In 1527 Sapa Inca Huayna Capac died of smallpox, which was brought by the Spaniards from Europe and had spread from Central America to South America, weakening the empire. Ninan Cuyochi, his eldest son and heir to the throne also died of smallpox, leaving no clear successor. According to Inca family tradition only the son of the Coya and the Sapa Inca can become the next Sapa Inca after the death of his father. Following this tradition Huascar was the next in line after his brother as he was the son of the Coya and the Sapa Inca. His half brother, Atahualpa was the son of one of the many secondary wives or concubines and the Sapa Inca, giving him no right or legitimacy to the throne.

Peruvian 18ht Century painting of Atahualpa based on an engraving by Antonio de Herrera

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Atahualpa, who lived in the north of the Empire, in the administrative city of Quito, Ecuador, was crowned Sapa Inca by his followers. Huascar, who considered himself as the heir to the empire started a long civil war that lasted five years until 1532. Atahualpa proved to be a better warrior and won the war. Torn by a long civil war and debilitated by smallpox the Spanish conquistadors did not find a strong resistance and would take advantage of this situation.

The decline of the Inca Empire started before the Spanish arrived in Inca territory. The arrival accelerated its decline and eventually its fall. The conquest of Peru started in 1532 when a group led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the city of Cajamarca to meet Atahualpa. During the meeting a priest named Valverde handed Atahualpa a Bible and tried to make him swear loyalty to the Pope and the King of Spain. Atahualpa threw the Bible on the floor and refused to swear loyalty, at that moment they took him prisoner. Atahualpa knew that the Spaniards were after gold and silver so he offered two full rooms of the minerals as payment for his freedom. Atahualpa was charged of treason and executed on August 29, 1533.

 

Atahualpa being strangled by soldiers of Pizarro. Engraving, 1595 from the Bettmann Collection

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The Spaniards named Manco Inca, brother of Atahualpa, as the new Sapa Inca. He had the support of the nobility in Cusco and would serve as a puppet to capture the Inca capital city. Manco Inca collaborated with the Spaniards but in 1536 he tried to recapture Cusco but failed, retreating to the mountains of Vilcabamba where he created the Inca government that lasted for 36 years.

Conquest of the Inca Empire Map

The Inca civilization had unified a vast territory in South America integrating many ethnic groups into a unified society under the rule of Inca law. The arrival of the Spaniards stopped the development of this civilization and created a social gap that has endured for more than 500 years. The Incas resisted the conquerors for four decades until 1572 when Tupac Amaru, son of Manco Inca and the last Inca ruler, was executed along with his family and advisers, leaving no successor.

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More about the Inca Civilization

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The Inca Empire and its origin

According to Inca tradition there are two myths explaining the origin of the Incas, the myth of Lake Titicaca and the myth of the Ayar brothers.

Inca expansion and its government

The government was highly organized without the benefits of a writing system. In order to control the population of such a vast territory they created laws that were rigidly enforced.

The Inca and its family

The Sapa Inca was polygamous and he usually married his sister who was his most important wife, she was known as the Coya.

Society in the Inca Empire

Society in the Andes was built around the ayllu. All its members had some kind of family ties, like an extended family. They all believed they were descendants of a common ancestor.

Inca religion – A religion of many Gods

Inca religion was a large melting pot of beliefs. Since the Sapa Inca was a god, religion and government were in many ways intertwined.

Cusco, the City of the Puma

The inner city of Cusco was laid out in the shape of a puma whose head was the fortress of Sacsahuaman. His body was shaped by the rivers Tulumayo and Huatanay and his tail was where both rivers meet in a place known as Pumaq Chupan.

Economy of the Inca Empire

Collective labor was the base for economic productivity and for the creation of social wealth in the Inca society.

Roads and Chasquis

Because the Inca Empire controlled such a vast territory they needed a way to communicate with all the corners of the empire. They set up a network of messengers known as Chasquis.

Inti Raymi, the celebration of the Sun

The Inti Raymi was prohibited by the Spanish during the conquest and colony claiming that it was a pagan ceremony and not in compliance with the Catholic religion.

Travel Peru – Cusco

It is estimated that around 1.5 million tourists visit Cusco every year, Machu Picchu and the city of Cusco have become the main tourist attractions in Peru and one of the most visited in South America.

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