Tupac Hualpa

Túpac Huallpa, called Toparpa by the Spanish, was an Inca appointed by Francisco Pizarro to succeed Atahualpa and not disturb Spanish interests in the area (he even wore the quarter of the Crown of Castile in his mascapaicha or crown). Three months into his term he died of poisoning.

Biography

Origin

He was one of the more than 100 sons of Huayna Cápac, father of Huáscar and Atahualpa, supporting the former in the Inca civil war. His full name was Inti Cusi Túpac Hualpa Yupanqui. Spanish chroniclers have greatly distorted his name and he is remembered in his writings as Toparpa, Tubalipa or Topaipa.

Túpac Hualpa had presented himself to the Spanish conquerors in Cajamarca, living Atahualpa, to ask for protection against the troops from Quito that threatened to kill him, precisely because, by birth, he could be an antagonist to the captive sovereign. Two other brothers of Atahualpa had mysteriously disappeared, after having approached the Europeans, and the young prince had pleaded with the Iberian troops to safeguard his existence, declaring himself willing to recognize his authority in return.

Proclamation as Inca

After the execution of Atahualpa in July 1533, head of the Atahualpista machinery, everything was disorganized. Faced with the prevailing disorder, Francisco Pizarro understood that the figure of the Inca Empire could only be restored through the charismatic figure of an official sovereign who would establish himself as a point of reference for his subjects. The choice fell on Túpac Huallpa, a very young son of Huayna Cápac who was pointed out by the indigenous elders, present in the Spanish camp, as the candidate with the most valid credentials to assume the position of supreme Inca.

When the problem of succession arose, the young Inca, supported by the Cuzco nobility, had no difficulty in being chosen against one of Atahualpa's sons whom Chalcuchímac, the general of the Quito troops, would have wanted as sovereign. His coronation was carried out with respect to all the complex ceremonies provided for by the elaborate Inca procedures. Tupac Hualpa observed the prescribed three-day fast in a pavilion specially built for him by the diligent Indian servants, and finally presented himself to his subjects wearing the regalia that every Inca ruler had worn before him on similar occasions.

The mascapaicha was attached to him and the Spanish ensured that he was crowned with great recognition and ceremony, agreeing to serve King Carlos I of Spain. All this was done to convince the Inca people that they were still being ruled by a Sapa Inca.

Túpac Hualpa ordered his subjects to dedicate themselves fully to the extraction of precious metals, attending to the wishes of Pizarro and his family.

Route of the Andes

For those who had some illusions about the real autonomy of the new sovereign, Pizarro arranged to make him swear, before the deployed troops, open submission to the Spanish arms, presenting him with the banner of the Crown of Castile, in front of which, Túpac Hualpa he had to bow three times. After the formalities, the Spaniards headed towards Cuzco and Tupac Hualpa was taken with them, believing that his presence would favor the march, avoiding any hostility. A brother of the new Inca, named Huari Tito, was in charge of preparing the way, but as soon as he was separated from the protection of the Spanish troops, he was assassinated by Quisquis's men who were patrolling the area.

This situation, together with the scant collaboration provided by the natives, made the Spaniards suspect that they blamed Chalcuchímac, who, likewise, remained prisoner to the army. However, the old general scoffed at his suspicions and blamed his difficulties on Tupac Hualpa who, according to him, was unfit to command his subjects.

Death

It was with great difficulty that the Spanish finally reached Hatun Xauxa and here Tupac Hualpa died in mid-October 1533. His end could not have been sudden because Pedro Sánchez de la Hoz, Pizarro's secretary and official speaker of the expedition, speaks of illness and literally says that he "died of his illness". However, there was talk of poison and, of course, Chalcuchímac was blamed for his death, who would soon be executed at the stake with the excuse of this crime.

Marriage and offspring

The vassal sovereign Túpac Hualpa or Toparpa had three wives: Palla Cusi Chimpu, Mamma Tupi Ocllo Coya and another woman whose name is not recorded.

He fathered at least seven children by one of these wives:

• Pedro Capac-Aillu.
• Francisca Palla.
• Francisco Huallpa Túpec Yupanqui.
• Beatriz Tupac Yupanqui or Huallpa Túpec (n. ca. 1521) was amanced with Captain Pedro Álvarez Holguín and had at least three illegitimate children, the firstborn Fernando Álvarez Holguín who married the Spanish Leonor de Carranza, the secondborn Constance of Orellana Holguín who matrimonized with the Spanish captain
• Isabel Chimpu Ocllo, mother of the chronist Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
• ? Tupec Yupanqui.
• ? Tupec Yupanqui.