Of the third king that reigned in Cuzco, named Lloque Yupanqui.

THE Inca Sinchi Rocca being dead in the manner that has been described, his son, Lloque Yupanqui,[154] was received as lord, having first performed a fast during the days appointed. As, in his divinations and omens, he found great reason to hope that the city of Cuzco would flourish in the future, the new king began to ennoble it with new edifices. He asked his father-in-law, with all his allies and confederates, to come and live in the city, where their honour would be respected and they would receive such a share of the land as they needed.

The lord or captain of ZaÑu consented, and the more western part of the city was assigned to him, which, being on hills and slopes, was named Anan-Cuzco. The lower part remained for the king, with his house and retinue. As all were now Orejones, which is as much as to say nobles, and nearly all had been concerned in the foundation of the new city, the people who lived in the two parts of the city, called Hanan-Cuzco, and Hurin-Cuzco, were always held to be illustrious. Some Indians even wished to have it understood that one Inca had to be of one of these lineages, and the next of the other. But I do not hold this to be certain, nor is it what the Orejones relate, and that is what is here written down. In most parts of the city there were large wards on the hill-slopes, because the ground was broken up into ravines and hills, as I explained in the first part of this chronicle.[155]

They do not give any account of notable wars in those times. On the contrary, they affirm that those of Cuzco, little by little, through the good policy they employed, succeeded in making friends with many neighbouring people, and in enlarging the temple of Curi-cancha, both as regards edifices and riches. For now they sought for gold and silver, of which much came to the market held in the city; and they shut up women in the temple, who were not allowed to come forth, as has been explained in other places.

Reigning in this manner in Cuzco, and passing most of his time there, Lloque Yupanqui became very old, without having any children by his wife. The people of the city showed much grief at this, making many sacrifices and offering up prayers as well in the Curi-cancha, as at Guanacauri and Tampu-quiru. They say that, through one of those oracles whence issued vain replies, they heard that the Inca would beget a son who would succeed in the kingdom. At this they were well satisfied, and, rejoicing with the hope, they put the old king on his wife the Coya, so that at the end of some days it was known that she had conceived, and in due time she gave birth to a son.

Lloque Yupanqui died,[156] leaving orders that the fringe or crown of the empire should be deposited in the temple of Curi-cancha until his son was of an age to reign. The name given to the son was Mayta Capac, and, as governors, they say that the old Inca nominated two of his brothers, whose names I did not hear.

The Ynca Lloque Yupanqui was mourned for by all the servants of his household, and in many parts of the city, and, in conformity with their heathen blindness, they killed many women and boys, in the belief that they would go to serve the dead lord in heaven, where they held it to be certain that his soul rested. Considering him to be a saint, the chief people of the city ordered that his image should be made, to be brought out at their festivals. Assuredly the preparations they make for the obsequies of one of these kings are very great. Generally they mourned in all the provinces, and in many of them the women were shorn, and their heads bound with cords of reed. At the end of a year they make greater lamentations and heathen sacrifices than can be imagined. As regards this, those who were at Cuzco in the year 1550, beheld what took place in honour of Paullu,[157] when they celebrated the end of his mourning year. It was such that most of the ladies of the city went to his house to see the ceremony, and I was myself present. Certainly it was calculated to excite admiration, and we were given to understand that it was nothing compared to what used to take place in former days. Now I will speak of Mayta Capac.