The mascaipacha was the crown of the highest representative of the Inca Empire. This was used bordering the head of the person who carried it, similar to a garland, to distinguish the new emperor.
The mascaipacha was made up of the feathers of a sacred bird called korekenke, and a bouquet with four strands of red wool and inlaid with golden threads hung from it.
Importance of the mascaipacha
The mascaipacha was the highest symbol of power in the Inca Empire, since it was only worn by the King of Cuzco, being given to him during the power transfer ritual.
The leader of the ceremony was the High Priest, who personally placed the garment on the crown prince in an act of public and solemn order.
In addition to the mascaipacha worn by the emperor, also called Sapa Inca, there is an alternative model of this ornament, called llauto.
This decorative element consisted of a multicolored braid approximately 15 centimeters wide, whose color varied depending on the social stratum of the person who wore it.
Thus, the llauto was of various colors, or yellow, in the case of the royal family; and black, for individuals of little title.
The highest Inca ruler used to wear a short haircut, along with the mascaipacha, to distinguish himself from his peers.
It is worth noting that this element was designed exclusively for each emperor. With which, the mascaipacha of each Sapa Inca was unique.
Royal badge
The mascaipacha was used as a royal emblem for the first time in 1438. The precursor of the idea was the Inca Pachacútec, during the founding of the great Tahuantinsuyo empire.
Thereafter, the following rulers repeated the crowning ritual with the mascaipacha. The emperors Túpac Yupanqui, Huayna Capac and Huáscar remained faithful to this tradition.
However, this was not the case of Atahualpa, the last Inca ruler, who, not being a direct descendant of the Inca dynasty, never used the mascaipacha.
After the defeat of Huáscar's troops, and the glorious entry of Atahualpa's army into Cuzco, the latter was captured by the Spanish army in 1532, who later killed him in 1533.
End of the Inca Empire
With this fact the Inca Empire ended, since its territory was occupied by the Spanish colonists in its entirety. Since then, the Incas faithful to the kings of Spain, maintained the use of the mascaipacha during the Viceroyalty of Peru.
By then, the mascaipacha was used as a symbol of identification by the Inca nobility, when participating in parades and public events in Cuzco.
The use of the mascaipacha was prohibited in the middle of the year 1781, motivated by the revolution of the caudillo Túpac Amaru II.
The mascaipacha remains in the collective imagination, even in historical manifestations alluding to the colonial era, such as coats of arms for example.
The cult of the image of the leader, the admiration of the nobility, and the importance of ornament in indigenous cultures, are revealed with the historical reference of the mascaipacha.
References
- González, A. (2013). The Mascaypacha. Recovered from: historiacultural.com.
- Hill, E., and Cummins, T. (1998). Native traditions in the postconquest world. Whashington DC, USA. Dumbarton Oaks.
- La Mascaipacha: A symbol of the Inca Imperial Power (2017). Recovered from: ratapelada.blogspot.com.
- The empire of the Incas in Peru (2014). Peru Adventure & Tours. Arequipa, Peru. Recovered from: peruadventurestours.com.
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Mascapaicha. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.