MANCO CÁPAC, THE FIRST INCA (BIOGRAPHY) - ARTE - 2025

Manco Cápac, also known as Manco Inca or Ayar Manco, was the founder of the Inca Empire and the dynasty of its rulers. His own existence is questioned by some historians, who claim that he was only a mythical character. Others, on the other hand, maintain that it was a real person and present some archaeological discoveries as proof.

According to the opinion of these last historians and the Inca legends, Manco Cápac led his people on a journey from Lake Titicaca to the Cuzco Valley, in the Peruvian Andes. The good environmental conditions and the fertility of the land were the fundamental factors for them to decide to settle in the place.

Manco Capac. 18th century painting - Source: Unidentified painter

The Incas, led by Manco Capac, had to fight the peoples that already inhabited the area. After defeating them, they founded Cuzco, which would become the capital of the empire. According to the chroniclers, the ruler enacted laws that punished murder, adultery and theft.

Manco Capac was also the initiator of the Inca dynasty. These would be the sovereigns of the empire until their defeat before the Spanish conquerors in 1571. According to experts, Manco Capac died at the age of 70. The throne passed into the hands of his son, Sinchi Roca.

Biography

The history of Manco Cápac mixes real elements with other legendary ones. For this reason, historians often offer different or sometimes even contradictory data about his life.

Most sources state that he was born in Tamputoco and that he reigned over the Incas for about 30 years. His role in the birth of the empire was recorded in two of the most important legends of that town.

As with the rest of his life, the specific dates of his birth, death and major achievements are unknown. Existing studies show a great disparity, even centuries. This can be clearly seen in the data offered by Sarmiento, who stated that the first Inca was born in 521 and that he reigned between 565 and 656.

However, most experts, both ancient and current, point out that his reign was considerably shorter and not so far in time. Some claim that his rule lasted 41 years, between 1021 and 1062, while others date his reign between 1150 and 1178.

Finally, there is another group of experts who speak of 30 years of government, between 1226 and 1256.

Controversy over its existence

Not only the dates of Manco Cápac's reign are the subject of discussion. His own existence as a historical figure is also disputed by some historians. This historiographic current considers him a mythical figure of the Incas.

However, most experts do think it was a real person. The proofs of this fact would be the descendants of his royal family, called Chima Panaca, which was considered part of the Inca aristocracy until the conquest.

In addition, these historians affirm that some archaeological remains confirm the existence of Manco Cápac. They point out, for example, the remains of his palace, the Inticancha, today Coricancha.

Name

Another of the names by which Manco Cápac was known is Ayar Manco. According to some sources, the term Ayar refers to wild quinoa, a very important product in the Andes as a food source.

On the other hand, the word Manco can be related to the plant called mango. Finally, some experts point out that the name Manco Cápac would mean in Quechua “rich lord of vassals”.

Origin

The most accepted hypothesis that Manco Cápac was born in Tamputoco. This town was located in the current department of Cuzco.

The Inca leader came to the world during one of the breaks that his ethnic group, the Taipicala, had to do on a journey fleeing the Aymara invasion of their area of ​​origin: the Andean highlands.

Manco Cápac's father was Apu Tambo, who led that 20-year march during which his people only traveled 500 kilometers and maintained a semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Trip of the incas

As noted, Maco Cápac was born during the exodus that his ethnic group was carrying out from the altiplano. When he reached power, he had to take the lead of his people to continue on the path. At that time, he was leading only a dozen families.

According to some sources, Manco Cápac took charge of the taipicalas at the end of the 12th century, although the dates vary greatly depending on the historians. Its route coincides for the most part with that described in the legend of the Ayar brothers and its final destination was the Cuzco Valley, in the Peruvian Andes.

When they reached that place, the Incas had to confront the peoples that lived there: the sahuaros, the huallas and the ayar uchu. After defeating them, Manco Cápac ordered to settle there permanently, since the soil was very fertile, there were numerous sources of water and lush forests.

Near one of the rivers that crossed the area, the Huatanay, Manco Cápac decided to found Cuzco in approximately 1200. That city would end up becoming the capital of a great empire. In its heyday, between the 13th and 15th centuries, its dominions ranged from northern Ecuador to central Chile.

Expansion of the curacazgo

At first, the Incas only occupied a land located in a swampy area crossed by two small rivers. Manco Capac ordered the expansion of the city and the Incas built four different neighborhoods: Chumbicancja, Quinticancha, Sairecancha and Yarambuycancha.

Although Cuzco had grown, the town of Manco Cápac only controlled a small fraction of the entire valley. Other ethnic groups inhabited it, some of them very powerful. In the north, in addition, there was the threat of a possible invasion by the confederation formed by Ayamarcas and Pinaguas.

All those towns that already resided in the valley received Manco Cápac as a potential competitor. The confrontation was inevitable and the first Inca had to dedicate a good part of his reign to fight against these ethnic groups.

Legislator and founder of the dynasty

During the time in which he was in power, Manco Cápac was characterized by the enactment of legislation that covered all aspects of the life of his people. In criminal matters, for example, it established the death penalty for murderers, adulterers and thieves.

In the family sphere, the Inca determined that each man should take a woman from his own family, although not before the age of 20. Manco Cápac also legislated aspects of religion, such as the establishment of the Sun as the main divinity.

To honor the Sun, he ordered the construction of a temple in his honor in Cuzco. Next to that sacred building, a house was raised to be occupied by the virgins consecrated to that god.

On the other hand, Manco Cápac was the initiator of the Inca dynasty. This remained in power until its disappearance in 1571, when the Spanish beheaded Túpac Amaru.

Death

Manco Cápac died at the age of seventy. His body was mummified and deposited in Incachaca. Later, during the reign of Pachacútec, the corpse of the first Inca was transferred to the temple on Lake Titicaca.

After his death, Manco Cápac became a mythical character for his people. Various legends that narrated the origin of the Incas made him their protagonist.

Legend of the Ayar brothers

According to this legend, which comes from the oral tradition of the Incas, four brothers accompanied by their respective wives emerged from the window called Capatoco, the central one of the Temple of the three windows located on the Tamputoco hill.

These brothers had been sent by Inti, the sun god, to bring civilization to human beings.

After a series of vicissitudes, one of the brothers, Ayar Manco (Manco Cápac), founded the city of Cuzco and became the first ruler of the Inca culture.

Legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo

The story begins when Manco Cápac and his wife and sister Mama Ocllo, children of the Sun god, were born from the foam of Lake Titicaca. On the island of the Sun they received the command to march north carrying a golden rod. This should indicate where they had to build the capital of an empire.

To know the exact place, Manco Capac had to throw the rod and wait for it to sink. This happened in the valley of the Huatanay river, near the Huanacauri hill.

Legends and reality

Although, obviously, the two previous stories are packed with mythological elements, historians have been able to find some common elements that could have a historical origin.

The first is the route of migration carried out by the Incas. In both cases it is a route that leads from the south to the north, which reinforces the idea that this town came from the Peruvian-Bolivian highlands.

The most widely followed hypothesis is that the founders of the Inca culture fled the Aymara invasions, although the theory is also used that they were simply looking for more fertile lands.

Another element in common is the consideration of Cuzco as a center to order the existing chaos. At the time, the valley area was inhabited by various ethnic groups permanently at odds with each other, something that ended with the conquest of the Incas.

References

1. Biographies and Lives. Manco Cápac I. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
2. EcuRed. Manco Capac. Obtained from ecured.cu
3. Peruvian history. Manco Capac. Obtained from historiaperuana.pe
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Inca. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Reyes, Lucia. Manco Capac: History & Overview. Recovered from study.com
6. Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Manco Capac. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
7. History.com Editors. Inca. Retrieved from history.com