"When Pizarro landed in the bay of St Matthew, in 1531, this civil war raged between the two brothers in its greatest fury; and though the two competitors received early accounts of the arrival of the Spaniards, they were so intent upon the operations of a war which they deemed more interesting, that they gave no attention to the motions of an enemy too inconsiderable in number to excite any great alarm, and to whom it would be easy, as they imagined, to give a check when more at leisure. By this fortunate coincidence of events, of which he could have no foresight, and of which he remained long ignorant from its defective mode of intercourse with the people of the country, Pizarro was permitted to advance unmolested into the centre of a great empire, before any effort of its power was exerted to stop his career. During their progress, the Spaniards acquired some imperfect knowledge of the struggle between the two contending factions; and the first complete information respecting it was received from messengers sent by Huascar to Pizarro, to solicit his aid against Atahualpa, whom he represented as a rebel and an usurper."
Manco Capac, the first Inca of the Peruvians, is said to have reigned about the middle of the twelfth century, as the traditionary accounts attribute a period of about 400 years between the commencement of his reign and the decease of Huana Capac in 1529, which would place the origin of the monarchy about the year 1129, allowing an average of 30 years to each of 13 successive reigns. The traditions of such ancient matters among an ignorant people are little to be depended on; and even admitting the series of kings to be right as to number, the ordinary average of twenty years to each of the thirteen successive reigns would only give 260 years for the duration of the monarchy, and would carry back the commencement of the reign of Manco Capac only to the year 1269. The series of these kings, as given by various Spanish writers, according to the traditions of the Peruvians, is as follows:
1. Manco Capac. 2. Sinchi Roca. 3. Lloque Yupanqui. 4. Mayta Capac. 5. Capac Yupanqui. 6. Inca Roca. 7. Yahuar Huacac. 8. Inca Roca, likewise named Viracocha. 9. Pachacutec[36]. 10. Yupanqui. 11. Tupac Yupanqui. 12. Huana Capac. 13. Huascar, or Inti-cusi-Hualpa. 14. Atahualpa. 15. Manco Capac the Second, crowned at Cuzco by permission of Pizarro; afterwards revolted and retired to the mountains. 16. Sayri Tupac; who resigned the nominal sovereignty of Peru to Philip II. He died a Christian, and left one daughter who married a Spaniard named Onez de Loyola, and from whom are descended the marquisses of Orepesa and Alcanises.
[36] By some authors an Inca Roca is here interposed, who was deposed after a reign of eleven days.--E.
As the empire of Peru was made up of many barbarous tribes, its native inhabitants spoke many languages or dialects, which were only understood in their own particular districts. The language of the ruling people or tribe to which the royal family belonged, called the Quichua, was solely used at court, and we have already seen that the sons of all the chiefs or curacas of the empire were ordered to be educated at Cuzco, that they might be all able to converse with the sovereign. In this language the sounds of b, d, f, g, and r, are said to have been wanting; and yet that of the r occurs in the names of several of their kings. Garcilasso says that this letter had a guttural sound, perhaps resembling the burr, or parler gras of the French: And it is alleged that this language of a comparatively barbarous people was nearly as copious and as artificial as the Greek. The following specimens are given in the Modern Geography, III. 585, to which are added two examples of what are called Peruvian poetry, from Garcilasso de la Vega, p. 50. The nouns in this language are declined by altering the terminations thus; Runa, a man; Runap, of a man; Runapac, to a man, &c. The verbs have also moods and tenses, the terminations often extending to a great length.
1. Huc 5. Chumpi, picheca. 9. Yscon.
2. Yscay 6. Zocta. 10. Chunca.
3. Quimza 7. Canchis. 100. Pachac.
4. Tahua 8. Puzac. 1000. Huaranca.
The Andes....Anti A Hog.........Cuchi
The Arm......Ricra A House.......Huaci
Bad..........Mana alli[A] A Husband.....Coza
The Beard....Zunca Iron..........Quellay
Beauty.......Zumay A King........Capac, Inca
The Belly....Vicza A Lake........Cocha
A Brother....Huauquey A Lance.......Chuqui
A Canoe......Huampu Land..........Allpa
To Die.......Huauny, pitini Little........Huchuy
A Dog........Alles Love..........Cuyay, munay
To Drink.....Upiana A man.........Runa
The Ears.....Rinri The Moon......Quilla
Eared, or having Mother........Mama
great ears...Ringrim A Mountain....Puna, acha
To Eat.......Micuni The Mouth.....Simi
An Emerald...Umina No............Maria
The Eye......Naui The Nose......Cenca
A Family.....Ayllu A Queen, or
Father.......Mayu Princess...Coya
Fire.........Nina A Sacrifice...Arpay
Many fires...Ninanina Sand..........Aco
A Fish.......Challhua The Sea.......Atun cocha[B]
Flesh........Aycha .......Mama cocha[C]
A Foot.......Chaqui A Ship........Huampu[D]
A Friend.....Cocho Silver........Collqui
Good.........Alli A Sister......Panay
Gold.........Cori Snow..........Riti
Gold dust....Chichi cori A Son.........Churi
Great........Hatun A Stone.......Rumi
A Hatchet....Avri, champi The Sun.......Inti
The Hair.....Caspa Water.........Unu, yaco
The Hand.....Maqui Woman.........Huami
The Head.....Uma Yes...........Y
Specimen of Peruvian poetry.
Caylla Llapi To the Song Pununqui I will Sleep, Chaupitua At Midnight Samusac I will come.