Narrative of the Incas

Juan de Betanzos

2 ideas

1. Inca Yupanqui holds Cuzco against Chancas

   When the Chanca army marched on Cuzco, the reigning Viracocha Inca and his designated heir Inca Urco abandoned the city for a fortified retreat. Viracocha's younger son, Inca Yupanqui, stayed with a small band of loyal companions, gathered allies, and defeated the Chancas in two battles. The victory made him the de facto ruler; he took the name Pachacuti ('turner of the world') and went on to rebuild Cuzco and launch the imperial expansion.

2. Treading the spoils as transfer of sovereignty

   Inca kingship was ratified by ritual. The ruler stepped on captured enemies and their insignia, and doing so claimed the victory as his own. Inca Yupanqui brought the Chanca spoils to his father to tread. Viracocha tried to pass that honour to Inca Urco, the heir who had fled, and the victor's party refused to let him, which turned a military outcome into a contested claim to the throne.

Save and mark ideas in the app