Sinchiruca was an Incan military commander and a Grand General (''Apusquipay'') active in late 15th century. A relative of the ruling

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

Tupac Yupanqui Topa Inca Yupanqui or Túpac Inca Yupanqui ( qu, 'Tupaq Inka Yupanki'), translated as "noble Inca accountant," (c. 1441–c. 1493) was the tenth Sapa Inca (1471–93) of the Inca Empire, fifth of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Pachacuti, and ...

, he was named one of the principal commanders of the Inca campaign against the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

that ended with the disastrous Battle of the Maule. Little is known of Sinchiruca's life outside of a few mentions in colonial literature about the war itself. Even his name is not certain, as it might be related to 12th century ruler Sinchi Roca, after whom Sinchi became a title of local rulers rather than a name in its own right. According to 1617 '' Comentarios Reales'' by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sinchiruca was one of three generals of royal lineage sent to wage war against the southern neighbours of the Inca Empire with an army of 10,000 men at arms.Garcilaso de la Vega, ''Comentarios reales'', Parte Segunda, Libro VII Cap 18 In a six-year campaign with an army that eventually rose to 50,000 men, the Inca general Sinchiruca had subdued the regions of northern Chile,

Copiapó Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km north ...

, Coquimbo, Aconcagua and the

Maipo Valley Maipo Province ( es, Provincia de Maipo) is one of six provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. Its capital is San Bernardo. Administration As a province, Maipo is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed b ...

around what is now

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. After securing the Maipo Valley Sinchiruca sent 20,000 men down to the valley of the

Maule River The Maule river or Río Maule ( Mapudungun: ''rainy'') is one of the most important rivers of Chile. It is inextricably linked to the country's pre-Hispanic (Inca) times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence, modern hist ...

. The territory of the Picunche people inhabiting this last region south of Maipo Valley extended further to the south to the

Itata River The Itata River flows in the Ñuble Region, southern Chile. Until the Conquest of Chile, the Itata was the natural limit between the Mapuche, located to the south, and Picunche, to the north. See also *Itata *List of rivers in Chile This list o ...

and these people the south of the Maipo Valley had refused to submit to the rule of the Inca and called on their allies south of the Maule; the Antalli, Pincu, and Cauqui to join in opposing these invaders.Garcilaso de la Vega, ''Comentarios reales'', Parte Segunda, Libro VII Cap 19 The expedition ended with a three-day Battle of the Maule, in which neither side could gain an upper hand and both suffered heavy casualties, reported as 50% dead and almost 50% wounded.Garcilaso de la Vega, ''Comentarios reales'', Parte Segunda, Libro VII Cap 20 The battle ended the Inca southward expansion.

References

{{reflist Inca Inca Empire people 15th-century South American people Military history of Peru Peruvian generals