Cristóbal de Molina facts for kids

Cristóbal de Molina, also known as «el Cusqueño» (meaning "the man from Cusco"), was a Spanish priest and writer. He was born in Baeza, Spain, around 1529 and passed away in Cusco, Peru, in 1585. Molina lived most of his life in Cusco and became very good at speaking Quechua, the language of the Incas. He is known for writing important reports about the ancient Andean culture before the Spanish arrived.

His most famous work is a book called Relación de las fábulas y ritos de los Incas (Account of the Fables and Rites of the Incas). This book is a very valuable source of information about the Incas and their way of life during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Life Story

We don't know much about Cristóbal de Molina's early life. He was born in Baeza, Spain, sometime before 1530. He moved to Cusco, Peru, in 1556 when he was about 27 years old. People called him "el Cusqueño" to tell him apart from another writer named Cristóbal de Molina "el Chileno."

Molina lived among the native people for many years. Because of this, he learned the Quechua language very well. He became so good at it that some early researchers thought he might have had both European and Andean family. Later documents showed this was not true.

In 1565, Molina became a priest at the Hospital for the Natives in Cusco. He later became a main preacher for the churches in Cusco. He also traveled to different parts of the Cusco area as a general inspector. Molina was very interested in the native people's traditions. He often met with elders and former Inca priests to learn about their ancient stories and beliefs.

Between 1568 and 1571, another Spanish official, Cristóbal de Albornoz, was sent to Huamanga (now Ayacucho). His job was to find and remove native shrines and punish people who worshipped there. Molina helped Albornoz because he understood the native culture and their spiritual practices. He also helped fight against a native spiritual movement called Taki Unquy.

In the 1560s, the King of Spain was concerned about how the Spanish had taken over the Inca Empire. He wanted to show that the Incas were not rightful rulers. So, in 1569, he sent Francisco de Toledo to Peru as the new viceroy. Toledo's tasks included proving that the Incas were "tyrants." When Toledo was in Cusco in 1571-1572, he asked Molina to help gather this proof. Molina used his good Quechua skills to interview native people. He wrote a book called Historia de los incas (History of the Incas) in March 1572. Sadly, this book has been lost.

On September 24, 1572, the last Inca ruler, Túpac Amaru, was executed in Cusco. Molina was one of the priests who went with him to the main square.

In 1573, Sebastián Lartaún became the bishop of Cusco. Molina gave him a book called Relación de guacas y adoratorios del Cuzco (Account of the huacas and shrines of Cusco). This book described the sacred Inca places and symbols in and around Cusco. This work is also lost.

A few years later, probably between 1573 and 1575, the bishop asked Molina to write about the native people's spiritual practices. This became his main and only known book, Relación de las fábulas y ritos de los Incas. The viceroy Toledo later increased Molina's salary. He noted that Molina had collected important information on Inca traditions.

In January 1577, Molina gave a statement in Cusco about the campaigns against native spiritual practices. He was called a "cleric priest" and said he had known Albornoz for over ten years.

In 1582, a big meeting of church leaders was held in Lima. It was called the Third Lima Council. Molina attended this meeting. He brought a letter from the main local chiefs of Cusco asking to be excused from taxes. Molina's knowledge of Quechua was very helpful at the council. One of their main goals was to create religious books in Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Molina became ill and left the council early. However, he was called back in 1584 as a witness. This time, he was called "the famous Cristóbal de Molina, cleric priest, general preacher of the natives of this city, who was also inspector general of this bishopric."

Cristóbal de Molina passed away in Cusco on May 29, 1585, at about 56 years old.

His Writings

Molina's most important work, and the only one we still have, is Relación de las fábulas y ritos de los Incas. He probably wrote it between 1575 and 1576. A copy of his original book was found in another person's library after their death in 1647. Today, it is kept in the National Library of Spain in Madrid.

This book was first published in English in 1873. The first Spanish version came out in Chile in 1913.

In his writing, Molina describes the Inca culture clearly. He also tried to connect the ancient Andean stories with Christian teachings.

Molina explained that he wrote the book to help people "understand the origins of their [the Incas'] spiritual practices." He noted that Incas did not use writing, but they had paintings on boards in a special house near Cusco. These paintings showed the lives of each Inca ruler, the lands they conquered, and their origins. He gathered information by talking to "very elderly men" and former Inca priests who remembered the times of rulers like Huayna Capac, Huáscar Inca, and Manco Inca.

The Relación has two main parts. The first part tells Inca myths and legends, like the story of the Creator-god Viracocha and a great flood. The second part describes the Inca religion and its rituals. This part is very detailed. It includes information about important Inca festivals, such as the Inti Raymi and Situa. It also has a valuable collection of prayers and songs in Quechua, with their Spanish translations. Molina's descriptions of these festivals are very special because he shares details that other writers did not. The Relación also talks about the healing methods the Incas used.

A Peruvian historian, Raúl Porras Barrenechea, called Molina the great expert on Native American religious practices.

Molina also wrote two other books: Historia de los incas (History of the Incas) and Relación de guacas y adoratorios del Cuzco (Account of the huacas and shrines of Cusco). Neither of these books has been found.

How Molina's Works Were Used

Other writers, like Miguel Cabello de Balboa and Vasco de Contreras y Valverde, said they used Molina's History of the Incas when writing their own books. Even Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa's Historia Índica (History of the Indies) is very similar to Cabello de Balboa's work, suggesting it might also be based on Molina's lost history. Bernabé Cobo, who finished his General History of the Indies in 1653, stated that he used Molina's Relación as a main source.

See also

In Spanish: Cristóbal de Molina para niños

• Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
• Inca Empire
• Francisco de Toledo
• Polo de Ondegardo