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Atahualpa

Atahualpa, the ^thirteenth emperor Incan.

A difficult future

He was born in Cuzco March 20, 1497 and died July 26 or August 29, 1533 in Cajamarca, the son of a princess of the ancient Kingdom of Quito and the Sapa Inca Huayna Capac. When his father dies, the throne remains uncertain, the son designated by Huayna Capac who was swept by an epidemic of smallpox. In uncertainty, Huascar , whose mother is a princess of Cuzco is crowned. The nobility of northern empire hostile towards this decision decides to crown as Sapa Inca Atahualpa. Prince reigns as two years on the northern provinces of the empire where he is honored and respected as a single sovereign. Status quo is maintained until the generals quitniens can persuade the prince ascended the throne of Cuzco : the empire must not be divided. Generals Quizquiz , Chalcuchimac and Rumiahui are leading armies of Quito, the hostilities and open. After months of civil war, the armies of Huascar almost defeats. Atahualpa seems to become the ^13th emperor Incan the Tahuantinsuyu (Inca Empire), it is en route to Cuzco when he received news of the landing of white men and bearded in the Bay of Tumbes. The prince and monitor foreigners is already reported many abuses on their part.

The arrival of the Conquistadors

Pourtraits and Lives of Illustrious Men, 1584

On 16 November 1532 , after some negotiations, Atahualpa was invited by the conquistador Spanish Francisco Pizarro in the village of Cajamarca in the north of the current Peru.

The emperor Atahualpa went near Cajamarca surrounded by his court and escorted by his victorious armies, they are numerous enough to encircle the city and camp on all sides of the valley. To persuade Atahualpa to meet Pizarro offered him help in the fight that pitted him against his brother Huascar. Wary, however, Atahualpa accepts and agrees to an interview that Indians and Spaniards have to go unarmed.

Did not detect the trap, the Inca went to great pomp in the city of Cajamarca , he wants to impress foreigners. In his golden litter carried by the most noble princes of the empire, the "Son of the Sun" was escorted by no less than 30 000 men and women of his court and his army. A Spanish priest presents a Bible to the prince asking him if he agrees to follow the "word of God only." Atahualpa grabbed the book and brings it to his ear. It exclaims that he heard no word and throws the book down. Fatal error, for the Spaniards, the sacrilege is the excuse they wanted to capture the prince, then they give the signal to attack.

Hidden in the houses of the city, the Spanish armed Indians flock to come unarmed. With bells attached to the legs of their horses and firing in all directions with their guns, they created a panic among the Indians, they try to flee the place where the exits are too small, many are already trampled. Amid the confusion, Atahualpa remained impassive on his litter, while its unit are massacred, others rush to keep his dignity Sapa Inca. The Spaniards eventually take him and the sovereign Inca was taken prisoner. But this does not seem sufficient to the Spaniards who until dusk, chasing Indians across the valley, leaving behind more than twenty thousand corpses a large part of the nobility and the imperial elite come in peace.

Seeing that the Spaniards were of special interest to precious metals, the prince proposes to release a fabulous ransom in gold and silver. The Spaniards agree. By order of the sovereign, the subjects of the empire bring an extraordinary amount of gold and silver, the temples are empty (this is known as 12 tons of gold and silver).

During his detention, Atahualpa receives news of his armies: Prince of Cuzco, Huascar was captured and is imprisoned in Sacsahuaman , Atahualpa, who seems to believe that the Spaniards will release him, inclement, orders to execute her rival.

Execution of Atahualpa by fire (figure of the nineteenth ^century).

Funeral of Atahualpa.

After payment of the ransom, the Spaniards, having taken the measure of the power of the prince in his kingdom, beginning to think that this man who has so much prestige and authority over his people will sooner or later take over them. The Spanish most radical propose to carry the Prince and put a puppet emperor in his place, which will be handled. Pizarro cons to heart, must condemn Atahualpa he learned to estimate. The prince is condemned to be burned on a pyre , the Spaniards who deem the pleading to convert and it will be bound and not burned, he accepts. The execution took place in his cell on 29 August 1533.

The Inca Empire was destroyed. Spaniards continue their plan by placing on the throne Manco Inca Manco Capac II also called, which eventually will lead a great rebellion.

Representations

For many inhabitants of the Andean countries, the prince Atahualpa is a historical figure highly esteemed because of the tragic aspect of his capture by the Spaniards.

It is also often considered the ^thirteenth and last Inca emperor announced the prophecy made at the time of Tupac Yupanqui.

Also capturing the emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca was the subject of a poem by Pablo Neruda: Las Agonia.

References

According to Burr Cartwright Brundage (Empire of the Inca, p.373 ), to his death, Atahualpa was a little over thirty years because sources indicate whether he was thirty years (Francisco de Jerez, relacin verdadera conquista the del Per y provincia del Cuzco, 1853), more than thirty years, "thirty or thirty-two."
Juan de Velasco, Alfredo Pareja y Diez Canseco, Historia del reino de Quito in the meridional America, Fundacion Biblioteca Ayacuch, 1981
( ISBN 9788466000697 ) Notes
External Links
- Atahualpa, one destiny
Preceded by Atahualpa Followed by
Huascar
(Reigned 1527-1532)

Inca emperors
Manco Capac II