July’s book review “The Last Days of The Incas” by Kim MacQuarrie
As a Peruvian I was very curious to find out what this book had to offer, after all, the topic of the book was based on The Incas. And this is of important significance to us. I have to admit that just by flicking through the first pages, and finding a map of the 2,500 miles long territory that constituted the Tawantinsuyu-the vast Inca Empire was a major point. Followed by a chronology of events, to the preface which upon reading it I was hooked.
My expectations were high, but I am glad to admit that I wasn’t disappointed. History books, sometimes can be hard to read. Because there are too many dates, too many names, and too many events. This is moderated by the fascinating way in which Mr. MacQuarrie lays the succession of events.
The book shows the author’s thorough investigation throughout. As he points out there are only three major reports done on The Incas; One written by Titu Cusi (Atahualpa’s great nephew), another one done by Felipe Huamán Poma de Ayala. Whose drawings are an essential contribution to historians and researchers alike. And, lastly the most recognized one done by Garcilaso de la Vega.
The Conquest:
Even to this day is hard to comprehend how old civilizations were conquered. This book is about how the Inca civilization was at that time, and how the Spaniards tricked them, brutally attacked and killed many of them. It is difficult to accept, but history cannot be changed. If anything, we should learn from it.
Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror, “was impoverished, illiterate, illegitimate and title-less” whose ambition drove him to the “Indies” seeking opportunity. A stroke of luck made him Governor of “the largest native empire the New World would ever know” appointed by Queen Isabella I of Castile of Spain. Pizarro gathered his four half-brothers Hernando, Juan, Gonzalo, and Francisco Martín, in typical Spanish Neptunism, and set to conquer the New World.
Meanwhile, to set the stage, a quote from the book is “Beginning in about 3200 B.C.-roughly during the same period when the Egyptians were building their first pyramids-people on Peru’s northern coast began building terraced mounds alongside large plazas, ceremonial architecture, and large-scale settlements.”
It is important to understand that the Inca Empire, known as Tawantinsuyu, developed through conquests of smaller nation states. There were many pre-Inca cultures and civilizations such as Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari, and Chimu.
The earliest phase of Inca culture expansion began with Inca Cusi Yupanqui son of Inca Viracocha. The term “Inca” is used for the empire and cultural period, but it also means literally “ruler”, having a position as god appointed king maintained through bloodline descendants.
Another sampling of this empire’s governance is provided by this quote “After deposing his father, Cusi Yupanqui then decided to adopt the name of Pachacuti, which means earthshaker or cataclysm or the one who turns the world upside down.” Pachacuti is the one who ordered the construction of many stone buildings and palaces in Cuzco in the Andes of Peru, which was the capital of the Inca empire.
Pachacuti gave the name of Tawantinsuyu to his empire, which was divided in four regions or “suyus”: Chinchaysuyu, Cuntisuyu, Collasuyu, and Antisuyu. The expansion of the empire continued through Pachacuti’s son, Tupac Inca. Many of his battles were brutal and bloody. In order to gain control and new territories they had to be stronger, as we say in Spanish “La ley del mas fuerte” which means essentially might makes right.
Another quote from the book shows the diversity of this empire: “By the time Tupac Inca’s son, Huayna Capac, took the throne, the supernova that was the Inca Empire had reached its zenith and its expansion was almost complete. The empire now stretched from what would later become southern Colombia all the way down to central Chile, and from the Pacific Ocean up over the broad, uplifted Andes with its twenty-thousand-foot peaks and down in to the Amazon jungle. Amazingly, an elite of perhaps one hundred thousand ethnic Incas ultimately controlled a population of perhaps ten million individuals.”
Then Pizarro along with his motley mob arrived into South America. The Spanish brought with them many diseases, one of which was deadly- chicken pox, that eventually killed Huayna Capac, as well as the heir to the throne, his son Ninan Cuyoche. When Pizarro arrived in northern Peru the Inca Empire was in the midst of a civil war between two brothers of royal descent, Huascar and Atahualpa, who were both eager to be king. Eventually, Atahualpa gained the dominance and ordered the death of his brother and any of his descendants to prevent them for claiming the throne.
When I read the chapter of the first encounter between Atahualpa and Francisco Pizarro, I couldn’t help it but feel sad and angry. But this is a feeling that we are all very familiar with when reading history books and learning about battles of conquest. There is always the oppressor and the oppressed, even when talking about two of the world’s greatest civilizations. Lies, violence, unknown religion, and many other details, for which I recommend to read the book, took place in the capture of Atahualpa.
The Spaniards were impressed with Atahualpa, he was King and God to the natives, and his empire was a theocratic monarchy. Atahualpa remained in captivity in part of his negotiation tactic and also due to his miscalculation on the real intentions of the Spaniards.
After Atahualpa’s execution, Pizarro installed Manco Inca (Atahualpa’s brother) to assume “power” to legitimize the Spanish acquisition of the region. MacQuarrie describes Manco Inca as a puppet King; The natives in Peru welcomed the Spaniards in their own way, offering them food, and gifts while in return the Spaniards took advantage of their position. The Spanish fully took advantage of Manco’s youth and inexperience. Nonetheless, once Manco Inca learned the Spaniards’ true intentions, he rebelled against them.
The Incas had the custom to mummified their Inca king predecessors, when Manco Inca was crowned king, he did so in presence of former Inca Kings such as, Huayna Capac, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, and Pachacuti, the latter which MacQuarrie refers to as the Alexander the Great of Tawantinsuyu, whom where still venerated as gods by the natives. Once Manco Inca and the natives realized that the Spaniards were not liberators as they were told but invaders, they decided to rise up, against the Spaniards. He sent a message from Quito to Chile to do so, starting Manco’s rebellion. One encounter that Pedro Pizarro recollects is “There were among the Incas many… Amazonian natives who do not know what it means to flee, marveled one Spaniard, for they continue to fire arrows even when they are dying.”
After many failed attempts to regain control over Cuzco, Manco had to abdicate his throne and relocate to what became his new headquarters Vilcabamba in the Peruvian jungle hinterland from where he ordered to his warriors to continue his war against the Spaniards. Later, Manco Inca for a second time trusted in a Spanish and this time it cost him his life. He was 17 years old when Francisco Pizarro name him the new Inca King, he died at 29 years of age, leaving behind his generals to continue his rebellion for 34 more years. After many events Tupac Amaru became the new Inca emperor and he would be the last, in 1572 the Inca Empire came to an end.
The price of the conquest was hundreds of thousands of natives’ lives, destruction, massacre, abuse, treason, and essentially slavery installing the Catholic faith. The Spaniards wanted to control all the people and the Incas wealth. Tons of gold and silver were given by Atahualpa to Pizarro through coercion. Gold plates that covered many walls in Cuzco were plundered. The once magnificent temple of the sun was turned into a prison, many buildings were destroyed by the natives under the direction of the Spaniards.
Something that resonate with me to this day is what I learned in elementary school about how the Inca Empire never knew of famine, there weren’t poor people, or beggars in Tawantinsuyu. This was in part due to the great scale of organization they had. The Incas ability to build canals, mountain terraces, the complex knowledge of different terrains, their food storage system, and transport of food made this possible. The Incas citizens never lacked food, clothing, and shelter. They also had an extraordinary military system, the only reason why the Spanish conquered them was the lack of artillery and cavalry.
The Inca’s had no chance against the Spaniards as MacQuarrie puts it, the Incas were in a Bronze Age while the Spaniards confronted them with arms of the Iron Age, they simply were no match.
The Inca rules were simple and followed by all citizens to avoid strict consequences, and these are as follow:
Ama Sua – do not steal
Ama Llulla – do not lie
Ama Quella – do not be lazy
These rules were the basis for their success, and the fact that these citizens didn’t know any other type of government. The level of hierarchy system allowed to the most capable citizens a special place in the Inca government, and with that came even more benefits.
The Inca Empire had no castles as the ones we find in Europe but how much I would love to seen the Tawantinsuyu in its full splendor. With the citadel of Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Cuzco, Vitcos, and Vilcabamba. To see it as it looked when the Incas were in reign, and see them on their royal clothes. The Incas built the greatest empire in the Americas.
Both monarchies of the Spanish and Inca had conquered other cultures, but the main difference between them is that the Incas looked for territory expansion, they controlled their people while taking care of them. Meanwhile the Spanish monarchy wanted richness and protected their own. To them the natives of Peru were inferior people, hence treated as such, and were forced to convert to Christianity. The Spanish imposed a fabricated narrative history over their conquest, such as the locals (Incas and Aztecs alike) seeing them as being gods with their horses and armor. The truth is likely not so grandiose. To learn more about the ruin of the Inca Empire I recommend reading the book. And as a Peruvian I want to express my gratitude to the author Kim MacQuarrie for such an extraordinary recount on Peruvian history up to the discovery of the lost city of the Incas.
–Yanira K. Wise, July, 2019
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South America seems to refuse to show its inexhaustible creative force.
