Aclla
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Aclla (
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
: aklla or aqlla, pl. aqllakuna), also called Chosen Women, Virgins of the Sun, and Wives of the Inca, were sequestered women in the
Inca Empire 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 ...
. They were
virgins Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
, chosen at about age 10. They performed several services. They were given in marriage to men who had distinguished themselves in service to the empire; they produced luxury items, weaving fine cloth, preparing ritual food, and brewing the
chicha ''Chicha'' is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jora'') made from a variety of maize land ...
(beer) drunk at religious festivals; and some, the most "perfect," were selected as
human sacrifices Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...
for religious rites. Others lived out their lives in a
monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...
environment.


Selection and training

The Inca Empire (1438-1533) created, or adopted from earlier cultures, several institutions to manage the labor of the people in the territory it ruled. Among the institutions were the ''
mit'a Mit'a () was mandatory service in the society of the Inca Empire. Its close relative, the regionally mandatory Minka is still in use in Quechua communities today and known as ''faena'' in Spanish. Historians use the Hispanicized term ''mita'' to ...
'', the ''
yanakuna Yanakuna were originally individuals in the Inca Empire who left the ayllu system and worked full-time at a variety of tasks for the Inca, the ''quya'' (Inca queen), or the religious establishment. A few members of this serving class enjoyed high s ...
'', and the ''aclla''. Each year the Inca government sent out representatives, called ''apupanaca'', to collect girls eight to ten years old from the provinces as tribute for the state. The girls selected were mostly from the higher social classes, frequently coming from the families of non-Inca provincial leaders of the ''
kuraka A ''kuraka'' (Quechua for the principal governor of a province or a communal authority in the Tawantinsuyu), or curaca (hispanicized spelling), was an official of the Inca Empire who held the role of magistrate, about four levels down from the Sa ...
'' class.Pärssinen, Martti. ''Tawantinsuyu: The Inca State and It's Political Organization.'' Helsinki, Tiedekirja, 1992 They were chosen based on their beauty, skills, and intelligence and were sent for training in provincial centers to live together in complexes of buildings called ''acllawasi'' (house of the chosen women) which might have up to 200 women in residence. Only the highest status individuals were sent to
Cuzco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
for their training.Silverblatt, Irene. "Andean Women in the Inca Empire." ''Feminist Studies'' 4, no. 3 (1978): 36-61. The girls were trained for about four years in religion, spinning and weaving, preparation of food, and brewing chicha. They then became ''mamakuna'' (priestesses) and were married to prominent men or assigned to religious duties. The most skilled and physically perfect were sent to
Cuzco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
, the capital of the empire, and might become secondary wives or concubines of the Inca emperor and other noblemen. A few were destined to be sacrificed in a religious ceremony called ''
capacocha ''Capacocha'' or ''Qhapaq hucha'Of Summits and Sacrifice: An Ethnohistoric Study of Inka Religious Practices'', University of Texas Press, 2009 ( qu, qhapaq noble, solemn, principal, mighty, royal, crime, sin, guilt Hispanicized spellings , , ...
''. Several archaeological contexts for ''aclla'' have been identified, specifically at
Huánuco Pampa Huánuco Pampa, Huánuco Marka (also spelled ''Huánuco Marca'') or Huánuco Viejo, or Wanuku Pampa is a large archaeological site in Peru in the Huánuco Region, Dos de Mayo Province, La Unión District. The ruins of the city lie on a plateau ...
,Bullock, Tori. "The Influence of Inca Statecraft on the Site of Huánuco Pampa." ''California State University Dominguez Hills Electronic Student Journal of Anthropology'' 6, no. 1 (2011): 109-119 including recently discovered evidence of a male ''aclla''. Their status and function in society is sometimes compared to a similar role that men occupied called the ''
yanakuna Yanakuna were originally individuals in the Inca Empire who left the ayllu system and worked full-time at a variety of tasks for the Inca, the ''quya'' (Inca queen), or the religious establishment. A few members of this serving class enjoyed high s ...
''.


Service

''Acllas'' were a diverse group in terms of their functionality in Inca society. The general understanding of ''acllas''’ societal role is that they were split into two groups: those who were involved with religious rituals and those who were given to men as wives. Within these roles, the assignment of ''acllas'' was divided by status. Higher status ''acllas'' (those who were considered to be more beautiful, more skilled, and who came from high status families) were either sent to Cuzco in service to the sun at the
Coricancha Coricancha, Koricancha, Qoricancha or Qorikancha (''"The Golden Temple,"'' from Quechua ''quri'' gold; ''kancha'' enclosure) was the most important temple in the Inca Empire. It is located in Cusco, Peru, which was the capital of the empire. ...
or they became secondary wives of the Inca. Lower status ''acllas'' typically stayed in their regions of origin and were placed in the service of lesser religious cults or were given as gifts to Inca nobility. Despite the differences in where they ended up, the services they provided tended to be very similar; ''acllas'' were tasked with creating textiles, preparing food, brewing chicha for ritual consumption, and any other skills they would need to make a good wife or priestess. Their services are considered to be a foundation for Inca conceptions of hospitality. This point was made clear by the Inca
Pachacuti Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ( qu, Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki) was the ninth Sapa Inca (1418–1471/1472) of the Kingdom of Cusco which he transformed into the Inca Empire ( qu, Tawantinsuyu). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca si ...
, who ordered the creation and expansion of ''acllawasi'' for the purpose of strengthening “the generosity of the administration.” However, their labor may have even been more specialized and nuanced than this general understanding of their role. Some sources suggest that there were many different types of ''acllas'' with specific titles. These included ''Guayrur acllas'' who served the sun and moon, ''Uayror aclla sumacs'' who were dedicated to the principal ''huacas'', and ''aclla chaupi catiquin sumacs'' who wove clothes and worked on chacras. Other sources suggest that they may have had more responsibilities than they are typically ascribed. Due to their unique position in society, they may have also had a role as scribes.


Social significance

While ''acllas'' are often thought of as commodities within the empire, their influence and significance reached much further than just an item to be traded. In fact, many of them tended to benefit socially from their position as an ''aclla'' as those who were married to provincial leaders were given their own land and command over the laborers who worked the land. The use of ''acllas'' was tied to
kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
and the maintenance of
hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...
within the empire. The family of a chosen ''aclla'' would be raised in social status. The ''acllas'' themselves would honour the main Inca
god In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
s and be honoured in return. Those not sacrificed at Cuzco might be returned to their own communities and be sacrificed there. This would create a ritual bond between Cuzco and the local region; Cuzco had taken a member of the local community and made them a representative of the central state. The ''aclla'' had been blessed by the Emperor and became the guardian of the local ''
huacas In the Quechuan languages of South America, a huaca or wak'a is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term ''huaca'' can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been asso ...
''. This signaled the entrance of the empire into local
tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
and religion. ''Acllas'' were an extremely important tool of statecraft for Cuzco. They figured heavily in the system of reciprocity that kept the empire running without a formal monetary economy. Redistributing women was an extremely successful way of gaining the loyalty of those who had just been conquered by the Inca because it conferred status to the families of selected women and helped to build trust between officials and locals. Their service was also essential for establishing the Inca culture across the empire. The labor that they provided in the form of textiles was used in gift giving to help form alliances and they themselves were also used as a kind of gift that helped to confer status on the recipient. Those who received an ''aclla'' as a wife also received all of the skills she could provide which allowed that person significant power. ''Acllas'' given in service for religious purposes conferred importance in a similar way because of their skills in creating the necessary means for rituals, namely the brewing of chicha that was integral to religious ceremonies. Their presence is noted at the ritual site of Huanaco Pampa, where the structures that have been excavated suggest a large presence of ''acllas'' who had access to the extensive storehouses of corn and grain to make chicha. It was important that they were present at the site because chicha could not be stored for long periods of time; it had to be made more or less on the spot. While less common, there is some evidence that ''acllas'' were used in human sacrifice. This was tied to their role as gifts and the system of reciprocity throughout the entire empire due to their economic significance.Gose, Peter. "The State as a Chosen Woman: Brideservice and the Feeding of Tributaries in the Inka Empire." ''American Anthropologist'' 102, no.1 (2000): 84-97 In a ritual context, they were an extremely valuable sacrifice because they represented the capacity for so much potential wealth through the use of their skills in weaving, the brewing of chicha, and hospitality. They also represented a connection between Cuzco and the peripheral regions that it had conquered. This tying of the centre to the periphery was one of the most important aspects of the sacrifice of ''acllas''. The story of Tanta Carhua is one such account of the process of binding the centre and the periphery together. Colonial documents contain a record of Tanta Carhua, who was sacrificed as a ''capacocha'' in her home ''
ayllu The ''ayllu'', a family clan, is the traditional form of a community in the Andes, especially among Quechuas and Aymaras. They are an indigenous local government model across the Andes region of South America, particularly in Bolivia and Peru. ...
'' of Urcon. After visiting Cuzco and being honoured by the emperor, Tanta Carhua was credited with saying: “You can finish with me now because I could not be more honoured than by the feasts which they celebrated for me in Cuzco." Upon her return home, Tanta’s father became the ''
curaca A ''kuraka'' (Quechua for the principal governor of a province or a communal authority in the Tawantinsuyu), or curaca (hispanicized spelling), was an official of the Inca Empire who held the role of magistrate, about four levels down from the Sa ...
'' of his ''ayllu''. Tanta was deified and her “sacrifice... ritually asserted her father’s, and father’s descendants’, new role as a nexus between Urcon and Cuzco while dramatizing the community’s subordination to Cuzco.”


Gendered significance and misunderstandings

Despite the small amount of evidence for the existence of male ''acllas'', the overwhelming amount of knowledge of them suggests that a majority of them were women. This meant that they were subjected to specific rules and expectations. One of the most notable ways that they differed from not only the rest of the population but also from the ''yanakuna'' was through their role in reproduction. ''Acllas'' were required to remain celibate and failure to do so was punishable by death. This requirement was a uniquely Incan need as Andean natives did not require celibacy from women. In fact, sexual relations prior to marriage and trial marriages were encouraged. This same requirement was not placed on the ''yanakuna''. Related to this was their association with a kind of “holy status.” However, this notion may be related too closely with a colonial understanding of their function. Many colonists were fascinated by the ''aclla'' but tended to equate them with European understandings of their function. They were often thought of as a virgin cult or a parallel to nuns. This does not accurately represent their position in their unique cultural context.


References

{{Reflist Inca Unfree labour History of Peru Religious occupations Gendered occupations Inca society Priestesses