Of the second king or Inca who reigned in Cuzco, named Sinchi Roca.

WITH as much conciseness as I am able to use, I have written what I learnt touching the government and customs of the Incas; and I now propose to return to my narrative of what happened from the time of Manco Capac to that of Huascar, as I have already promised. Touching the first Inca, and those who followed him, the Orejones do not give many particulars, because, in truth, they did not perform many great deeds. For the most valorous of all were the Inca Yupanqui, and Tupac Inca his son, and Huayna Capac his grandson. But the reason may be that which I have already written, namely, that these kings were the most modern.

As soon, then, as Manco Capac was dead, and the general mourning and obsequies had been performed for him, Sinchi Roca[149] assumed the fringe or crown, with the accustomed ceremonies. He contrived to enlarge the house of the Sun, and induced as many people as possible to flock to the new settlement, by gifts and large offers. The place was then, as it is now, called Cuzco. Some of the natives of it affirm that, in the place where was the great square, being the same then as now, there was a small lake and slough of water, so that it was difficult to raise the great edifices which they had begun to build. As soon as this was known to the king, Sinchi Roca, he contrived, with the aid of his allies and neighbours, to get rid of this swamp, covering it with great slabs and huge beams, and levelling the ground on the top, where the water used to be, in such sort that it remained as we now see it. They further state that the whole valley of Cuzco was barren, and that the land never yielded good fruit from the seed which they sowed. So they brought many thousands of loads of earth from the great forests of the Andes, and spread it all over the land; by which means, if the tale be true, the valley became very fertile, as we now see it.

This Inca had, by his sister and wife, many children: and they named the eldest Lloque Yupanqui. The people round Cuzco beheld the good order in which the settlers lived, and how they brought people under their friendly influence more through love and benevolence than by recourse to severity and force. Some of the captains and principal men came to hold discourse with those of the city, and rejoiced to see the temple of Curi-cancha, and the good order that reigned around it. By this means treaties of friendship were made in many directions. They relate that, among those chiefs that I have mentioned, there came to Cuzco a captain of the town called ZaÑu, which is not very distant. He asked Sinchi Roca, with great vehemence, that he would see fit to take his very fair and beautiful daughter as a wife for his son. When the Inca understood the request he was very sorry, for what the chief asked was contrary to the rule established and ordained by his father. Yet, if he did not grant the request of this captain, he and others would hold the Incas to be inhuman men, declaring that they only thought of themselves. Having taken counsel with the Orejones and principal men of the city, it appeared to all that the maiden ought to be received for marriage with the Inca’s son. It was thought that, until they became more powerful, it would not be prudent to follow the mandate of the Inca’s father in this matter. Thus it was that the answer to the father of the proposed bride was that she should be brought, and the marriage was solemnised according to their method and custom, and she was called Coya in Cuzco.[150] The king’s daughter, who was to have been the wife of her brother, was immured in the temple of Curi-cancha, where priests were appointed to offer up sacrifices before the statue of the Sun, and where there were men to guard the sacred women in the manner already described.

By reason of this marriage, the Indians relate that the bride’s people united with the citizens of Cuzco, making great rejoicing, thus confirming their union of brotherhood and friendship. On account of this, great sacrifices were offered up on the hill of Guanacauri[151] and at Tampu-quiru,[152] as well as in the temple of Curi-cancha. This being done, there was an assembly of more than 4,000 youths, and the ceremonies were performed which had been ordained for them. They were armed as knights, and continued to be looked upon as nobles. Their ears were bored, and the round pieces were put in them, in accordance with custom.

When these things had taken place, and others of which we have no record, in the time of the king Sinchi Rocca, he became old, and was surrounded by many sons and daughters. So he died, and was mourned for, and his obsequies were celebrated in a very sumptuous fashion. His image was preserved as a memorial that he had been a good ruler, and that his soul rested in heaven.[153]