Sinchi Roca (), also known as Sinchi Rocca, Cinchi Roca (in Hispanicized spellings), Sinchi Ruq'a and Sinchi Ruq'a Inka ( Quechua for "valorous generous

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 ...

"), was the second

Sapa Inca The Sapa Inca (from ; ) was the monarch of the Inca Empire (''Tawantinsuyu'' "the region of the four rovinces), as well as ruler of the earlier Kingdom of Cusco and the later Neo-Inca State at Vilcabamba, Peru, Vilcabamba. While the origins ...

of the Kingdom of

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 ...

and a member of the Hurin

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

(first dynasty).

Family

Sinchi Roca is said to have been the son of two of the original Inca siblings, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo; they may have conceived in Huaynacancha. He was Manco Capac's successor and continued his rule after his father's death. He was the father of Lloque Yupanqui. His wife was Mama Cura of the Sanu lineage; she was the daughter of Sitic-huaman. They had a son named Sapaca. Manco Capac, Mama Huaco, Sinchi Rocca, and Manco Sapaca erected the House of the Sun.de Gamboa, P.S., 2015, History of the Incas, Lexington,

Reign

The Kingdom of Cuzco later became Tahuantinsuyu (the Inca empire) under the rule of

Pachacuti Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, also called Pachacútec (), was the ninth Sapa Inca of the Chiefdom of Cusco, which he transformed into the Inca Empire (). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca site of Machu Picchu was built as an ...

. In one of the Inca foundation myths, Sinchi Roca led his family to the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

of Cuzco. He is thought to have divided his land into territories and initiated the first census of the Inca population. He also ordered all the members of the Inca people to pierce their ears as a sign of nobility. The 16th century Spanish writers, including Cabello de Balboa, also affirm that Sinchi Roca would have been the first Inca to use Mascapaicha, or Maskaypacha ( Quechua: ), which would become a sign of Inca sovereignty. Among the Incas, the imperial crown was composed of several elements: the mascapaicha, considered to be the most important, was a fringe of red wool, ordered on the forehead because each of its strands "passed through a small tube of gold". Above this fringe were two or three black and white feathers of the ''Korekenke'', also known as an Andean

mountain caracara The mountain caracara (''Phalcoboenus megalopterus''), (Spanish: corequenque) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in Puna grassland, puna and páramo in the Andes, ranging from northern Ecuador, through Peru and Bol ...

, which was considered to be sacred. This fringe and feathers were secured on the forehead by a turban or headband known as the ''llautu'' or ''llauto,'' consisting of a multicoloured braid "of extremely fine

vicuña wool Vicuña wool refers to the hair of the South American vicuña, a camelid related to llamas and alpacas. The wool has, after shahtoosh, the second smallest fiber diameter of all animal hair and is the most expensive legal wool. Properties The do ...

" wrapped several times around the head. The mascapaicha was the mark of absolute imperial power, to the point that "to take" or "to gird the mascapaicha" or "to claim the scarlet fringe" was used to signify the coming of the new emperor, or Sapa Inca, during a ceremony where he received it from the hands of the Willaq Umu, the high priest or pontiff of the Inca religion. According to legend, during the reign of Sinchi Roca, a llamamichi () entered his house and took a young woman whom he loved. The Inca then had him captured and tortured him until he provided a reason for committing the crime; the young woman, not wanting to see the villager tortured anymore, revealed that she had fallen in love with the llamamichi as soon as he saw him wearing a wacanqui (amulet of love) and the shepherd confessed that he had received such an object from a demon in a cave.

Building program

The chronicler Pedro Cieza de León states that Sinchi Roca built terraces and imported large quantities of soil in order to improve the

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

of the valley. ''Sinchi'' came to be used as the title for a

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

, while ''Cápac'', one of his father's names, became the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

for a sovereign.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roca, Sinchi 1260s deaths Inca emperors 13th-century Sapa Incas Year of death uncertain Year of birth unknown