Manco Cápac (before ; Quechua: ''Manqu Qhapaq'', "the royal founder"), also known as Manco Inca and Ayar Manco, was, according to some historians, the first governor and founder of the

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

civilisation in

Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...

, possibly in the early 13th century.Prescott, W.H., 2011, The History of the Conquest of Peru, Digireads.com Publishing, He is also a main figure of

Inca mythology Inca mythology of the Inca Empire was based on pre-Inca beliefs that can be found in the Huarochirí Manuscript, and in pre-Inca cultures including Chavín, Paracas, Moche, and the Nazca culture. The mythology informed and supported Inca re ...

, being the protagonist of the two best known legends about the origin of the Inca, both of them connecting him to the foundation of Cusco. His main wife was his older sister, Mama Uqllu, also the mother of his son and successor Sinchi Ruq'a. Even though his figure is mentioned in several chronicles, his actual existence remains uncertain.

Biography

Origin

Manco Cápac was born in Tamputoco, which according to some is located in the present-day province of Paruro, in Peru. The city usually served as a refuge for many people escaping the Aymaran invasions of the

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...

. His father was named Apu Tambo. Manco Cápac and his family lived a nomadic lifestyle.Soriano, 1990, p. 47

Foundation of Cusco

After the death of his father, Manco Capac had to succeed him as the head of the

ayllu The ''ayllu'', a family clan, is the traditional form of a community in the Andes, especially among Quechuas and Aymaras. They are an indigenous local government model across the Andes region of South America, particularly in Bolivia and Peru. ...

, to which belonged several dozens of families. The members of the ayllu were nomads, and the trajectory of their journeys through the Altiplano resembles the journey described in the legend of the Ayar brothers. Upon arriving in the Cusco valley, they defeated three small tribes that lived there; the Sahuares, Huallas and Alcahuisas, and then settled in a swampy area between two small streams, that today corresponds with the main plaza of the city of

. The recently founded city was divided into four districts; Chumbicancha, Quinticancha, Sairecancha and Yarambuycancha. Manco Cápac's tribe, or ayllu, only occupied a small fraction of the Cusco valley, the rest of it being inhabited by larger and more powerful tribes, who often would threaten the city. Located north of the city there was a confederated lordship of Ayarmacas and Pinaguas. All these tribes regarded Manco Cápac and his ayllu as invaders and would often attack them. Manco Cápac, and later his son and successor Sinchi Roca, would often have to defend the city against the other tribes.

Death

Manqu Qhapaq died of a natural death and left his son, Sinchi Roca, as his successor in Cusco. His body was mummified and remained in the city until the reign of Pachacuti, who ordered its removal to the Temple of the Sun on

Isla del Sol Isla del Sol (Spanish language, Spanish for "Island of the Sun") is an island in the southern part of Lake Titicaca. It is part of Bolivia, and specifically part of the La Paz Department (Bolivia), La Paz Department. Geographically, the terrain is ...

. In Cusco there remained only a statue erected in his honor.

Mythological origin

Manco Cápac is the protagonist of the two main legends that explain the origin of the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

. Both legends state that he was the founder of the city of

and that his wife was Mama Uqllu.

Legend of the Ayar brothers

In this legend, Manco Cápac (Ayar Manco) was the son of Viracocha of

Paqariq Tampu In Inca mythology, one of the main Incan creation myths was that of the Ayar Brothers, who emerged from a cave called Paqariq Tampu (also spelled Paqariqtampu) (Quechua language, Quechua ''paqariy'' 'to dawn, to be born', ''-q'' a suffix, ''Tambo ...

(six leagues or 25km south of Cusco). He and his brothers (Ayar Auca, Ayar Cachi and Ayar Uchu) and sisters ( Mama Ocllo, Mama Huaco, Mama Raua and Mama Ipacura) lived near

at Paqariq Tampu, and they united their people with other tribes encountered in their travels. They sought to conquer the tribes of the Cusco Valley. This legend also incorporates the golden staff, thought to have been given to Manco Cápac by his father. Accounts vary, but according to some versions of the legend, the Manco got rid of his three brothers, trapping them or turning them into stone, thus becoming the leader of Cusco. He married his older sister, Mama Ocllo, and they begot a son named Sinchi Roca.de Gamboa, P.S., 2015, History of the Incas, Lexington

Legend of Manqu Qhapaq and Mama Ocllo

In this second legend, Manco Cápac was a son of the sun god

Inti Inti is the ancient Inca mythology, Inca solar deity, sun god. He is revered as the national Tutelary deity, patron of the Inca state. Although most consider Inti the sun god, he is more appropriately viewed as a cluster of solar aspects, since t ...

and the moon goddess Mama Killa, and brother of

Pacha Kamaq Pachacamac or Pacha Kamaq ( Quechua, "Creator of the World"; also ''Pacharurac'') was the deity worshipped in the city of Pachacamac (modern-day Peru) by the Ichma. Pacha Kamaq was believed to have created the first man and woman, but forgot to ...

. Manco Cápac himself was worshipped as a

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

and a Sun

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. According to the Inti legend, Manco Cápac and his siblings were sent up to the earth by the sun god and emerged from the

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

of Pacaritambo carrying a golden staff, called ''tapac-yauri''. Instructed to create a

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

of the Sun in the spot where the staff sank into the earth, they traveled to Cusco via caves and there built a temple in honour of their father Inti. However, given the absence of a written tradition recounting this tale before the publication of '' Comentarios Reales de los Incas'' by Garcilaso de la Vega in the year 1609, the authenticity of this legend as a legitimate Incan legend is questioned.

In fiction

'' The Son of the Sun'' (1987), the first

Scrooge McDuck Scrooge McDuck (occasionally stylized as $crooge McDuck) is a cartoon character created in 1947 for The Walt Disney Company by Carl Barks. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-born American anthropomorphic duck. Like his nephew, Do ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

story written and drawn by

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...

, features Manco Cápac as the original owner of various lost

treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...

s. In the first sentence of

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

's novel '' The Confidence-Man'' (1857) the sudden appearance at sunrise on 1 April of a mysterious fictional character is compared to Cápac's appearance out of

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; ; ) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of ...

. In P.B. Kerr's ''Eye of the Forest'', the fifth book in the '' Children of the Lamp'' series, Manco Cápac is said to be a powerful

Djinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

who took his place as a god amongst the Incas by displaying his power of matter manipulation. In British author

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include the '' Alex Rider'' series featuring a 14-year-old British boy who spi ...

's fantasy-thriller book series ''

The Power of Five ''The Power of Five'' (known as ''The Gatekeepers'' in the US) is a series of five fantasy and suspense novels, written by English author Anthony Horowitz. Published between 2005 and 2012, it is an updated re-imagining of Horowitz's ''Pent ...

'', Manco Cápac is the son of Inti and one of five children destined to keep the universe safe from the forces of evil. Cápac is reincarnated in the 21st century as a Peruvian street beggar called Pedro. Kuzco, the main character from '' Emperor's New Groove'', in the first version of the movie ''Kingdom of the Sun'' was supposed to be named Manco Cápac.

Heritage

The

car float A railroad car float or rail barge is a specialised form of Lighter (barge), lighter with railway tracks mounted on its deck used to move rolling stock across water obstacles, or to locations they could not otherwise go. An unpowered barge, it i ...

''Manco Capac'' operates across

between

PeruRail PeruRail is a railway operator providing tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru. It was founded in 1999 by two Peruvian entrepreneurs and the British company Sea Containers. The main line between the port of Matarani, Arequipa ...

's railhead at

Puno Puno ( Aymara and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was established in ...

and the port of Guaqui in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

.Wikipedia Foundation,

, accessed 19 February 2020

References

Bibliography

* * Pugh, Helen; ''Intrepid Dudettes of the Inca Empire''; (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Capac, Manco 1230s deaths Inca gods Solar gods Fire gods Inca emperors Mythological kings 13th-century Sapa Incas Year of birth unknown Demigods