The Kingdom of Cusco (sometimes spelled ''Cuzco'' and in

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

''Qosqo'' or ''Qusqu'') was a small kingdom based in the city of

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...

, on the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

mountain ranges that began as a small city-state founded by the Incas around the start of 13th century. In time, through warfare or peaceful assimilation, it began to grow and was succeeded by 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 ...

(1438–1533).

History

Brief overview

The Inca people began as a tribe in the

Cuzco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...

area around the start of 13th century. Under the leadership of

Manco Cápac Manco Cápac ( 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 civilization in Cusco, possibly in the early 13th century.Presc ...

, they formed the small city-state of Cusco (

''Qosqo''), shown in red on the map below. In 1438 AD, under the command of the

Sapa Inca The Sapa Inca (from Quechua ''Sapa Inka'' "the only Inca") was the monarch of the Inca Empire (''Tawantinsuyu''), as well as ruler of the earlier Kingdom of Cusco and the later Neo-Inca State. While the origins of the position are mythical and ...

(paramount leader) ''

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 ...

'' (world-shaker), the Incas began a far-reaching expansion. The land which Pachacuti conquered was about the size of the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centu ...

at the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

of 1776, and consisted of nearly the entire territory of the

Andes mountain The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

range.

Pachacuti reorganized the kingdom of Cusco into an empire, the ''Tahuantinsuyu'', a federalist system that consisted of a central government with the Inca at its head and four provincial governments with strong leaders: Chinchasuyu (NW),

Antisuyu Antisuyu ( , ) was the eastern part of the Inca Empire which bordered on the modern-day Upper Amazon region which the Anti inhabited. Along with Chinchaysuyu, it was part of the '' Hanan Suyukuna'' or "upper quarters" of the empire, constituti ...

(NE),

Kuntisuyu Kuntisuyu or Kunti Suyu ( Quechua ''kunti'' west, ''suyu'' region, part of a territory, each of the four regions which formed the Inca Empire, "western region") was the southwestern provincial region of the Inca Empire. Kuntisuyu was the smallest ' ...

(SW), and

Qullasuyu Qullasuyu (Quechua and Aymara spelling, ; Hispanicized spellings: ''Collasuyu, Kholla Suyu'') was the southeastern provincial region of the Inca Empire. Qullasuyu is the region of the Qulla and related specifically to the native Qulla Quechuas w ...

(SE). Pachacuti is thought to have built the citadel of

Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, whic ...

, either as a family home or as a vacation estate.

Sapa Incas

The

of the first dynasty of the Kingdom of Cusco were, in order,

Sinchi Roca Sinchi Roca, Sinchi Rocca, Cinchi Roca (in Hispanicized spellings), Sinchi Ruq'a or Sinchi Ruq'a Inka ( Quechua for "valorous generous Inca") was the second Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco (beginning around 1230 CE, though as early as 1105 CE acc ...

Lloque Yupanqui Lloque Yupanqui (born c. January 1, 1260 – died c. January 1, 1290, aged approximately circa 30) (Quechua ''Lluq'i Yupanki'' "the glorified lefthander") was the third Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco (beginning around CE 1260) and a member of ...

, Mayta Cápac, and

Cápac Yupanqui Cápac Yupanqui (Quechua ''Qhapaq Yupanki Inka'', "splendid accountant Inca") was the fifth Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco (beginning around CE 1320) and the last of the Hurin dynasty. Family Yupanqui was a son and successor of Mayta Cápac ...

. Evidence of state organization dates from 1200 AD. Little is known of this population, but in later years the meaning of ''cápac'' meant warlord and ''sinchi'' meant leader adding to the idea they could have been rulers. Long before the Spanish found the Inca, the Inca civilization had begun as a small, centralized state that eventually grew to cover a large amount of territory along the western coast of South America from Colombia to Chile. The Inca civilization spread rapidly from their small beginnings in the Kingdom of Cuzco located in southern Peru.

Beginning of the empire

The following outlines each of the Incan rulers and a few of their accomplishments in greater detail.

Mayta Cápac: c. 1290s

Mayta Cápac (Quechua: Mayta Qhapaq Inka) was the fourth Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco (beginning around 1290 AD) and a member of the Hurin dynasty. The chroniclers describe him as a great warrior who conquered territories as far as

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) 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. By volume of water and by surface area, i ...

, Arequipa, and Potosí. While in fact, his kingdom was still limited to the valley of Cuzco.

Fall of the civilization

Túpac Amaru: 1571–1572

Túpac Amaru Túpac Amaru (1545 – 24 September 1572) (first name also spelled Tupac, Topa, Tupaq, Thupaq, Thupa, last name also spelled Amaro instead of Amaru) was the last Sapa Inca of the Neo-Inca State, the final remaining independent part of the Inca ...

was the last legitimate Inca to rule (in the Vilcabamba region as the

Neo-Inca State The Neo-Inca State, also known as the Neo-Inca state of Vilcabamba, was the Inca state established in 1537 at Vilcabamba by Manco Inca Yupanqui (the son of Inca emperor Huayna Capac). It is considered a rump state of the Inca Empire (1438–15 ...

). With the death of his elder brother

Titu Cosi ''Don'' Diego de Castro Titu Cusi Yupanqui (; Quechua: ''Titu Kusi Yupanki'' ; 1529–1571) was an Inca ruler of Vilcabamba and the penultimate leader of the Neo-Inca State. He was a son of Manco Inca Yupanqui, He was crowned in 1563, after th ...

, he ordered the execution of all Spanish people living in Vilcabamba, and led an unsuccessful and poorly planned rebellion against the colonists. This resulted in his death and the end of Incan sovereignty, for Vilcabamba was occupied and the survivors enslaved in 1572.

References

Bibliography

* María Rostworowski. ''Enciclopedia Temática del Perú: Incas''. Lima: El Comercio S.A., 2004. * Editorial Sol 90. ''Historia Universal 5: América precolombina''. Barcelona, España, 2002. * Bushnell. ''Peru, Ancient people and places''. * MacQuarrie, Kim. ''The Last Days of the Incas.'' Simon & Schuster, 2007. .

External links

“The Political Force of Images,” Vistas: Visual Culture in Spanish America, 1520–1820
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusco, Kingdom of 15th-century disestablishments in the Inca civilization States and territories established in 1197 States and territories established in 1438 Inca states Former kingdoms 12th-century establishments in the Inca civilization Former countries