Atahualpa

Atahualpa (puquina: Ata-w wallpa —"The designated and diligent or the chosen and courageous"— (Caranqui, Quito or Cuzco, circa 1500 - Cajamarca, July 26, 1533), baptized Francisco, was the last Inca sovereign, although he was not officially crowned as such.

His father, Huayna Cápac, died around 1525; and his successor, Ninan Cuyuchi, died the same day. This gave rise to the bloody Inca civil war for the succession between Atahualpa and his brother Huáscar. Atahualpa was then in Quito, in command of the Inca army of the North and in charge of the government of that region, which was subjugated to the Inca Empire. Huáscar crowned himself Inca in Cuzco. After a long campaign, Atahualpa managed to defeat Huáscar in 1532 near Cuzco.

Atahualpa was in Cajamarca (Aguas Termales) on his way to Cuzco to be crowned as the new emperor when he received an invitation from Francisco Pizarro to meet him in the Plaza de Armas in Cajamarca. Pizarro captured Atahualpa through a ruse., while Atahualpa's plan to capture the Spanish failed. Atahualpa offered to pay a huge ransom in exchange for his release, and Pizarro accepted his offer. He ordered his brother Huáscar to be brought, but fearful that Huáscar would unite with the Spanish, he had him executed. After receiving the ransom, the Spanish accused Atahualpa of treason, of conspiring against the Spanish crown, and of Huáscar's murder. They put him on trial, sentenced him to death, and was sentenced to be burned at the stake, but after his baptism, where he received the name Francisco, his sentence was changed to strangulation.

Although Atahualpa was not recognized by the nobility of Cuzco nor did he wear the mascapaicha, he is popularly considered the last ruler of Tahuantinsuyo.

Origin

Name

The name Atahualpa comes from a construction of the puquina, a language that was used by the Inca nobility. It is made up of the Quechua words /ata-w/ (appointed or chosen) and /wallpa/ (diligent, diligent or courageous). The word /wallpa/ also originated the Quechua name for the hen and the rooster (guallpa), animals that were introduced to America by the Spanish. The word /wallpa/ originated as an onomatopoeic imitation of the Inca's name while he was imprisoned in Cajamarca. It is based on the account of several chroniclers who declared that every night the roosters began to sing and the followers of the imprisoned Inca assumed that he manifested himself through the bird, portending bad times.

For centuries it was believed that the name Atahualpa came from the Quechua words Ataguallpa, Atabalipa or Atawallpa, whose meanings were erroneously constructed by chroniclers of the time based on the Quechua translation of the word "rooster" or "hen". You have for example: "happy rooster" or "bird of fortune".

Birth

There are doubts about the origin of Atahualpa. The disagreement centers mainly on his birthplace. Below are the versions of some chroniclers and historians:

The chronicler and soldier Pedro Cieza de León, from his investigations among the members of the Inca nobility of Cuzco, affirmed that Atahualpa was born in Cuzco and that his mother was Tuto Palla or Túpac Palla (Quechua names), a "India quilaco" or "natural [de] Quilaco". This name could allude to an ethnic group from the province of Quito and would imply that it was a second-class wife, belonging to the regional elite. Cieza de León denied that Atahualpa was born in Quito or Caranqui and that his mother was the lady of Quito, as some at the time claimed, since Quito was a province of Tahuantinsuyo when Atahualpa was born. Therefore, their kings and lords were the Incas.

According to Juan de Betanzos, Atahualpa was born in Cuzco and his mother was a ñusta (Inca princess) from Cuzco of the lineage of Ynga Yupangue (Pachacútec).

The indigenous chronicler Juan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti and the Spaniard Bernabé Cobo also affirmed that Atahualpa was born in Cuzco.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and other chroniclers such as Pedro Pizarro, Agustín de Zárate, Pedro Gutiérrez de Santa Clara and Francisco López de Gómara stated that Atahualpa's mother was a princess of the Kingdom of Quito and imply that Atahualpa was born in Quito. But there are doubts about the existence of the Kingdom of Quito, and none of these chroniclers mention the name of the princess.

In the 18th century the priest Juan de Velasco, using as a source a work by Marcos de Niza whose existence has not been been confirmed, he collected information about the Kingdom of Quito (whose existence has not been confirmed either). According to de Velasco, the Kingdom of Quito was made up of the Shyris or Scyris ethnic group and disappeared when it was conquered by the Incas. This work includes a list of the kings of Quito, the last of whom, Cacha Duchicela, would have been the curaca (Inca chieftain) defeated and killed by the Inca Huayna Cápac. Paccha, the daughter of Cacha Duchicela, would have married Huayna Cápac, and from that union Atahualpa would have been born as a legitimate son. Several historians, such as the Peruvian Raúl Porras Barrenechea and the Ecuadorian Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño, have rejected this version as lacking. of historical and archaeological foundation.

Most Peruvian historians maintain that, according to the most reliable chronicles (Cieza, Sarmiento, and Betanzos; who took their reports firsthand), Atahualpa was born in Cuzco and his mother was a princess of Inca lineage. These historians They consider that Huáscar's side invented the version of Atahualpa's Quito origin to show him to the Spanish as a usurper and bastard. They also believe that many chroniclers interpreted the division of the empire between the two sons of Huayna Cápac (Huáscar, the eldest son and legitimate heir; and Atahualpa, the bastard and usurper) according to their European or Western conception of political mores. According to Rostworowski this is wrong because the right to the Inca throne did not depend exclusively on primogeniture or paternal line (the son of the Inca's sister could also be heir), but also practical considerations such as the ability to command.

Ecuadorian historians have conflicting opinions:

• According to Hugo Burgos Guevara, the fact that Túpac Yupanqui was born in Vilcashuamán and his son Huayna Cápac in Tomebamba seems to indicate that Atahualpa was born in Quito as part of an expansionist policy of the empire and as a way of reinforcing a political-religious conquest.
• Other Ecuadorian historians, such as Enrique Ayala Mora, consider Atahualpa more likely to be born in Carangue or Caranqui, in the current province of Imbabura, in the canton Ibarra (Ecuador). This idea is based on the chronicles of Fernando de Montesinos and Pedro Cieza de León (though the latter mentions this version to refute it, in favor of Cuzco).
• Tamara Estupiñan Viteri, a historian who has published numerous works regarding Atahualpa and his close circle at that time, argues that he was born in Cuzco.

The following table summarizes the versions of various chroniclers and historians:

Chronist or historian	Origin of Atahualpa	Summary of your version	Reliability data
Juan de Betanzos	Cuzqueño	Atahualpa was born in Cuzco while his father was in the Contisuyo campaign. His mother was ñusta Palla Coca.	He dominated the quechua and married Cuxirimay Ocllo or Angelina Yupanqui, the cousin and fiancée of Atahualpa.
Pedro Cieza de León	Cuzqueño	Atahualpa and Huáscar were born in Cuzco. According to the most widespread version that his mother heard was an quila Indian.	It is based on oral testimonies of inca nobles. It was called the “prince of the Spanish chroniclers”.
Francisco López de Gómara	Quiteño	Atahualpa's mother was a bully.	He was never in Peru and only reproduces information from other chroniclers.
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa	Cuzqueño	Atahualpa's mother was Tocto Coca, of the Hatun Ayllu lineage.	He personally consulted the noble Cuzqueños, with whom Atahualpa had a good relationship.
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega	Quiteño	Atahualpa's mother was the princess heir to the Kingdom of Quito, and Atahualpa was born there.	The historical accuracy of his work is questioned.
Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala	?	Atahualpa was an auquicona (prince) bastard and his mother was from the Chachapoyas ethnic group (north of present Peru).	The information of his work is often confusing and contradictory.
Juan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti	Cuzqueño	Atahualpa's mother was the ñusta Tocto Ocllo Coca. Atahualpa was born in Cuzco before Huayna Cápac traveled north.	Indigenous chronicler who knows the Quechua.
Barnabas Cobo	Cuzqueño	Atahualpa was born in Cuzco and her mother was the ñusta Tocto Coca.	He wrote in the century XVII collecting the information he thought was more reliable.
Agustin de Zárate	?	Atahualpa's mother was a bully. It does not imply that Atahualpa was conclusively born in Quito.	Your information is spit.
Miguel Cabello Balboa	Cuzqueño	When Huayna Cápac made his last trip from Cuzco to Quito he took Atahualpa with him, because his mother had died. This would imply that Atahualpa was born in Cuzco.	It is an independent source that matches that of the most reliable chroniclers.
Juan de Velasco	Quiteño	Atahualpa's mother was a shyri princess of the Kingdom of Quito, named Paccha and was one of the four legitimate wives of Huayna Cápac.	The historians Raúl Porras Barrenechea and Jacinto Jijón and Caamaño have refuted this version for lack of historical basis. In addition, Velasco is a very late author (sixteenth century XVIII).

Childhood and youth

Atahualpa spent his childhood with his father in Cuzco. At the beginning of his adolescence he went through the warachikuy, a rite of passage that marked the passage to adulthood.

When Atahualpa was thirteen years old, a rebellion took place in the north of the empire by two peoples from that region, the Caranquis and the Cayambis. Together with his father and his brother Ninan Cuyuchi he marched at the head of the Inca army towards the northern provinces (Quito region). Four governors remained in Cuzco, among them Huáscar. Atahualpa stayed in Quito with his father for more than ten years, helping him put down rebellions and conquer new lands. In doing so, he had the support of skilled Inca generals such as Chalcuchímac and Maybe. During this period he learned the tasks of government and gained prestige for the courage he displayed in warfare.

The chroniclers describe Atahualpa as someone with "lively reasoning and great authority".

Inca civil war

Embellished engraving that illustrates a portrait of Atahualpa.

Precedents

Around 1525 Huayna Cápac died in Quito of an unknown disease, possibly smallpox. The same disease killed Ninan Cuyuchi, who had been designated heir to the empire, in Tomebamba. The epidemic reached Cuzco and killed two of the four governors of it. Huáscar survived, became the favorite of the Cuzqueños to assume the government and was enthroned.

Atahualpa remained in the north of the empire, subservient to the government of Cuzco. He asked his brother Huáscar to name him incap rantin (governor) of Quito, and he granted it between 1527 and 1528. Huáscar entrusted him with the command of a military campaign to subdue the towns of Huancavilca and Puná, who refused to pay tribute.

In Cuzco there was a failed coup. Huáscar unfoundedly accused the nobles who had brought the mummy of Huayna Cápac to Cuzco, tortured and killed them. This attracted the enmity of the panaca (a group of aristocratic) Hanan Cuzco, of which the executed nobles were members. Huáscar then wanted to go over to the side of the Hurin Cuzco, rivals of the Hanan Cuzco.

Concerned about Atahualpa's close relationship with the powerful northern army, Huáscar ordered him to return to Cuzco. The northern generals feared that Huáscar wanted to execute him and they convinced him not to go. Atahualpa sent emissaries with gifts to Huáscar as a sign of good faith, but he took the gifts as an affront. He tortured the emissaries and sent them back with infamous gifts (women's clothing and jewelry). Atahualpa was angered by this offense and marched towards Cuzco with the veteran Quito legions. Huáscar sent his own army north, thus starting the Inca civil war.

Atahualpa had the support of the Inca army from the north, made up of soldiers from Quito and commanded by generals Quizquiz and Chalcuchímac. He was also supported by various towns in the north of the Inca empire (pastos, carangues and cayambis), eager to take revenge on him. the massacres committed by the Cuzqueños years earlier during the Inca war of conquest. Huáscar had the Inca army from Cuzco and their allies from the south of the empire, and his forces were larger. However, due to the intrigues of Cuzco nobles dissatisfied with Huáscar, several chiefs who initially supported Huáscar switched sides during the war, balancing the forces of both sides.

War

According to the chroniclers during the war there were fifteen battles, but their accounts are contradictory.

According to the chronicler Pedro Pizarro, Huáscar sent an army to the north that surprised Atahualpa in Tomebamba and defeated him. Atahualpa was captured and locked up in a tambo (Quechua shelter), but he managed to escape. Later, Atahualpa himself spread the legend that his father, the Sun, helped him flee by turning him into a snake, which allowed him to escape through a small hole. During his captivity he lost an ear. Since then he wore a blanket over his head tied to his chin to hide his mutilation. According to the chronicler Miguel Cabello Valboa, it is unlikely that Atahualpa was captured since Huáscar's followers would have executed him immediately.

Atahualpa returned to Quito and assembled a large army. He immediately attacked Tomebamba, defeated its defenders, and laid waste to the city and the surrounding lands of the Cañari. He arrived in Tumbes, from where he planned an assault on Puná Island in war rafts. During the naval operation Atahualpa was wounded in the leg and returned to the mainland. Taking advantage of his withdrawal, the inhabitants of Puná attacked Tumbes and razed it to the ground (this is how the Spanish found it at the beginning of 1532).

Advancing from Cuzco under General Atoc, Huáscar's army attacked and defeated Atahualpa at the Battle of Chillopampa. Atahualpa's generals reacted quickly. They rallied their scattered troops, counter-attacked, and defeated Atoc decisively at Mullihambato. Atoc was captured, tortured, and executed.

Atahuallpa's forces continued to win victories thanks to the strategic skill of Quizquiz and Chalcuchímac. Atahualpa began a slow advance towards Cuzco, and being in Marcahuamachuco, he sent an emissary to consult the oracle of the huaca (deity) Catequil, who predicted that he would have a bad end. Angered by the prophecy, he went to the sanctuary, killed the priest and ordered the destruction of the temple.He then received the first news of the presence in the empire of Pizarro's expedition.

Huáscar named Huanca Auqui as the new general of his army, who was defeated by Quizquiz and Chalcuchímac in Cusipampa, Cochahuaila, Bombón, and Yanamarca (Mantaro Valley). Huáscar then named Mayta Yupanqui as the new general, but his adverse situation did not reverse.

Before Atahualpa's advance, Huáscar left Cuzco to personally lead his troops. He had the allied forces of Contisuyo and Collasuyo. The last battles of the war were fought around Huanacopampa or Cotabamba, near Cuzco. Huáscar was defeated, captured, and cruelly treated. The troops of Quizquiz and Chalcuchímac took Cuzco. Members of Huáscar's family and other Cuzco panacas were tortured and executed. The quipucamayoc of Cuzco were killed and the quipus were burned by Atahualpa's men to erase Huáscar's life from memory and rewrite history.

Capture

The Spy

In 1532 the Spanish arrived in Poechos, a tallan community ruled by the curaca Maizavilca. In this place, the Spanish learned of the existence of Atahualpa and had information about the civil war that took place in the empire. Maizavilca, upon learning of the Spanish intention to found a city, reached an agreement with other curacas of the place and messengers were sent to Atahualpa to inform him of the presence of the Spanish. Upon learning of the matter, Atahualpa sent Ciquinchara to inform him. Ciquinchara disguised himself as a pacaes seller, but Hernando Pizarro, distrusting him, pushed him away, creating a riot that Ciquinchara took advantage of to escape and inform Atahualpa about the Spaniards, indicating that three of them could be kept for the benefit of the empire after exterminating the rest..

The Spanish Embassy

Entrance to the thermal sources of the Inca Baths.

While his generals marched towards Cuzco, Atahualpa headed for Pultumarca (present-day Baños del Inca, 6 km from Cajamarca). According to Pedro Cieza de León, he made that decision when he found out about the presence of Pizarro's expedition in Tumbes and Piura. When he arrived at Pultumarca he camped with his troops and invited Pizarro to meet him.Pizarro accepted the invitation and arrived in Cajamarca on November 15, 1532 commanding two cavalry and two infantry squadrons. Pizarro sent Hernando de Soto with twenty horsemen and an interpreter to inform Atahualpa that he was in Cajamarca. When Pizarro saw the immense Inca camp he feared that his men would be ambushed and he sent his brother Hernando Pizarro with twenty other horsemen and another interpreter Soto and Hernando Pizarro arrived before the Inca palace and required his presence. Atahualpa received them and promised to go to Cajamarca the next day.

Massacre and capture in Cajamarca

Oil by Juan B. Lepiani representing the capture of Atahualpa in Cajamarca.

The next day the Spanish plotted an ambush to capture the Inca using the factor of surprise. Pizarro, who knew other episodes of the Spanish conquest of America, knew how important the capture of the indigenous leader was to pave the way for victory. The Spaniards awaited the arrival of Atahualpa hiding in the main buildings in the Plaza de Cajamarca. On a small tower that dominated the square, Pedro de Candía was posted with eight or nine arquebusiers and a falconete (small cannon).

Atahualpa's plan was to capture the Spanish. Trusting in the overwhelming superiority of his army, he did not believe that it was necessary to fight with weapons, he thought that showing his power would be enough for the Spanish to surrender, although he arranged for Rumiñahui along with 20,000 soldiers to station themselves on the outskirts of Cajamarca with ropes to act a once the signal was given. Atahualpa arrived at the Cajamarca plaza on a litter carried by his servants, accompanied by a retinue of between 6,000 and 7,000 people that included dancers, nobles, and guards. He found the plaza empty and one of his captains told him that the Spaniards had hidden in the sheds because they were scared.

Painting representing Pizarro capturing Atahualpa and saving him from dying at the hands of a Spanish soldier.

The friar Vicente de Valverde, accompanied by the soldier Hernando de Aldana and an interpreter, addressed Atahualpa. Valverde, with an open breviary in hand, began a Requerimiento ceremony, asking the Inca to accept Christianity as the true religion and submit to the authority of King Carlos I of Spain and Pope Clement VII. Atahualpa asked the friar to gave him the breviary, examined it and threw it to the ground, showing contempt. He then told Valverde that the Spanish should pay for everything they had stolen from his empire. The friar, frightened, ran away, followed by Aldana and the interpreter, while shouting to Pizarro: "What are you doing, Atahualpa is made a Lucifer!"

Pizarro then gave the attack signal. The soldiers from the tower fired the falconet and the arquebuses and the cavalry attacked the surprised Incas. The horses caused panic among the indigenous people, who tried to flee the plaza. In their flight they formed human pyramids to reach the top of the wall that surrounded the square and many died of suffocation by the crowd. Finally the wall collapsed under the enormous pressure and the survivors fled across the countryside. The Spanish horsemen pursued them and killed as many as they could. The chronicler Francisco de Jerez estimates that the Spanish massacred some 2,000 natives, who did not fight back. Among the victims were the lord of Chincha and several Inca captains and nobles.. While the soldiers killed the indigenous people, the Inca continued on the litter carried by his servants. When some servants died, others rushed to replace them. A Spanish soldier tried to stab the Inca with a knife, but Pizarro intervened (injuring his hand doing so) and ordered that "no one hurt the Indian on pain of life." Finally the litter fell and the Inca was captured by the Spanish Andrés Contero and taken prisoner. Rumiñahui, while waiting for the signal, saw that the wall had collapsed and fled.

Prison

While imprisoned in a building in Cajamarca, Atahualpa was easygoing, cheerful and talkative with the Spaniards. His captors allowed him to have comforts and be cared for by his servants and his women. They also allowed him to continue managing his empire. Many curacas went to the prison to have an audience with him.

Atahualpa dined every night with Francisco Pizarro and conversed with him through an interpreter. He became friends with Hernando Pizarro. He demonstrated to have a superior intelligence; he asked questions that admired the Spaniards and spoke sharply. He learned a little Spanish. The chronicler Pedro Cieza de León affirms that he also learned to play chess, although Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala says that it was the taptana , an Inca board game.

In one of those conversations, Francisco Pizarro learned that Atahualpa's followers were holding Huáscar prisoner near Cuzco. Pizarro made Atahualpa promise that he would not kill his brother and asked him to have him taken to Cajamarca. Atahualpa ordered Huáscar to be brought to him, but he was assassinated during the journey by his own guards. It is believed that Atahualpa ordered his death because he feared that he would get along with the Spanish, but he always denied having been responsible for the crime and blamed it on his captains.

Rescue

The Rescue Room (Cajamarca), room where Atahualpa was held prisoner.

Atahualpa realized that precious metals were of great value to the Spaniards and offered them a large quantity of gold and silver in exchange for their freedom: he offered to fill the room where he was staying with pieces of gold, as far as he could reach his hand raised; and twice the same room, with silver objects. The room, now known as the Cuarto del Rescate, was 22 feet long and 17 feet wide, according to chronicler Francisco de Jerez. Atahualpa promised to collect the ransom within two months. Pizarro accepted and recorded the promise in writing in an act before a notary public.

Atahualpa sent the order to the entire Inca empire to send as much gold and silver as possible to Cajamarca. In the days that followed, the first shipments arrived. Two contingents of Spaniards went to Pachacámac and Cuzco to speed up the transport.

In May 1533, before the rooms were filled, the Spanish began to melt down the gold and silver pieces, with the exception of the Inca throne, which remained in the possession of Francisco Pizarro. On June 17, finished the foundry, Pizarro ordered and presided over the distribution of the loot. The total sum was 1,326,539 pesos of gold and 51,610 marks of silver. Each of the Spaniards in Cajamarca, from captains to foot soldiers, received a fortune.

Process

The Atahualpa Rescue, painting by Carlos Baca-Flor that represents the negotiation of the rescue of Atahualpa. The inca indicates the amount of gold and silver “up to where it reaches its hand”.

Everything indicates that Pizarro never had in his plans to release the Inca. The situation of the Spaniards was distressing, as they feared an indigenous attack. At that time, Pizarro's partner, Diego de Almagro, arrived in Cajamarca at the head of a host of 150 Spaniards. Discovering that he would not receive any of the ransom, Almagro pushed to eliminate the Inca and continue the march south in search of new sources of wealth. Most of the Spaniards agreed with Almagro, but two captains, Hernando Pizarro and Hernando de Soto, defended Atahualpa's life. Francisco Pizarro pushed them both away so he could get rid of Atahualpa without hindrance. He sent his brother Hernando to deliver the Quinto Real (a tribute) to Spain. He sent Hernando de Soto to Huamachuco in command of a contingent with the mission of subduing the Indians he found on a warpath. After the departure of both captains, Pizarro opened a process against the Inca to have a justification for killing him.

Atahualpa was tried by a court martial presided over by Pizarro himself. Probably the other members were the notary Pedro Sancho de la Hoz, the treasurer Alonso de Riquelme, the mayor Juan de Porras, the friar Vicente de Valverde, and some captains. Also present were a prosecutor, a defense attorney and ten witnesses. The trial was summary: it began on July 25 and ended at dawn the following day. It is suspected that Atahualpa's answers and the statements of the witnesses were rigged and modified by the interpreter, who hated the Inca.

According to Garcilaso de la Vega, the questions that were asked during the process were the following:

What women did Huayna Cápac have?

Was Huáscar legitimate son and Atahualpa bastard? Did Huayna Cápac have other children besides those mentioned? How did Atahualpa get to take over the Empire? Was Huáscar declared an heir to his father or was he dismissed? When and how did Huáscar's death take place? Did Atahualpa force his subjects to sacrifice their gods women and children? Were the wars that he promoted and in which many people died fair? Did you overthrow the riches of the Empire? Did you make your relatives in these wastes?

Finding himself in prison, did he order to kill the Spaniards?

Atahualpa was found guilty of idolatry, heresy, regicide, fratricide, treason, polygamy, and incest; and he was sentenced to die burned at the stake. The sentence was given at the end of the trial and his execution was scheduled for that same day. Atahualpa, who did not understand what they accused him of, asked to speak privately with Pizarro, but he refused.

Historian José Antonio del Busto considers that Pizarro was pressured by circumstances to sign the death sentence and cites the testimony of chronicler Pedro Pizarro (the conquistador's nephew and page), who in his chronicle says: «I saw them cry to the Marquis [Francisco Pizarro] despite not being able to give him life."

Death

Atahualpa execution, according to century engraving XIX.

On the night of July 26, 1533, Atahualpa was taken to the center of the Cajamarca plaza. Surrounded by the Spanish soldiers and the priest Valverde, they tied him to a log stuck in the middle of the square and put logs at his feet. A Spaniard approached with a lit tea. Atahualpa, seeing that they were going to burn him, was alarmed, because according to the Inca religion, his body had to be embalmed to achieve his resurrection in the other world, which would not be possible if it was consumed by the flames. He then spoke with Valverde, who offered him as an alternative to be baptized as a Christian and then hanged on the vile garrote; that way his body could be buried. Atahualpa accepted and was baptized right there with the Christian name of Francisco. They then strangled him. This process was condemned by Carlos I.

Funerals

Atahualpa funeralsLuis Montero's painting depicting Atahualpa dead.

The following day Atahualpa's body was removed from the pillory and taken with great ceremonies to the church to recite the services for the dead and give him a Christian burial.

The corpse was deposited in a catafalque in front of the main altar and the Spanish religious (among them Valverde) sang the prayers of the rite. In the church were all the Spaniards, including Governor Pizarro, who was dressed in mourning because it was the funeral of a king. They all prayed before the dead. According to the chronicler-soldier Miguel de Estete, during the ceremony a group of women made up of Atahualpa's sisters, wives, and servants entered the church and offered to bury themselves alive with the dead monarch, since that was the custom at funerals. of an Inca. The Spaniards responded that Atahualpa had died as a Christian and that this custom was contrary to the doctrines of Christianity. But the women did not settle. They bit their wrists, tore at their breasts, and finally hung themselves with their hair. Pizarro left the church to put order and prevent more suicides from taking place.

Atahualpa was buried in the church of Cajamarca, but a few days later his body disappeared. Probably his subjects took the body to mummify and bury it. According to popular belief, by preserving his mummy, the hope of his return is maintained.In this sense, according to the Ecuadorian historian Tamara Estupiñan, the mummified remains were transferred by Rumiñahui to Ecuador. Specifically, a ceremonial site has been discovered in Cotopaxi, called Malqui Machay, known as the last home of Atahualpa.

After his death

After Atahualpa's death, many Huáscarista ethnic groups that until then had been dominated by the Inca empire revolted and tried to regain their independence. The Inca supporters of Huáscar, led by Manco Inca (another of Huayna Cápac's sons), they joined the Spanish in defeating Chalcuchímac, Quizquiz, and the other supporters of Atahualpa.

Offspring

Statue of Atahualpa at the Royal Palace of Madrid.

According to colonial-era documents, Atahualpa had numerous children, both from his wives and his concubines, but only a few have been identified.

The chronicler Juan de Velasco states that his first wife was Mama Cori Duchicela, who was his sister, the daughter of his father Huayna Cápac and Princess Paccha Duchicela, with whom he had his firstborn Huallca Cápac. Huallca Cápac succeeded his father on the throne of Quitu as a child. The Inca general Rumiñahui usurped the throne and killed some of Atahualpa's sons. But Huallca Capac's son, Cacha Duchicela Atabalipa would return to Quitu and become XIX Sinshi of the Kingdom of Quitu.

Several of Atahualpa's wives and eleven of their children took refuge in the Yumbos region, west of Quito, where they were discovered by Sebastián de Belalcázar, the conqueror of Quito, who took them under his protection. According to the historian Federico González Suárez, Diego de Almagro rescued three sons of Atahualpa at the hands of the curaca of Chillo.

Pizarro promised Atahualpa that he would watch over his children, who were still children. In fulfillment of that promise, he arranged for a group of them to be welcomed in the convent of Santo Domingo in Cuzco and another in the convent of San Francisco in Quito. Three of those who were in the Cuzco convent were Diego Ilaquita, Francisco Ninancoro and Juan Quispe Túpac; Three of those who were in the Quito convent were Carlos, Felipe and Francisco Túpac Atauchi. Two daughters, María and Isabel, accompanied their brothers in Cuzco, but outside the convent.

In April 1555 Diego Ilaquita, Francisco Ninancoro and Juan Quispi Túpac appeared before the Royal Court of Lima, claiming to be the sons of Atahualpa and the ñustas Chuqui Suyo (Chuquesuyo), Chumbi Carhua (Chumbicarua) and Nance Coca (Nançe Cuca) respectively, and they requested that their affiliation be recognized. They achieved recognition of their legitimacy thanks to the mediation of Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás, who traveled to the court to inform the king. Viceroy Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza established two pensions of 600 pesos for Diego Ilaquita and Francisco Ninancoro, Juan Quispe Túpac had died. The Franciscan friars of Quito also obtained income on account of the royal funds for Carlos and Francisco Túpac Atauchi. It is not known what happened to Felipe.

Francisco Túpac Atauchi became a wealthy man, owning many properties in the Quito region. He had two children: Juana and Carlos. Carlos traveled to Madrid to try to improve his fortune in favor of the king, but he led a dissipated life and died in 1589 in a public jail where he had ended up due to his debts.

The chronicler Martín de Murúa recounts that one of Atahualpa's daughters, perhaps María, married the Spaniard Blas Gómez.

Myth of his return

Drawing of Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, representing the death of Atahualpa according to an indigenous version that claimed that the inca had been decapitated and dismembered. This version was adopted by the Inkarri myth.

Among some indigenous peoples of Peru and the Huilliches of southern Chile, it is believed that Atahualpa will return one day to govern them with justice and provide them with well-being. In Peru this belief is known as the myth of the Inkarri and in Chile as the myth of the Inca king Atahualpa. According to this myth, the Inca was dismembered and his head buried in Cuzco, but his hair continues to grow in the direction of the other members and one day the body will reintegrate and Atahualpa will return to restore order to the Andean world broken by the invasion. Spanish. It is a kind of Andean messianism, influenced by Christianity.