Oroncota facts for kids
Oroncota (also called Huruncuta) was an important ancient city in Bolivia. It was a special center or capital for the Inca Empire. Oroncota was located where the Chuquisaca and Potosí regions meet today.
The Incas took control of Oroncota during the time of Emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui (1471-1493). It became a strong fort protecting the eastern edge of the Inca lands. For over 1,500 years, the Yampara people lived in the Oroncota area. Later, in the 1500s, during the last years of the Inca Empire and the start of the Spanish Empire, the area faced many attacks. The Ava Guarani people (also known as Chiriguanos) eventually took over Oroncota.
Archaeologists have found many old buildings and items from the Inca and Yampara people here. These ruins are spread out across the area.
Where is Oroncota Located?
Oroncota is in the eastern mountains of the Andes. It sits in the narrow valleys of the Pilcomayo River and the Inkapampa River. This area stretches for about 20 kilometers (12 miles). The land is about 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea level. People could farm near the rivers and on flat areas made by floods. Unlike many other old Andean sites, the people of Oroncota did not build stone terraces for farming.
West of the Pilcomayo River is the Pukara, or Fortress Plateau. This high, flat area rises steeply above the river valleys. It is shaped like a triangle, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) long. The plateau is about 2,900 meters (9,514 feet) high. Even though the climate is dry, parts of the plateau were farmed long ago. Today, no one lives on the plateau, and only a few people live in the river valleys.
Oroncota is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of the city of Sucre. It is also 95 kilometers (59 miles) east of Potosí. Potosí was famous for its rich silver mines in the 1500s. Because of this, controlling Oroncota was very important. It helped protect the highlands and the valuable mines for both the Incas and the later Spanish.
Experts believe between 1,442 and 4,122 people lived in Oroncota. This number is based on how much land was good for farming. About two-thirds of the people lived in the valleys. The other third lived on the plateau. The largest ruins are from the Inca period, suggesting that was when the most people lived there.
Who Were the Yampara People?
The Yampara, also called Tarabuco, were the main group of people living in the Oroncota area. Oroncota was near the southern edge of their territory. Other groups, like the Chui and Chicha, might have lived among them. We are not sure where the Yampara came from. They might have moved into the area from the east.
Long ago, the Yampara probably spoke Pukina, a language that no longer exists. But by the 1500s, they spoke Aymara. This was the same language spoken by people living on the high plains of Bolivia. The Aymara people saw themselves as different from the "bow and arrow" people of the eastern mountains. The Yampara seemed to be in the middle, between the highlanders and the lowlanders.
Experts divide Oroncota's history into four main periods:
- Early Yampara (400-800 CE)
- Classic Yampara (800-1300 CE)
- Late Yampara-Inca (1300-1536 CE)
- Colonial (1536-1700 CE)
Each period is known by different styles of pottery. Early Yampara people mostly lived in the Pilcomayo valley. But later, the plateau became more important for living. One reason for moving to the plateau was probably for defense.
By the time the Incas arrived, the Yampara seemed to be friends with other Aymara kingdoms. These kingdoms were part of a group called the Charcas confederation. Like other Andean peoples, the Yampara were organized into two main groups, or moieties. The upper group was centered in Yotala, south of Sucre. The lower group was in Quilaquila, southwest of Sucre. Each group had 10 ayllus, which were like family clans or communities.
The Yampara at Oroncota kept some freedom from the Incas. For example, the Yoroma site, north of Oroncota, was important for both Yampara and Incas. It was a place for making stone tools and holding big feasts. But Yoroma kept its Yampara style even during Inca times. Its leaders did well. The Yampara of Yoroma were more like allies than subjects of the Incas. They might have joined forces against a common enemy, the Chiriguanos.
Incas and Spanish Control
The Inca Empire started to influence the Yampara and other groups in the eastern Andes in the 1400s. A Spanish writer named Bernabé Cobo said that Emperor Tupac Yupanqui (1471-1493) tried to add the Aymara kingdoms to his empire. He wrote that 20,000 people ran away from the Inca army. They hid on the plateau at Oroncota.
The Incas could not break through the plateau's defenses. So, Tupac Yupanqui held parties and offered beautiful women to trick the defenders. Once they came out, his army captured Oroncota. It became part of the Inca region called Collasuyu. This story might have some made-up parts, but it probably has a true core.
The Incas built three main areas among the Yampara settlements:
- The largest was also called Oroncota. It was in the center of the plateau and covered 6 hectares (15 acres). It had a main plaza, buildings, and storage houses called qullqas. The stone work showed it was important Inca architecture. This meant the buildings showed Inca power.
- A second site, El Pedregal, was about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south. It was a fort in an empty area, covering 0.8 hectares (2 acres).
- The third Inca place, Inkarry Moqo, was near the Inkapampa River, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Oroncota. It covered 2 hectares (5 acres). This site was likely used for collecting and storing farm products.
The Inca buildings at Oroncota were smaller than those in other Inca centers. The Incas were interested in Oroncota because they needed farm products from lower, warmer areas. These included maize (corn), coca, and cotton. Oroncota also helped protect the empire from attacks by the Guarani people. The Incas called them Chiriguanaes, and the Spanish called them Chiriguanos. About 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Oroncota, the Incas built a line of forts. These forts protected Oroncota and the path to the Andes highlands. These forts were Incaprica, Cuzcotoro, Iñao, and Incahuasi.
Around 1520, the Chiriguano people started raiding the eastern Inca border. Two Yampara leaders, Aymoro and his son Francisco Aymoro, tried to keep Inca control. The Incas sent officials and mitma (people moved from highlands to new areas) to help. These groups worked together to defend Oroncota against the Chiriguanos.
After the Spanish took over the Inca Empire in the 1530s, they still faced attacks from the Chiriguanos. In 1574, Viceroy Francisco de Toledo visited Oroncota. He was part of a Spanish military action against the Chiriguanos that did not succeed. He mentioned that the "final Inca fortresses" had been captured by the Chiriguanos. This was likely a reference to Oroncota.
