An Inca Account of the Conquest of Peru

by Ralph Bauer

  After their meeting, my father and the marquis departed together from Vilcacunga and spent the night in Jaquijaguana, where the marquis turned over Challcochima to my father with the following words: “Look, lord Manco Inca, here I bring you your archenemy in chains. Decide for yourself what you want to do with him.” When my father saw him, he ordered that he be burnt immediately before everyone’s eyes,31 so that this news would reach his ally Quisquis and, thus, be a punishment for the former and an example for the latter. After the punishment against so bad an Indian as he was had been executed, they [the marquis and Manco Inca] went together to Cuzco. Meanwhile, my father was still upset by the insolence of that Indian Quisquis. As soon as they arrived at Cuzco, my father commanded his people to show respect and esteem for the marquis and his people and to supply them with everything they needed until their return. He himself wanted to go and kill that villain Quisquis and his entire family, because he was so insolent toward him and the Spaniards. Then, my father respected the Spaniards a great deal, because he was very impressed by the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro.

  Manco Inca and the Captain Antonio de Soto32 pursue Quisquis, traitor to His Royal Highness and to his King Manco Inca

  The next day, after my father had supplied the marquis and his entire entourage with all things necessary, he decided, in consultation with the said marquis, to go after the traitor Quisquis, for he had been very angry with him since he had come to love and esteem the Spaniards. When the marquis saw how determined my father was to make this journey, he suggested taking part in this enterprise himself, pointing out that it wouldn’t be right for him to stay back in the city while my father was going to war; for two together could effect more than one alone. My father acknowledged the marquis’ offer but answered that for the time being he shouldn’t move from the spot but rest and relax until his return, which would be very soon. If he wanted to send along a few men, he would be happy to take them with him. For the time being, however, he did not permit him to leave the city.

  When the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro saw that my father wouldn’t let him leave the city and wouldn’t take him along, he consulted with his captains. They thought that my father was right and chose Antonio de Soto to accompany my father. He took with him fifty Spanish soldiers. As soon as the said captain Antonio de Soto was chosen, the marquis went to the house of my father, who was already getting ready to leave, and apprised him of their decision. When my father learned of it, he was very glad and said that this decision was entirely right. Then he commanded the soldiers to get ready, for he wanted to depart.

  On the same day, my father departed with all his people, accompanied by the captain Antonio de Soto and his followers, in order jointly to go after Quisquis. Only a few days’ marches later, they caught up with the traitor Quisquis, whom they found in a village called Capi, fifteen leagues from Cuzco. They engaged in a merciless battle in the course of which they killed a great number of men and defeated him [Quisquis]. He himself abandoned his men in flight and was able to make his escape without anyone’s notice. After my father and the captain Soto had thus defeated Quisquis and all his people, they returned to Cuzco but not without having assigned a great number of soldiers to pursue Quisquis and to bring him alive from wherever they found him.

  Having returned to Cuzco after the defeat of Quisquis, my father and the captain Antonio de Soto were received very well by the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, his entourage, and the citizens of the city. The news of the victory over Quisquis and his army caused much joy and merriment. At the end of the welcome festivities my father retired into his chambers and the Spaniards into theirs. On the morning of the following day, my father summoned together all those who had returned with him from fighting Quisquis and those in the city who lived in my father’s palace in order to feast with them. After the meal, he ordered that no one should dare to harass the newly arrived people, or [risk] losing his life; instead, they should respect and venerate them like a Viracocha, which means “God.” He also commanded that they should provide them with servants, Indians, and people for their residence. My father himself selected a number of his own servants to serve them. When all of this was done, my father again equipped soldiers in order to pursue the traitor Quisquis, declaring that if necessary he would go to the ends of the earth in order to catch him and kill him because of his treason against him and the Viracochas.

  My father supplied himself with everything necessary for the military campaign and left his brother Paullu, as well as Ticoc and other generals, in command in his place and of the government of the city. Then he took leave of the marquis with the vow that he would not return unless he had killed the traitor Quisquis. He left Cuzco the following day, accompanied by the captain Antonio de Soto and his men. After making steady progress in a march that lasted several days, they arrived at a town called Vinchu, fifty leagues from Cuzco, where they encountered the messengers who had been sent in pursuit of Quisquis after the battle of Capi. They reported that they had looked everywhere for the traitor but that they had been unable to find either traces or news of his whereabouts. His captains had perpetrated many raids, but there were no news about him.

  My father was very upset by the report of the scouts and wanted to move on. Just then, however, he received letters from the marquis in which the latter described the loneliness under which he suffered in my father’s absence and begged him to return. Because of his love for the marquis, my father began his return but not before having sent emissaries to all the parts where the traitor might be hiding in order to fight and kill him. The emissaries departed with orders not to rest until they had reached Quito, four hundred leagues away (where the wretch died, as will be reported below). Meanwhile, they [my father and his men] returned to Cuzco, where my father learned of the death of the traitor, who, after countless skirmishes in which he was involved and various defeats, had lost so many soldiers through death or captivity that his own army, reduced to virtually nothing, bitterly charged him of his treachery and treason against his king and beheaded him. My father, satisfied to learn of the death of that traitor Quisquis, rested a bit and then called upon all his people to pay a tribute for the Spaniards’ sustenance. While the tribute was being collected, my father presented them with a great amount of treasure that had been given to him by his ancestors. The governor and his men received them most happily and gratefully.

  How the Spaniards took Manco Inca Prisoner

  When the Spaniards saw themselves so enriched, they wanted to return to their home country. But my father, who considered them to be newcomers to his country, did not want to let them go but told them that he still wanted the pleasure of their company and wanted to keep them in his country a while longer so that they could inform their own country adequately about his. They gladly accepted and chose an emissary with whom they sent a large portion of the treasure for the emperor Don Carlos. Thus, they spent many days in Cuzco in my father’s company and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. But greed, so powerful in all men, overcame them so completely that they were seduced by the Devil [demonio], always a friend of all evil and enemy of virtue, to conspire and plot in secrecy how and by what means they would torment my father and extort a greater amount of silver and gold than what they had already extorted from him. When my unsuspecting father, a few days after this plot had been forged, was serenely staying in his house, more than a hundred Spaniards came with treacherous intentions under the pretext of paying him a visit. When my father saw them coming, he received them happily and gladly, for he was under the assumption that they had come to visit him, as they had many times before. But then, they executed their treason and arrested him saying, “We have found out, Manco Inca, that you are planning to rise up against us just like your brother Atahuallpa in order to destroy us. Be informed, however, that the governor has ordered us to arrest you and to put you in chains, so that you will be unable to harm us.”

  When my father saw them so determined, he was very upset and exclaimed, “W
hat have I done to you that you should treat me in this manner and chain me like a dog? Is this how you reciprocate the favors I have done you by guiding you through my land and by making you many loving presents of things that I owned here? You are doing me very wrong. Are you not those who claimed to be Viracochas and emissaries of Tecsi Viracocha?33 But it is not possible that you really are his sons, for you want to do evil onto those who have done you so much good. Have I not sent you a large amount of gold and silver to Cajamarca, and have you not taken from my brother Atahuallpa that which rightfully had been passed down to me by my ancestors? Have I not given you everything in this city that you desired, the sum of which equals a huge amount, more than six million? Have I not given servants to you and your subordinates and ordered the entire country to pay tribute to you? What more do you want me to do? Judge for yourself and you will see that I am right in my complaints.”

  The Spaniards, as though they were blinded by their evil greed, replied, “Whatever, Sapai Inca,34 don’t waste your breath by making excuses, for we have proof that you are intending to start an uprising in the entire land. Listen, men, bring some shackles.” These were brought without delay and put on my father’s feet, without any respect to his august person or to all the good things he had done for them. And when my father found himself thus bound he sadly said, “In truth, I tell you, you are devils [demonios], not Viracochas, for you treat me like this although I am innocent. What do you want?” The Spaniards answered, “Nothing for right now, except that you stay bound.” Thus, they left him with a few guards and went back in order to report their actions to the governor, who was not entirely innocent in this affair. As my father found himself imprisoned in this manner, he was overcome by great sadness and he did not know what to do, for nobody except for his countrymen could console him. Finally, after some days—I don’t know how many—Hernando Pizarro, Juan Pizarro, and Gonzalo Pizarro returned with many others and said to my father, “Senor Inca, are you still plotting an uprising throughout the land?” And my father said, “I am suspected of plotting an uprising throughout the land? What are you talking about? The land isn’t even mine any longer, so how could I plot an uprising?” To this the Spaniards replied, “We’ve been informed that you’ve plotted to kill us and that’s the reason why we’ve arrested you; however, if it is not true that you were plotting an uprising, it would be well if you redeemed yourself by giving us some gold and silver, for this is what we have come to seek. If you give it to us, we will set you free.” Then Hernando Pizarro also said, “Although you may give us more gold and silver than would fill four bohíos,35 I, for my part, will not let you go unless you first give me the lady coya,36 who is your sister, by the name of Cura Oclo as my wife.” This he demanded because he had seen her and fallen in love with her, as she was very beautiful. When my father saw them so determined in their bad intentions, he said, “So, that’s what Viracocha commands you to do: to rob another man of his possessions and wives? With us, on the other hand, this is not customary behavior and I assert that you are not sons of Viracocha but of supai—which is to say the Devil in our language.37 But so be it! I will try to find the things that you require.” And they replied, “Don’t think that it can be just anything. You will have to give us at least as much as you gave us upon our arrival; that was a treasure that wouldn’t even have fit into the largest bohío that you Indians build, no matter how big it is.” My father, as he saw them being so pushy and determined and as he didn’t want to waste any more words, said, “Go on, I will do what I can and notify you.” Still half dubious whether their design would work out, the Spaniards left. The next day, my father made an announcement throughout the land that the population was to gather and bring treasures in such amounts as the Spaniards demanded from him so insistently. When they had all gathered, he made the following speech.

  Manco Inca Yupanqui’s Speech to his people about the raising of the treasure which he handed over to the Spaniards during his first Imprisonment

  “My brothers and sisters, a few days ago I had already had you gather in this way in order to introduce to you a new race [género] of people, which landed in our country. I am referring to those bearded ones who are now staying in this city. I did so because they claimed to be Viracochas38 and because their clothes appeared to corroborate their claim. Then I commanded you to serve and venerate them as you would do for me personally and to pay tribute to them with whatever your region has to offer for I presumed that they were a grateful people and that they were emissaries of Him that, according to their words, appeared to be Teqsi Viracocha” (meaning “God”).39 “However, I now believe that I was mistaken in my assumptions. For you must know, my brothers, that they are the sons not of Viracocha but of the Devil [demonio], as they have proven to me time and again since they first arrived in this country. What they have done to me since their arrival, and are still doing to me, is evil, as you can see with your very own eyes. If you truly love me, you must feel great pain and sorrow when seeing your lord in chains and, without any wrongdoing on his part, so maltreated; only because I admitted such people to this county and, thus, put the noose around my own neck. If you want to do something for me, attempt, by your lives, to find a reasonable amount of gold and silver—for that is this what they covet—so that I can redeem myself from this pain and this captivity in which you see me now.

  How the Indians responded to Manco Inca’s call to gather a treasure while he was in captivity

  Thus, a multitude gathered from the four parts of the land, which is more than 1,200 leagues long and almost 300 leagues wide and according to cosmography divided up into east, west, north, and south. We name these parts in circular order Antisuyu, Chinchaysuyu, Contisuyu, and Collasuyo, for Antisuyu refers to the east, Chinchaysuyu to the north, Cuntisuyu to the west, and Collasuyo to the south. This way of dividing up the land originated in Cuzco, the center and capital of the entire land. My ancestors, who lived there since the beginning, therefore called themselves the Lords of Tahuantinsuyu, which is to say “Lords of the four parts of the earth,” for they were convinced that there was only this one world. For this reason, they always used to send messengers into the four parts, as my father also did for this aforementioned gathering, so that the entire population may come to the capital. Thus they communicated with the innumerable people, who came to the capital. Although many people had died at Cajamarca and during the chase for Quisquis, as well as during many other battles, which I will omit here for brevity’s sake, more than ten thousand gathered, counting only the officials. When they were thus gathered before my father and saw him in such a miserable condition, they exclaimed with great sorrow, “Sapai Inca! Which heart in this world would not break and melt in lamentation at the site of our king suffering from such oppression and pain? To be sure, Sapai Inca, by admitting such people into the country, you have made a grave mistake. But since what happened has happened and cannot be changed now, we, your subjects, are prepared to do everything that you command us to do. Whatever it is that you might order us to bring, it is nothing next to all that we owe to you. If that of which you speak is not enough and it is necessary for us to sell ourselves, our wives, and our children in order to redeem you from your torment, we will readily do it to serve you. And know, our lord, whatever you may command us to bring will be done in due time and exactly as you have commanded, even if it means digging up the earth with bare hands.”

  When my father, Manco Inca, saw how eagerly his subjects wanted to serve him and to fulfill his wishes, he thanked them and said, “Truly, Apoes” (which means “lords”), “I am very obliged for your proven willingness to redeem me from the torment to which I am subjected by sacrificing yourselves and your possessions. I give you my royal promise that you will not regret it; [and] unless I die, I will make it up to you. All of this has been entirely my own fault, the result of letting such bad people into the country, and now I have to deal with it. You can do me a great favor by bringing the treasure quickly, because I am suffer
ing very much from my captivity and maltreatment. In order to prevent those men from torturing me any longer, it is necessary that you fill that bohío there—by which he meant a great house—with gold and silver to the bursting. Perhaps, the sight of this will stop them from molesting me.”

  The generals and the other people replied in unison, “Señor Sapai Inca, that is nothing next to what we owe to you. It will be done as you command immediately.” And thus, they all took leave in order to get what my father had demanded from them. After a short time, they returned with the desired things, which were piled up and arranged in accordance with my father’s orders. The next day my father called for the Spaniards, who followed his call immediately.

  How the Spaniards arrived at Manco’s House while he was imprisoned and what happened after their Arrival

  After the Spaniards had arrived at the place where my father was imprisoned and fettered, they greeted him as they had done on previous occasions and my father, too, paid them the customary respects when he saw that they had arrived and entered his house. He started the conversation by inquiring about the macho capito, who was not present at the time. Thus, he asked Hernando Pizarro, “Apo, where is the macho capito?” Hernando Pizarro replied that he had stayed at home, being ill; but my father, who wanted to see him, said, “Shouldn’t we call him?” And Gonzalo Pizarro and the others replied, “As you wish, Manco Inca, call him here. It would be appropriate to call for him on your behalf.” My father sent a few of his generals to call on him, but the governor replied that he was currently ill and that he would attend to my father’s requests as soon as he felt better. When my father learned that he would not come, he addressed the Spaniards with the following words.