subjection, it was a good thing, when they had no other work to do, to make them remove a hill from one place to another. He even ordered stones and slabs to be brought from Cuzco, for the edifices of Quito, and to this day they remain in the buildings where they were placed.

Huayna Capac set out from Tumebamba, and went by Purnaes, resting for some days at Riobamba, in Mocha and Tacunga, and his people were allowed to drink of the beverages that had been prepared for them in all parts. The Inca was visited and saluted by many captains and lords of those parts. He sent Orejones of his own lineage to the provinces of the coast and of the mountains, to inspect the accounts of the quipu-camayos, who are their accountants, to see what was stored in the government houses, to ascertain how the governors treated the natives, and whether the temples of the Sun, the oracles, and huacas were properly maintained. He also sent messengers to Cuzco to see that all his orders were duly attended to. There was not a day that runners did not arrive, not a few but many, from Cuzco, the Collao, Chile, and all parts of the empire.