The Pacariqtambo Legend: Origins of the Inca Empire
Photo taken from truman.edu
The Inca Empire was one of the most amazing human civilizations to ever exist. The reign of the actual empire was from 1438-1532, and in just this short time, they conquered almost the entire Eastern Coast of South America. Lands conquered include parts of present day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. They overcame the severe climate obstacles of the three regions of terrain: desert, mountain, and rain forest. However, the Incas never developed a system of writing to record this.
The only reports we currently have of the Incas are from documents of the Spanish conquistadors who conquered and took control of the empire in 1532. There are many different accounts of the origin of the Incas from the people but the most common one is the Pacariqtambo Legend. According the the legend, the first Inca was Manco Capac and he was created by the Viracocha who was the creator, and the sun god Inti. Manco emerged from his brothers and sisters from three caves in a hill called Tambo Tocco.
This spot was about 33 kilometers from Cuzco. The central cave was named Capac Tocco, and it was bordered by two other caves named Maris Tocco and Sutic Tocco. There were eight brothers and sisters who were the founders of the Inca dynasty and the men were called Ayar and the women were called Mama. Ayar Manco was chosen as the leader and was then called Manco Capac. His mission was to lead his brothers and sisters to a promised land to settle.
The golden staff he had would be used to find the promised land. The ideal land to settle in would be where the golden staff sank into the soil. After reaching many destinations, they finally took control of the people of Cuzco and settled there. From there on, a series of events occurred and all of his brothers were killed until just Manco was left with his sisters. He had a son named Sinchi Roca who was to be the next king. Therefore, Manco became the sole ancestor from which all Inca royalty traced their lineage to.
(Source: McEwan, Gordon. The Incas. 2006.)
