36 Facts About Pachacuti

Pachacuti began an era of conquest that, within three generations, expanded the Inca dominion from the valley of Cusco to a sizeable part of western South America.

Pachacuti is often linked to the origin and expansion of the cult of Inti.

Pachacuti is considered by some anthropologists to be one of the first historical emperors of the Incas, and by others to be a mythological and cosmological representation of the beginning of the era of Inca imperial expansion.

Pachacuti is often considered the first historical Incan emperor, despite various mythological elements of his reign.

The nature of Pachacuti's reign, the cosmological concepts associated with it, the lack of physical representations and of archeological evidence made some scholars come to the conclusion that Pachacuti was an Incan ideological and cosmological concept.

In 1953, Maria Rostworowski published her biography of Pachacuti and supported Rowe's conclusion of late imperial expansion under Pachacuti.

In 1945, Rowe devised an imperial chronology, stating Pachacuti reigned from 1438 to 1471, however archeological data suggests the early 15th century to be the beginning of Pachacuti's reign.

John Howland Rowe, basing himself on the Spanish chronicler Miguel Cabello de Balboa, theorised a standard chronology, in which Pachacuti reigned from 1438 to 1471 radiocarbon dates suggest an earlier date, in the beginning of the 15th century.

The historian Jose A Mendoza del Solar stated in 1920 that Pachacuti's reign took place between 1420 and 1472.

The Peruvian historian Jose Antonio del Busto Duthurburu wrote Pachacuti was born in 1403, defended Cusco from the Chankas in 1424, and reigned from 1425 to 1471.

The Peruvian ethno-historian Maria Rostworowski suggested Pachacuti reigned, from the beginning of the 15th century onward, for around 60 years, 40 years alone, 5 to 6 years with Amaru Yupanqui and 14 to 15 years with Tupac Yupanqui.

The main sources for Pachacuti's reign are the colonial chroniclers Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa and Juan de Betanzos: the latter based his account on the "life history" genre, transmitted within each Inca rulers' panaka, and the former, whose work was authenticated by Inca descent groups in Cusco, drew from a compilation of different sources, whose structure was taken from the life history genre.

Pachacuti's given name was Cusi Yupanqui, or Ripac, and he originated from the female lineage of Inaca Panaka, in the moiety of Hanan Cusco, in complementary opposition to the moiety of Hurin Cusco.

Some sources however, mentioning a vision of the Viracocha deity Pachacuti could have had on the eve of the chanca attack, believe him to have removed the Inti Sun cult and instituted Viracocha as principal deity.

Pachacuti conquered lands along the Urubamba valley, where he founded the famous site of Machu Picchu.

Pachacuti occasionally elevated individuals from the class of yanakunas, servants who weren't obligated or entitled to the obligations and rights of reciprocal exchange, to rulers of local chiefdoms who had rebelled or refused Inca domination.

Pachacuti conquered the Soras and Rucanas, the Vilcas, the Lucanas, the Chalcas, and the Cotabambas.

Pachacuti started the practice of forced migrations, sending mitimaes of loyal areas to unstable provinces, or alternatively placing loyal peoples to strategic positions in the Empire.

John Howland Rowe estimated the Inca Empire under Pachacuti to have reached the Desaguadero River near lake Titicaca, which marked the border between the conquered Lupaca chiefdom and the Pacasa chiefdom.

However, in 1992, the Finnish ethno-historian Martti Parssinen, pointing to local colonial sources, wrote that Pachacuti's generals reached the nation of Charcas, near lake Poopo.

Pachacuti potentially conquered parts of Kuntisuyu, where many Aymara enclaves of the highland kingdoms existed, including the regions of Arequipa, Camana and Tarapaca.

Pachacuti personally conquered the nations surrounding the kingdom of Cusco, and left the military command of subsequent campaigns to his generals, retiring to concentrate on administrative reforms and the embellishment of Cusco.

Pachacuti gave military command to his son and heir Topa Inca Yupanqui, who led military campaigns in the northern parts of the Inca Empire and consolidated Capac Yupanqui conquests.

Under Amaru's co-reign, the Collas revolted while Pachacuti led an expedition in the Amazon rainforest, which was put down and potentially led the Inca armies to conquer lands in Kuntisuyu.

Pachacuti was described as a philosopher, and as "too human to be ruler".

Pachacuti's role was that of an archetype of the perfect Inca ruler according to the philosophical principles of the Inca ruling caste, and of spreading the Inca cultural model and pantheon to the various ethnic groups of the Andes.

Pachacuti is credited with having displaced hundreds of thousands in massive programs of relocation and resettling them to colonize the most remote edges of his empire.

Pachacuti was a poet and the author of the Sacred Hymns of the Situa city purification ceremony.

Pachacuti initially nominated his son Amaru Topa Inca to be co-ruler and heir to the throne.

However, due to the lack of military talent found in the joint prince, Pachacuti changed his decision and instead decided to name another of his sons, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, who in turn had a reputation as a talented general, as his co-ruler and successor.

Pachacuti's mummy was transported on his own wishes to the palace of Patallacta, but was later found at Tococache.

Pachacuti, considered the son of Inca Viracocha and Mama Runtu, was, according to most traditional lists of Inca rulers, the fourth ruler of a lineage from the Hanan moiety of Cusco, whose rulers are collectively called the Hanan dynasty.

Pachacuti had several sons, among which are Tupac Ayar Manco, Apu Paucar, Amaru Topa or Amaru Yupanqui, Yamqui Yupanqui, Auqui Yupanqui, Tilca Yupanqui, and Tupac Inca Yupanqui.

Pachacuti had two of his brothers, Capac Yupanqui and Huayna Yupanqui, killed after the military campaign against the region of Chinchay-Suyu.

Pachacuti later chose Tupac Inca because Amaru was not competent in military affairs.

Pachacuti married Mama Anawarkhi or Anarwakhi, of the ayllus of Choqo and Cachona, most likely to reward a chief belonging to one of these ayllus who had defended Cusco during the Chanka invasion.