Maria Rostworowski Historia Del - Tahuantinsuyo Pdf

Rostworowski pays special attention to the Coya (the Inca queen). She challenges the idea that Andean women were merely passive figures. She demonstrates that the Coya had significant economic power, owning lands and managing the acllahuasi (house of chosen women), and played a crucial role in the political alliances that held the empire together.

This book represents the maturation of Peruvian historiography. It moved the discipline away from a reliance on "official" Spanish narratives and toward an analysis of primary administrative documents (testaments, lawsuits, land grants).

She points out that the Incas often governed in pairs. Hanan Cusco (Upper Cusco) and Hurin Cusco (Lower Cusco) were in perpetual tension. Some Sapa Incas ruled jointly with a co-emperor (like Pachacuti and his son Tupac Yupanqui). This was a deliberate system to avoid absolute monocracy, though it eventually led to the Huáscar-Atahualpa civil war. maria rostworowski historia del tahuantinsuyo pdf

While editions vary, the standard work covers the following critical areas:

1. The Pre-Inca Andes (The Formative Period) Rostworowski dedicates a crucial section to the cultures that preceded the Incas: Chavín, Moche, Nazca, Tiahuanaco, Huari, and Chimú. She argues that the Incas did not invent Andean civilization from scratch; they perfected a horizonte andino (Andean horizon) of existing technologies and political systems. Rostworowski pays special attention to the Coya (the

2. The Origin Myths of the Incas She analyzes the legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo (coming from Lake Titicaca) and the legend of the Ayar brothers (from Pacaritambo). She treats these not as literal history but as political propaganda used by the Inca elite to justify their divine right to rule.

3. The Inca Political and Social Organization and the major festivals (Inti Raymi

4. The Economic System: Reciprocity, Redistribution, and the "Mit'a" One of her most brilliant analyses is the economy. The Incas had no money or markets as we know them. Instead:

5. Religion and Cosmology She explores the huacas (sacred places/objects), the priesthood, and the major festivals (Inti Raymi, Capacocha). Crucially, she explains how the Incas practiced religious absorption: when they conquered a tribe, they moved the local huaca to Cusco and built a temple for it, forcing the conquered people to worship in the Inca capital.

6. The Fall of the Empire The final chapters cover the civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa, and the Spanish conquest (1532-1572). Rostworowski is sharp here: she argues that the Spanish did not defeat the Inca Empire with 200 men; they exploited a fractured empire. The yanaconas (indigenous servants) and curacas who allied with Pizarro were decisive.