Comentarios Reales de los Incas facts for kids

The Comentarios Reales de los Incas is a famous book written by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. He was the first published writer of mixed heritage (part Inca and part Spanish) from the colonial Andean region of South America. Many people consider this book to be his greatest work. Garcilaso was born during the first generation after the Spanish took over the Inca Empire.

About the Author: Inca Garcilaso de la Vega

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega was a special person because he had a direct connection to both the Inca royal family of ancient Peru and a Spanish father. He wrote his books to share the traditions and customs of the Inca people, often based on what he learned firsthand.

He was born just a few years after the Spanish conquest began and grew up while there was still fighting. He received a formal education from his Spanish father's side of the family. Because of this, Garcilaso often explained Inca and Andean beliefs using the European and Christian ideas he learned as a child.

Garcilaso was the natural son of Captain Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega y Vargas and an Inca noblewoman named Isabel Suárez Chimpu Ocllo. He lived with his mother and her family until he was ten. He stayed close to them until he left Peru. He experienced both his parents' cultures, also living with his Spanish father when he was young. At age 21, he moved to Spain, where he lived the rest of his life and continued his education informally.

Before writing the Comentarios Reales, Garcilaso had already translated a book called Dialogos de Amor into Spanish. He also wrote La Florida del Inca, which was a popular story about Hernando de Soto's journey in Florida. These books helped him become known as a talented writer.

What the Book is About

Most experts agree that the Comentarios Reales tells the story of the Inca Empire's culture, economy, and politics. Garcilaso gathered this information from stories passed down to him by his relatives and other wise teachers (called amauta) when he was a child and teenager. He also used written sources, including the writings of Blas Valera.

It's important to understand that Garcilaso's book shows a mix of viewpoints. He wrote as a member of the royal family from Cuzco, the Inca capital. But he also wrote from the perspective of Spanish-Catholic beliefs. This blend makes his account unique.

Main Sections of the Book

The book has ten main parts, or "books," each covering different topics:

• Book 1: The beginning of the Incas, the first Inca ruler Manco Capac, and how the city of Cuzco was founded.
• Book 2: Rulers Sinchi Roca and Lloque Yupanqui, how the Inca empire was organized, and their knowledge (science).
• Book 3: Rulers Mayta Capac and Capac Yupanqui, a famous bridge over the Apurimac river, and temples in Cuzco and near Titicaca.
• Book 4: Rulers Inca Roca and Yahuar Huacac, the "virgins of the sun" (special women in Inca religion), and a rebellion by the Chancas people.
• Book 5: Ruler Inca Viracocha, Inca laws and customs, how land was used, taxes, labor, and a prediction about the Spanish arriving.
• Book 6: Ruler Pachacutec, royal homes and funerals, quipus (knotted strings used for records), the festival of the sun, religion, schools, and the defeat of the Chimu people.
• Book 7: Ruler Yupanqui, a description of the royal city of Cuzco, and the Sacsahuaman fortress.
• Book 8: Ruler Tupac, the conquest of Quito, and the achievements of Huayna Capac when he was a prince.
• Book 9: Huayna Capac's life, rule, and death. Atahualpa becomes ruler of Quito, and a warning about the Spanish arrival. Huascar becomes ruler of Peru, leading to a civil war between Atahualpa and Huascar.
• Book 10: The Spanish conquest, Francisco Pizarro capturing Atahualpa, Huascar's death, Atahualpa's gold payment to the Spanish, and his trial and execution. The author's final thoughts.

How the Book Was Published

Garcilaso wrote this book based on his memories of what he learned from his mother's people in Peru. The first part of the book was published in 1609 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The first part of the book is about Inca life before the Spanish arrived. The second part is about the Spanish conquest of Peru (from 1533 to 1572). This second part was published after Garcilaso died, in 1617, and was called Historia General del Peru.

More than 150 years later, in 1758, a native uprising led by Tupac Amaru II gained strength. Because of this, Charles III of Spain banned the Comentarios from being published in Lima in the Quechua language. The Spanish thought its content was "dangerous" because it could inspire native people. However, copies of the book were still passed around secretly. Native people felt proud and inspired by their Inca heritage after reading it.

The first English translation of the book was done by Sir Paul Rycaut in 1685. It was titled The Royal Commentaries of Peru.

The book was not printed again in the Americas until 1918, but people continued to share copies. In 1961, Maria Jolas published an English translation called The Incas. Another edition came out in 1965, and the book continues to be studied by scholars today.

Reprint

• Linkgua US, 2006, ISBN: 84-96428-70-2

See also

In Spanish: Comentarios reales de los incas para niños