Inca and the Spanish Arrival
The hidden indigenous of the jungle undergrowth
There were many native American civilizations that existed before the arrival of the Spanish explorers. A notable civilization was called Inca, others were the Tupi, the Taino, and the Aztecs. These cultures were around for hundreds of years and thrived in the jungles and tropical regions in the Americas. For example, the Incas were settled in the mountainous Andes, surrounded by desert and tall, red mountains. They lived off of terraces which they farmed crops off of. According to Susan Niles’ book, The Shape of Inca History, there “…were systems of terraces which were devoted to the production of maize.” (208) The Inca were thus a far advanced civilization with there own agricultural system.
The Inca were ruled by a multitude of rulers and kings, each of them ordained and privileged to be ruler by divine right. Huayna Capac was the most famous of the rulers; the king was ruler during the explorations of the Spanish conquistadors. “He assumed control of an empire that had been, for the most part, carved out in the lifetime of his grandfather Pachacuti and his father, Topa Inca.” (85) There are a few narratives that tell of what Huayna Capac accomplished during his reign. He was able to expand the territory of Inca to its greatest extent, and quelled many rebellions which threatened his rule. He lived in total splendor, and his estate was lavishly adorned with gold and fountains. His palace would be pillaged by Spanish conquistadors later after they had been conquered.
Most of the history of the Inca was destroyed by the Spaniards when they arrived, but some exists as quipus, which were mnemonic devices used by the Incans to record their history and mythical stories. Quipucamayo were the keepers of these quipus, and were the ones who could decipher them. “We assume the quipus were organized mnemonically, in a system where the size, style, and grouping of knots were meaningful, as were the colors and relationship of cords to one another.” (5) The different fibers and the directions the knots were tied all had a significant impact on what the quipu was about. When the Spanish arrived, they had to get the quipucamayos to read off the tribute figures so that they could understand what kind of historical data the Inca were keeping.
There are many accounts from the Inca as to what kind of festivals and celebrations they had. For example, the victory dance that lasted for six days, called the cantar by the Spanish, was one of the largest. “After this canto giving praise and thanks to the Sun and also to Inca Yupanqui, greeting him as the Son of the Sun, they sat down again and began to drink the corn beer that they had in great abundance. Then they were brought much coca which was divided among them, and, this done, they arose again, and again performed their canto and dance. This celebration went on six for days.” (11) This is an example of how the Inca would celebrate after a victory in a war or some other great conquest.
The Spanish explorers were in the jungles searching for treasure and resources. They instead found a native empire in the jungles and deserts of the mountainous Andes. They were flourishing in their environment, with stone terraces and fountains dotting the vast landscape. The viceroyalties of the Spanish crown were intent on claiming the Incan territory for the glory of the Spanish empire, and so much battling and strategies would ensue. But where would the Incan empire be if the Spanish had never found them?
