by Ralph Bauer
Two of these Viracochas were brought to my uncle Atahuallpa by some men from the Yunca people. At the time, Atahuallpa was staying at Cajamarca, where he received them very well. However, when he offered our customary drink in a golden cup to one of them, the Spaniard poured it out with his own hands, which offended my uncle very much. After that, those two Spaniards showed my uncle a letter or a book (I am not sure exactly which), explaining to him that this was the quillca [word] of God and of the king. My uncle, still offended by the wasting of the chicha (which is how we call our drink),11 took the letter (or whatever it was) and threw it down, saying, “What is this supposed to be that you gave to me here? Be gone!” Thereupon the Spaniards returned to their companions and related to them what they had seen and what had happened during their dealings with my uncle Atahuallpa.12
Many days later, my uncle Atahuallpa was engaged in war and altercations with one of his brothers, Huascar Inca, over the question of who was the rightful king of this land. In truth, neither one of them was the legitimate heir, for they had only usurped the power from my father, who was still a boy then. However, each of them made claims based on various uncles and relatives and argued that, although their father may have named my father king in his last days, a boy could not be king and that, therefore, it would be better if one of the elder ones, not the child, be king. Of course, these justifications were hardly motivated by sound reason but rather by passions of greed and ambition; for, although both were sons of Huayna Capac, their mothers were commoners, whereas my father had pure royal blood, as had Pachacuti Inca, the grandfather of Huayna Capac.13 In any case, while these two brothers—sons of different mothers—were caught up in these said altercations, it was reported that forty or fifty Spaniards had arrived at Cajamarca, the town mentioned above, on their well-equipped horses. My uncle Atahuallpa learned of this while he was celebrating a certain festival in a town called Guamachuco, which is not far from there, and immediately set out with his entourage. However, he brought no weapons for battle or harnesses for defense, only tomës (which is how we call our knives) and lassos for the purpose of hunting this new kind of llamas,14 which is how we called our livestock and also their horses, since we had never seen any before). Not concerned about the few people who had come or interested in who they were, they brought only the tomës and knives for skinning and quartering the animals.
When my uncle was approaching Cajamarca with all of his people, the Spaniards met them at the springs of Conoc, one and a half leagues from Cajamarca. Having arrived there, he asked them why they had come, and they answered that they had come on orders of Viracocha in order to tell them how to get to know him. After having heard what they had to say, my uncle attended to them and calmly offered one of them a drink in the manner I have already described above in order to see if these people, too, would waste the drink as the other two had done before. And, indeed, it happened just like before; they neither drank it nor concerned themselves with it. Having seen how little they minded his things, my uncle said, “If you disrespect me, I will also disrespect you.”15 He got up angrily and raised a cry as though he wanted to kill the Spaniards. However, the Spaniards were on the lookout and took possession of the four gates of the plaza where they were, which was enclosed on all its sides.
The Indians were thus penned up like sheep in this enclosed plaza, unable to move because there were so many of them. Also, they had no weapons as they had not brought any, being so little concerned about the Spaniards, except for the lassos and tumës,16 as I have said above. The Spaniards stormed with great fury to the center of the plaza, where the Inca’s seat was placed on an elevated platform, like a sort of fortress, which we call usnu.17 They took possession of it and wouldn’t let my uncle ascend but instead forced him out of his seat, turned it over and took away everything that he carried, as well as his tassel, which among us serves as a crown. After they had taken everything from him, they apprehended him, and because the Indians uttered loud cries, they started killing them with the horses, the swords or guns, like one kills sheep, without anyone being able to resist them. Of more than ten thousand not even two hundred escaped.18 When all were dead, they took my uncle to a jail, where they kept him all night, stark naked and his neck in shackles. Next day, in the morning, they gave him his clothes and his tassel and asked, “Are you the king of this country?” He answered that he was, and they said, “There is none other beside you? For we know that there is another one called Manco Inca. Where is he?”19 My uncle answered, “In Cuzco.” They asked, “And where is that Cuzco?” My uncle replied, “Cuzco is two hundred leagues from here.” The Spaniards in turn said, “We have learned that Cuzco is the capital of this country. Therefore he who resides in Cuzco must be the king.” And my uncle said, “He is indeed, for my father willed that he would be, but because he is very young, I govern the country in his place.” The Spaniards answered, “Even though he may be young, he should be notified of our arrival and that we have come on orders of Viracocha.” My uncle said, “Whom do you want me to send after you have killed all my men and have left me in such a predicament?” He said this because he was not on good terms with my father and because he feared that once he [my father] was informed of the arrival of the Viracochas [Spaniards], the Spaniards might possibly get ahold of him, for they appeared to be powerful people, even Viracochas, as I have said above.
When the Spaniards saw that my uncle Atahuallpa procrastinated in informing my father of their arrival, they agreed among themselves to send their own messengers. Meanwhile, while the Spaniards were still deliberating whether or not to send the messenger, the Tallana people on the coast found out about the whole thing and, because they respected my father a great deal and acknowledged him as their king, decided to bring the news themselves to my father, without informing the Spaniards or my uncle. Thus they left for Cuzco and, upon their arrival, addressed my father with these words: “Sapai Inca” (which means “you, our sole lord”),20 “we have come to tell you that a new sort of people [género de gente] has arrived in your land, a race that has never been heard of or seen before by our nations and that without doubt appears to be that of the Viracochas” (which means “gods”). “They have arrived at Cajamarca, where your brother is. He has told them in no uncertain terms that he is the lord and king of this country. This has caused us, as your vassals, great grief. As we are unable to stand such an affront any longer without informing you of it, we have come to warn you about what has been happening, for we would not want to give the impression that we are rebellious or negligent in our service to you.”
When my father heard this, he was beside himself and said, “How dare those people intrude into my country without my authorization and permission? Who are those people and what are their ways?” The messengers answered, “Lord, these people cannot but be Viracochas, for they claim to have come by the wind.21 They are bearded people, very beautiful and white. They eat out of silver plates. Even their sheep, who carry them, are large and wear silver shoes. They throw yllapas like the sky. From this you may yourself conclude that people like this, who live and behave in such a manner, must be Viracochas. Moreover, we have witnessed with our own eyes that they talk to white cloths by themselves and that they call some of us by our names without having been informed by anyone and only by looking into the sheets, which they hold in front of them. Finally, they are people whose only visible parts are their hands and their face. The clothes that they wear are even better than yours, for they contain gold and silver. Who could people of this manner and fortune be but Viracochas?”
My father, who was the type of man who wanted to know things for certain, turned to threatening the messengers, saying, “You better be sure that you haven’t lied to me in any of the things you report, for you know very well how my ancestors and myself deal with liars.”22 The messengers, somewhat intimidated and terrified, spoke, “Sapai Inca, had we not seen it with our own eyes and hadn’t we been concerned for you, we would never have dared to come to
you with such stories. However, if you don’t want to believe us, send someone to Cajamarca. Whoever you might send there will see the people we have described and who are waiting for an answer to our message.”
When my father saw that they insisted so strongly on the veracity of what they had reported, he believed them and said, “If you are so eager to testify to the arrival of these people, why don’t you go and bring one of them to me, so I can see them and thereby be persuaded.” Thus, the messengers carried out what my father had ordered, returning to Cajamarca accompanied by a great number of Indians whom my father had sent so that they may verify what had been reported and in order to invite one of the Spaniards to come to visit my father, because he was very eager to see for himself such people as they had been described to him so earnestly by the Tallana people from the lowlands. At last all the messengers embarked from Cuzco for Cajamarca on command of my father in order to see what sort of people these Viracochas were. Upon their arrival, they were received very well by the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, who was most pleased about the news from my father and about some little trinkets—I am not sure exactly what—that he had sent. The messengers conveyed to the Spaniards my father’s request that some of them might come to see him. The Spaniards accepted the invitation and decided to send two of them in order to kiss his hands. One was named so-and-so Villegas and the other Antano. (The Indians did not know what to call them otherwise.)23 Thus, they left Cajamarca upon command of the marquis and with the consent of the others and arrived in Cuzco without any delays or obstacles. My father, who had meanwhile been informed of their coming, sent them a great amount of supplies and even commanded the messengers who had come from Cuzco to meet them in order to carry them in hammocks, which they did. Once they had arrived in Cuzco, they were introduced to my father, who received them very respectfully and supplied them with shelter and everything they needed.
The next day, he invited them to his residence and hosted a great celebration with many people and much display of gold and silver dishes, among them innumerable pitchers, cups, bowls, and pots from the same material. When the Spaniards caught a glimpse of so much gold and silver, they told him to let them have some of it, so that they could show it to the marquis and his companions in order to demonstrate to them the greatness of his power. My father agreed and gave them many pitchers, golden cups, and other regalia and precious pieces for themselves and some for their companions. He sent them off with many people to accompany them and said that since they had come to see him on orders of Viracocha, they were welcome to enter his land and, if they so pleased, to visit him at his residence.
While these two Spaniards had been on their way to kiss my father’s hands and to meet with him in Cuzco, my uncle Atahuallpa gave the Spaniards a huge amount of gold and silver, all of which belonged to my father.24 He did this in part because he was afraid of the Viracochas and in part on his own design, because he was competing for their favor against Manco Inca, my father, and his brother, Huascar Inca. Because of his suspicion toward my uncle Huascar Inca, he sent out several messengers with the mission to instigate a conspiracy among Huascar’s people in order to kill him, so that his back would be covered in that regard. With regard to the Spaniards, he was confident that he was safe because he had given them the treasure, which, as I have already said, belonged to my father. These messengers executed the plan very well, murdering Huascar during an altercation in the vicinity of a town called Huánuco Pampa.25 When Atahuallpa found out about the death of Huascar Inca, he was exceedingly pleased, for he thought that he no longer had anyone to fear. On the one hand, he had destroyed and killed his main antagonist and, on the other, he had bribed the Spaniards. Thus, he thought he was safe. However, he was mistaken. When the two Spaniards arrived at the place where the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro was staying with the messengers and the news that my father had sent, the marquis, whom we used to call macho capitu,26 was assured that my father, Manco Inca Yupanqui, was the true king of the entire land—the one who was respected, feared, and recognized as such by all—while Atahuallpa, his older brother, ruled the land as a tyrant. The marquis was extremely delighted, either because he had the good news from my father of how high a person he was or because of the exquisitely beautiful and generous gift that my father had sent. But he was also upset by the news that my father’s brother vexed and molested him so much without any reason and that he had usurped his kingdom in defiance of all laws. However, as it turned out later, Atahuallpa did not escape the punishment that he deserved.
When the Spanish messengers who had been at my father’s court and the Indians whom my father had sent returned with the aforesaid treasure of gold and silver worth more than two million,27 they presented it to the governor—first the Spaniards and then the Indians, just as my father had commanded. They said that Manco Inca Yupanqui was very glad about the arrival of so many good people in his land and requested that they come to his residence in Cuzco, if they pleased. He would receive them with all honors and promised to satisfy all their wishes, because they had come on order of Viracocha. He further wanted to inform them that at the place where they had landed there was one of his brothers by the name of Atahuallpa, who pretended to be lord of the entire land. They should not recognize him as such, because he [Manco Inca Yupanqui] alone was the legitimate ruler of the land, having been appointed as such by his father Huayna Capac in his last days. But despite his father’s last will, Atahuallpa had risen up against him.
When the governor and all his people had heard all of this and more, he received the messengers of my father, as well as the presents, with great pleasure and ordered that they be shown the hospitality and honor appropriate for messengers of such a great lord. A few days later, the Indian messengers of my father embarked on their journey back with the response of the marquis, who remained in Cajamarca. Because of his suspicion, he continued to hold Atahuallpa prisoner, as he had done since he and his comrades had arrived in the land. For, it seemed to him that he [Atahuallpa] would rise up against him as soon as he released him. Also, he had always been suspicious of him, believing that he was not the legitimate king of the land but wished to gain certainty through the answer of my father. Thus, he kept him in captivity in order to await further instructions from my father.
When my uncle Atahuallpa saw that my father had sent messengers and so much gold and silver to the Spaniards, he was very upset. Not only was it not lost on him how quickly he [my father] had aligned himself with them and that they recognized him as the legitimate king and lord, but also he thought that this alliance would be his doom. As he was harboring this suspicion and fear of being thus cornered, he decided to summon all of his people and captains who were with him in order to apprise them of the sad condition in which he found himself. As soon as he had all of them gathered before him, he spoke to them the following words.
“Apoes” (which means “lords”),28 “these people who have entered our lands hold notions contrary to our own and have aligned themselves with my brother Manco Inca and seem to live in great harmony with him. If you are in agreement, we will dash their heads in and kill them. For I believe that, although we have but few brave men, we can again rule this land the way we used to because my brother Huascar Inca is already dead. If we don’t kill them, however, and they align themselves with my brother [Manco Inca], we will fare very badly because they are brave people—Viracochas apparently—and my brother is very angry at me. If he had a mind to summon troops from throughout the country, he would probably make these here [Spaniards] his captains, which means that he and they would invariably destroy us. So let us preempt them, if you agree.”
The men and captains who had heard the reasoning of my uncle Atahuallpa agreed and cried in unison, “Hu Sapai Inca” (which means “you have spoken truly, lord”).29 “It is time to kill these people [the Spaniards], for what can they do against us? All of them together wouldn’t even make a lunch for us.” However, soon after they had determined the day and hour o
n which they wanted to carry out their plot, the marquis—I don’t know how—found out about it. Thus, the marquis had them for lunch before they could have him, because he now knew about the conspiracy against the Spaniards. He positioned his spies everywhere and ordered highest alert. Without delay, he had my uncle Atahuallpa brought out of prison into the open and, without any resistance, garroted him on a pole in the middle of the square.30 And as soon as this was done, he set out to depart in order to see my father. But no matter how quickly he acted, the Indians still came down upon him like a rainstorm, for an Indian by the name of Challcochima, Atahuallpa’s general, and another by the name of Quisquis, his companion (both of whom were very brave and powerful), had gathered a great multitude of people to avenge the death of their lord. Thus, the marquis and his people were forced to proceed with great caution, because their pursuers were so numerous that they could advance only by suffering great troubles and damages. They constantly had to defend themselves against the overwhelming attacks.
When my father had news about the distress in which they found themselves, he decided to raise men who would rush to their aid. Thus, he departed from Cuzco with more than 100,000 people and came as far as Vilcacunga, where he met the marquis, who had already captured Challcochima. The marquis was very happy to see him [my father], who had traveled with his golden and crystal litters [andas] and his royal crown. He dismounted and embraced the marquis, who had already dismounted from his horse. My father and the marquis made an alliance with each other and ordered that nobody was to make a move unless it was to deal with Quisquis, who was roaming the vicinity with many people and who must not be allowed to succeed in freeing Challcochima.