The Huancas, Wancas, or Wankas are a

Quechua people Quechua people (, ; ) or Quichua people, may refer to any of the aboriginal people of South America who speak the Quechua languages, which originated among the Indigenous people of Peru. Although most Quechua speakers are native to Peru, the ...

living in the

Junín Region Junín may refer to: Places Argentina *Junín Partido ** Junín, Buenos Aires *** Junín Airport * Junín Department, Mendoza ** Junín, Mendoza * Junín Department, San Luis *Junín de los Andes, Neuquén Colombia *Junín, Cundinamarca *Jun� ...

of central

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, in and around the

Mantaro Valley The Mantaro Valley, also known as Jauja Valley, is a fluvial inter-Andean valley of Junin region, east of Lima, the capital of Peru. The Mantaro River flows through the fertile valley which produces potatoes, maize, and vegetables among othe ...

Names

The southern branch of Huanca people are called the Wanka Waylla Quechua and Southern Huancayo Quechua. The Jauja Wanka are also called Wanka Jauja Quechua and Shawsha Wanka Quechua people. They gave their name to the Peruvian football team

Deportivo Wanka Deportivo Wanka is a Peruvian football club, based in the city of Huancayo in the Peruvian Andes. It was founded in 1969 and is named after the Wankas people who formerly inhabited the area and after whom the city of Huancayo is named. The curr ...

History

After fierce fighting, the Huanca people were conquered by

Pachacuti Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ( qu, Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki) was the ninth Sapa Inca (1418–1471/1472) of the Kingdom of Cusco which he transformed into the Inca Empire ( qu, Tawantinsuyu). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca si ...

and incorporated into the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

. The Huanca helped the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...

during the

conquest of Peru The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, also known as the Conquest of Peru, was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes, 168 Spanish sol ...

. They provided supplies and men to the Spanish army.

Language

The Huanca people speak Jauja Wanka Quechua and Waylla Wanka Quechua, both

Quechua I Quechua I, also known as Quechua Wáywash, or Quechua B,Alberto Escobar (comp.) '' El reto del multilingüismo en el Perú'' (1972) is one of the two branches or genealogical groups of the Quechua languages. It is composed of a great diversity of ...

languages. These languages differ significantly from the Incas' Quechua of Cusco. (see

)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huanca People Quechua Ethnic groups in Peru Indigenous peoples in Peru Indigenous peoples of the Andes Colonial Peru