Aclla facts for kids

Aclla (pronounced ahk-yah), also known as the Chosen Women or Wives of the Inca, were special women in the Inca Empire. They were picked when they were about 10 years old. These women did many important jobs for the empire.

Some Acllas were given in marriage to men who had done great things for the Inca ruler. Others made fancy items, like fine cloth. They also prepared special food for religious events and brewed a beer called chicha for festivals. A few, who were considered the most "perfect," were chosen for important religious ceremonies. Other Acllas lived their lives in special buildings, similar to a monastery.

How Acllas Were Chosen and Trained

The Inca Empire (1438-1533) had different ways to organize the work of its people. One of these ways involved the Acllas.

Each year, the Inca government sent people called apupanaca to choose girls from different areas. These girls were usually between eight and ten years old. Most of them came from important families, often from local leaders called kuraka. They were chosen because they were beautiful, skilled, and smart.

These girls were sent to special training centers called acllawasi, which means "house of the chosen women." Some of these houses could have up to 200 women living there. Only the most important girls were sent to Cuzco, the capital city, for their training.

The girls trained for about four years. They learned about religion, how to spin and weave cloth, how to prepare food, and how to brew chicha. After their training, they became mamakuna (priestesses). Some were married to important men, while others were given religious duties. The most skilled and beautiful Acllas were sent to Cuzco. They might become secondary wives of the Inca emperor or other noblemen. A very small number were chosen for a special religious ceremony called capacocha.

What Acllas Did

Acllas had many different roles in Inca society. Generally, they were divided into two main groups: those who helped with religious ceremonies and those who married important men. Their role often depended on their status.

Acllas with higher status, who were considered more beautiful or skilled, often went to Cuzco. There, they served the sun god at the Coricancha temple or became secondary wives of the Inca emperor. Acllas with lower status usually stayed in their home regions. They served local religious groups or were given as gifts to less important Inca nobles.

No matter where they ended up, the jobs they did were very similar. Acllas were responsible for:

• Making textiles (cloth)
• Preparing food
• Brewing chicha for religious events
• Learning other skills needed to be a good wife or priestess

Their work was very important for the Inca idea of hospitality, which meant being generous to guests and allies. The Inca ruler Pachacuti even ordered more acllawasi to be built to help make the government more generous.

Some records suggest there were different types of Acllas with specific titles. For example, Guayrur acllas served the sun and moon, and aclla chaupi catiquin sumacs wove clothes and worked on farms. Some historians also think Acllas might have had other responsibilities, like being scribes (people who wrote things down).

Acllas and Inca Society

Even though Acllas were sometimes seen as valuable items within the empire, their importance went much further. Many Acllas actually gained social benefits from their position. For example, those who married provincial leaders were given their own land and control over the workers on that land.

The use of Acllas helped to connect families and keep the Inca Empire strong. When a girl was chosen as an Aclla, her family's social status would often rise. The Acllas themselves would honor the main Inca gods and be honored in return.

Some Acllas, who were not chosen for ceremonies in Cuzco, might be returned to their own communities for local ceremonies. This created a special bond between Cuzco and the local area. It showed that Cuzco had taken someone from the community and made them a representative of the central government. The Aclla was seen as blessed by the Emperor and became a guardian of local sacred places called huacas. This helped the empire to connect with local traditions and religions.

Acllas were a very important tool for the Inca government. They played a big part in the system of giving and receiving, which helped the empire run without money. Giving women as gifts was a very successful way to gain the loyalty of people the Inca had recently conquered. It gave status to the families of the chosen women and helped build trust between officials and local people.

Their work was also key to spreading Inca culture across the empire. The textiles they made were used as gifts to form alliances. The Acllas themselves were also used as a type of gift that gave status to the person who received them. Those who received an Aclla as a wife also gained all her skills, which gave them significant power.

Acllas who served religious purposes were important because of their skills in creating things needed for rituals. This included brewing chicha, which was essential for religious ceremonies. Their presence is noted at the ritual site of Huanaco Pampa, where buildings suggest many Acllas lived and had access to large amounts of corn and grain to make chicha. It was important for them to be there because chicha could not be stored for long periods; it had to be made fresh.

While not common, there is some evidence that Acllas were chosen for human sacrifice in religious ceremonies. This was linked to their role as valuable gifts and the system of giving and receiving throughout the empire. In a ritual, they were seen as a very valuable offering because they represented so much potential wealth through their skills in weaving, brewing chicha, and hospitality. They also represented a connection between Cuzco and the distant regions it had conquered. This linking of the center to the outer regions was one of the most important reasons for the sacrifice of Acllas. The story of Tanta Carhua is an example of how the center and outer regions were connected.

Old records tell the story of Tanta Carhua, who was chosen for a capacocha ceremony in her home community, called an ayllu, in Urcon. After visiting Cuzco and being honored by the emperor, Tanta Carhua is said to have stated: "You can finish with me now because I could not be more honored than by the feasts which they celebrated for me in Cuzco." When she returned home, Tanta's father became the curaca (leader) of his ayllu. Tanta was honored as a goddess, and her ceremony helped to show her father's new role as a link between Urcon and Cuzco. It also showed the community's connection to Cuzco.

Acllas: Understanding Their Role

Most of what we know about Acllas suggests that the vast majority of them were women. This meant they had specific rules and expectations. One important difference between Acllas and other people, including a group of men called yanakuna, was their role regarding marriage and family. Acllas were required to remain unmarried and not have children. If they did not follow this rule, they could be punished. This rule was unique to the Inca for Acllas, as other Andean people often allowed relationships before marriage. This same rule was not given to the yanakuna.

Acllas were sometimes thought to have a "holy status." However, this idea might be too similar to how European people understood their role during colonial times. Many European colonists were interested in the Acllas but often compared them to nuns. This comparison does not fully explain their unique position in Inca culture.

See also

In Spanish: Acllas para niños