Pachacutec

Pachacuti Yupanqui ( Pachacutec ), emperor INCA (reign 1438-1471), named Cusi Yupanqui of its birth to its takeover. It was wire of Viracocha INCA and Mama Runtu Qoya

Named Cusi Yupanqui with its birth, he was the legitimate heir to the throne INCA. According to certain chronicles, it was until adolescence an young man so turbulent whom it caused the concern of his father Viracocha INCA who considered that a good souverrain could be only of soft nature like its predecessors. The years passing, concern changed into anger, prince Cusi Yupanqui was condemned to the exile: it would fall on to him from now on to keep herds in the neighborhoods of the Cuzco, his father would choose another successor. The legend wants that one day, in its exile, appeared a man with the strange aspect to him, bearded and vêtu of white, bearing in its hands an unknown animal. This man prevented it that a danger weighed on the kingdom, an army prepared in the north of Cuzco. The young prince, worried by this message, faced the decision of his father and ran in Cuzco to report the incident. Furibond, the sovereign wanted nothing to hear, returned his/her son and decided to make the deaf person ear with any suspect news coming from north.

Following this episode, the young prince took again his exile, this time disgrace seemed complete. He however ran out only little of time before he sees in the countryside of people in escape. The population of Cuzco and its neighborhoods fled the capital. Surprised, the young prince questioned the runaways: the Chancas had gathered an army, they came to fire the kingdom and with blood, Viracocha, which had not wanted anything to hear warnings of its crown prince, had had to flee with its court. The nauseated prince could not resign himself to give up the crowned city. He took the weapons and ordered with the runaways to join him. The hope returned in the INCA camp, gradually an army was constituted, the prince required their support for the allied tribes.

The decisive battle took place with Yahuar Pampa ( llawar pampa means flat blood in quechua), Incas inferiors of number refused to go without fighting. Whereas the combat engaged, the Incas reinforcements flowed of any share, Chancas were submerged. Incas said then that at the time of this battle, the stones of the plain had changed into warriors to come to them to assistance. This victory conferred a prestige without precedent on the INCA throne and in particular to prince Cusi Yupanqui. After the battle, this last went to find his/her father who abdicated in his favor. Cusi Yupanqui changed its name into Pachacutec ( pasha kutiq in quechua, literally " that which turns over tout" , i.e. " the réformateur" , and even literally " the révolutionnaire" , with the etymological direction of the word revolution).

Equipped with a great military talent, Pachacutec initiated the fulgurating expansion of the great INCA empire. In north it conquered the kingdom Chimu, to the south it led to the valley of Nazca. Thus opening an era of conquest, it joins together in only one State the majority of the kingdoms of the Andes.

In order to impose its capacity on a mosaic of more than 500 tribes, with very different habits, languages and religions, he did not hesitate to repress very hard any attempt at rebellion. But it was not that a sanguinary conqueror, it was also a remarkable manager, equipping his immense empire with a solid and effective administrative structure. Thus it reorganized all the cities conquered on the INCA model and gave the capacity to a caste of civils servant who returned accounts only to Cuzco, the capital of the empire.

Towards 1463, Pachacutec entrusted the direction of military operations to his/her son Tupac Yupanqui, while it was devoted to the erection of some of the monuments emblématiques of INCA architecture, like the temple Coricancha ( quri kancha in quechua, literally enclosed gold ) with Cuzco, the fortress of Sacsahuaman and the Machu Picchu, the citadel overhanging the river Urubamba.

One allots also the adoption to him of the Terrace cultivation, which characterizes the agricultural system INCA.

Wives and descent