ATAHUALPA: BIOGRAPHY, DEATH - HISTORY - 2025

Atahualpa was the last great legitimate Inca emperor. Its name comes from Quechua ataw-wallpa, which translates as “bird of fortune”. Upon the death of his father, Huayna Cápac, the vast Inca empire was divided into two parts with a reign shared between two brothers, Atahualpa and Huáscar. This led to a bloody civil war, which Atahualpa won in 1532.

This empire extended from the current city of Santiago de Chile to the south, to Quito (Ecuador) to the north. But, before he could be crowned victorious, Atahualpa was caught and executed by the conqueror Francisco Pizarro. In this way, a tradition of 13 Inca emperors in succession was ended and the end of the Inca empire (tahuantinsuyo) was marked.

Portrait of Atahualpa. National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru

When Atahualpa died, the Spanish immediately elevated one of his brothers, Tupac Huallpa, to the throne. Although Tupac Huallpa soon died of smallpox, it was the beginning of a chain of Inca rulers imposed by the Spanish. The last of the rulers of this type was Atahualpa's nephew, Túpac Amaru, who was assassinated in 1572.

In this way, when Túpac Amaru died, the royal Inca line died with him. From this fact, any hope of indigenous dominance in the Andes ended forever. At present, Atahualpa is recognized as a worthy representative of his ancestors and successor to his great-great-grandfather, the Inca Viracocha.

Biography

Early years

The lack of a reliable chronicle and the lack among the Incas of a writing system for historical records, makes it difficult to pin down the birth of Atahualpa. However, the most common versions assure that Atahualpa was born in Quito on March 20, 1497 (some other sources set the date as 1502).

He was the son of the Inca emperor (or Inca sapa, a title that meant the Inca, the only one) Huayna Cápac. It is said that he fathered around 200 children with his multiple wives and concubines.

It is known that Atahualpa's mother came from royal blood. She was the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Quito, which was conquered by Huayna Cápac and annexed to Tahuantinsuyo.

Later, a political unification movement made her one of his wives. She gave the Inca sapa two sons of royal blood, Atahualpa and Illescas. The future emperor spent the first days of his childhood with his father in Cuzco.

Adolescence

In his teens, he underwent a rite of passage known as the warachikuy that marked the transit at the age of 19. The name of this ceremony comes from Quechua and translates as "dressing with panties." In the course of the rite, the youths grouped themselves into groups to show that they were capable of defending the Inca empire.

Despite being the youngest of Huayna Cápac's children, he received his special attention. He always stayed very close to his father and helped him fight the rebellions of the peoples who opposed the expansion of the Inca Sapa empire. His skills as a warrior were highly prized by his father's generals.

Huáscar and Atahualpa

From 1527 to 1532, the Huáscar and Atahualpa brothers fought to lead the Inca empire. This fight had its origins in the death of his father and that of Ninan Cuyuchi, who was the eldest son and the first in the succession. Both died in 1527 (or 1525, according to other sources).

Each had been allowed to rule a part of the Empire as regents during their father's reign. Huáscar ruled Cuzco while Atahualpa ruled Quito. On the death of Huayna Cápac, the kingdom was divided in two and both brothers obtained the permanent headquarters in the parts granted.

At first, both brothers (following one of their father's requests) tried to live in peace, with respect and in collaboration. However, the pressure exerted by political groups on both sides clouded the relationship. The pressures for the most part came from generals on both sides who saw an opportunity to advance their military careers.

In 1532, after fierce skirmishes, Atahualpa's army defeated Huáscar's forces in a battle on the outskirts of Cuzco. The victorious side captured Huáscar, thus ending the civil war.

Legacy of the Civil War

The civil war between Atahualpa and Huáscar was one of the most crucial factors in the Spanish conquest of the Andes. Although the Inca empire was powerful, with trained armies, skilled generals, a strong economy, and a hard-working population, it succumbed to inferior forces.

The Spanish forces knew how to take advantage of the resentment that remained on the Cuzco side after the defeat. After Atahualpa's death, the Spanish presented themselves to the subjects of the defeated Huáscar as the avengers. In this way, they maintained the division of the empire and used it for their plans for domination.

On the other hand, by capitalizing on the resentments of the Cuzco residents, the Spanish were able to enter the city without resistance. Once inside, they looted all the gold and silver that still remained. The reaction of the defenders of the city was late. Some of them rebelled; however, their rebellion was immediately put down.

Offspring

Atahualpa, like all the sovereigns of Cuzco and Quito, had many children, some of whom were legitimate and others were not. When he died converted to Christianity, his children were duly baptized. This guarantees, among other things, that they were recorded in the baptismal certificates.

However, for various reasons, many of these records could not be located. Only few names of this offspring have passed to the present date. Among them, Diego Hilaquita, Francisco Ninancoro and Juan Quispi-Túpac stand out. They also have a certified baptism certificate Francisco Túpac-Atauchi, Felipe, María and Isabel Atahualpa.

The chronicles of the time relate that the vast majority of Atahualpa's descendants received protection from the church when their father died. Others were even able to reach Spain and receive protection from the Spanish court. The promoter of this action was Pizarro himself who believed that, in the hands of the religious, they will receive protection and education.

Wives

As for Atahualpa's wives, the mistreatment and loss of historical documents also wreaked havoc on this part of the Inca warrior's history. According to the records that could be rescued, only the name of Doña Isabel Yarucpalla was known. This was an Indian from Cuzco, descendant of the royal blood of the Incas.

In this regard, the documents relate that due to her birth and because she was Atahualpa's widow, she had a great influence on her compatriots. It also received high regard from the Spanish.

The chronicles relate that this Indian woman was naturally polite, generous, affable in her treatment and decorous in her manner. The noble lineage of her family was clearly manifested in her behavior and virtues.

Death of Atahualpa

In 1532, when the Spanish entered the Inca empire, Atahualpa's victory over Huáscar was still very recent. The victorious brother controlled the northern half of the empire. However, throughout Tahuantinsuyo there was a state of turmoil caused by the civil war between the two brothers.

Around the Inca capital, there was still a lot of support for the defeated rival. Under these circumstances, the advance of the small band of foreigners was handled with less violence than might have been the case.

On the other hand, Atahualpa was in the north, in Cajamarca, waiting to make his triumphal entry into the city of Cuzco. Pizarro and his small group of conquerors entered the Cajamarca valley in November and encountered Atahualpa's army camped in tents on the outskirts of the city.

Having no way to evade them, they decided to advance towards the camp. They entered the town of Cajamarca, unopposed, and then sent a small group to present themselves to the Inca sapa.

Without dismounting, the group entered the patio where Atahualpa was. At first, it showed little reaction, except perhaps disdain. But he was worried about horses, so he agreed to visit Pizarro in Cajamarca the next day.

The Cajamarca massacre

The Spaniards, aware of their numerical inferiority, ambushed Atahualpa. They took the precaution of hiding their forces (cavalry, infantry, artillery), in the houses and lots around the square.

Atahualpa entered Cajamarca around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, on a gold-plated litter lined with colorful parrot feathers. The litter was carried on the shoulders by porters and followed by a retinue of thousands of their unarmed subjects. An estimated 25,000 indigenous people accompanied the monarch that afternoon.

Upon entering the city, the square appeared to be empty. A single Spaniard walked towards the Inca with a bible in hand, the friar Vicente de Valverde, who was Pizarro's priest. The priest solemnly began to explain to Atahualpa the truth of the Christian religion. The latter asked for the bible to review, leafed through the book and threw it on the ground.

That was the signal for the start of the attack. The Indians panicked in desperation at the din of artillery and gunfire. The cavalry attack (unknown to them until that moment) caused the stampede of the natives.

The balance of casualties on the indigenous side was quite high. Between 2,000 and 10,000 killed and wounded in a 2-hour battle are estimated. On the Spanish side there was only one wounded, Pizarro himself, who received a cut in his hand, deflecting a dagger that was going towards the monarch. At the end of the massacre, Atahualpa was taken prisoner.

Pizarro and Atahualpa

Pizarro was aware of the strategy used by his fellow conquistador Cortés to control Mexico through the capture of its rulers. So he decided to do the same in Peru.

He gave the order to keep the emperor captive but making sure that he was treated with all respect and could continue to rule his subjects from captivity.

Atahualpa knew that gold was the center of the Spanish ambition. Then, the Inca offered to fill a room with gold and silver in exchange for his freedom. This proposition was welcomed by the Spanish.

Later, he commissioned one of his generals, Calicuchima, to gather the agreed treasure throughout the empire. According to the chroniclers, the general gathered and delivered the treasure, in a quantity greater than promised. However, the Spanish asked him to reveal where they could find more gold. He refused to answer and was burned alive.

On the other hand, after receiving the scheduled ransom, Pizarro refused to release his hostage. On the contrary, he organized a court of law to try him. Among others, the charges against were practicing idolatry, practicing adultery and attempting the uprising of indigenous peoples against Spain.

Final days and sentence

The charges against Atahualpa made him worthy of a death sentence. Of the 24 members of the court, 13 found him guilty and the rest refused to sign the document with the sentence. Pizarro himself pronounced the sentence that condemned him to the stake.

Upon hearing the verdict, the monarch panicked. Among the Incas the belief was rooted that the immortal soul would unite with the gods if the body was embalmed. He feared that if they burned him he would not be able to rest beside his gods.

In August 1533, they tied him to a stake in the center of the Cajamarca square to be burned. The priest persuaded him at the last minute to accept Christianity. Atahualpa was then baptized and, in retribution, the sentence was changed to death by strangulation.

Before dying, Atahualpa had arranged for his corpse to be embalmed and later deposited in a tomb of the ancient kings of Quito. That night, his subjects gathered and, with great displays of pain, embalmed and transported the corpse of their sovereign a distance of 250 leagues, to the capital.

References

1. Minster, C. (2017, March 23). Biography of Atahualpa, Last King of the Inca. Taken from thoughtco.com.
2. Macias Nuñez, E. (2004). A king named Atahualpa. Quito: House of Ecuadorian Culture.
3. Barahona, JS (2006, October 03). Atahualpa: The Inca in search of the sun. Taken from web.archive.org.
4. Navarro, JG (2016, August 31). The descendants of Atahualpa. Taken from cervantesvirtual.com.
5. Minster, C. (2017, April 28). Huáscar and Atahualpa Inca Civil War. Taken from thoughtco.com.
6. Carrión, B. (1992). Atahualpa. Quito: Librea.
7. History World. (s / f). History of the Incas. Taken from historyworld.net.