Viracocha Inca (

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

, the name of a god) or Viracocha (in hispanicized spelling) (1438) was the eighth '' Sapa Inka'' of the Kingdom of Cuzco (beginning around 1410) and the third of the Hanan dynasty.

Biography

He was not the son of

Yawar Waqaq Yawar Waqaq (Hispanicized spellings ''Yahuar Huacac, Yáhuar Huácac'') or Yawar Waqaq Inka () was the seventh Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco (beginning around 1380) and the second of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Inca Roca Inca Roc ...

; however, it was presented as such because he belonged to the same dynasty as his predecessor, the Hanan. His wife's name was Mama Runtu, and their sons included Inca Roca, Tupac Yupanqui,

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 ...

and Capac Yupanqui. His original name was Hatun Tupaq Inca, but he was named after

creator deity A creator deity or creator god is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatristic traditions separate a ...

Wiraqucha after seeing visions of the god in

Urcos Urcos is a small town in eastern Peru, capital of the province Quispicanchi in the region Cusco. It is home to a small lake and ruins. Some time in the 15th century, it is said that Hatun Tupaq Inca received visions of the Incan creator deity ...

. With Curi chulpa, he had two additional sons, Inca Urco and Inca Socso.de Gamboa, P.S., 2015, ''History of the Incas'', Lexington, Events in Wiraqucha's life have been recorded by several Spanish writers. The source closest to the original indigenous accounts comes from

Juan de Betanzos ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Phili ...

, a Spanish commoner who rose to prominence by marrying an Inca princess and becoming the foremost translator for the colonial government of Cusco. Traditional oral histories of the Inca have been recorded by the Spanish Jesuit Bernabe Cobo. According to these accounts, including a widely recognized sixteenth century chronology written by Miguel Cabello Balboa, Wiraqucha was a "warlike" and "valiant" prince. As a young man, Wiraqucha declared that after he took the throne "he would conquer half the world". However, in 1438 when, according to Cobo, the

Chanka The Chanka (or Chanca) were an ethnic group living in Pre-Columbian South America, whose chiefdom was part of the Chanka "confederation": a loose defensive alliance of various chiefdoms, such as the Vilcas, the Huancas, the Chancas, and the ...

offensive took place, Wiraqucha was advised to leave Cusco before the Chanka attack. He left for Caquia Xaquixahuana, taking his illegitimate sons, Inca Urco and Inca Socso. However, his third son, Cusi Inca Yupanqui (later famous as the Emperor

Pachakuti 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 ...

) refused to abandon Cusco and the House of the Sun. He remained with his brother Inca Rocca and six other chiefs, who together defeated the Chankas. The spoils were offered to Inca Wiraqucha to tread on, but he refused, stating Inca Urco should do so as his successor. Inca Rocca later killed his brother Urco, and Inca Wiraqucha died of grief in Caquia Xaquixahuana. One chronicler, Sarmiento de Gamboa, states that Wiraqucha was the first Incan to rule the territories he conquered, while his predecessors merely

raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...

ed and

looted Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

them. His captains, Apu Mayta and Vicaquirau, subdued the area within 8 leagues of Cusco.

References

Bibliography

* * * Inca emperors 1438 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century Sapa Incas {{SouthAm-myth-stub