Huáscar Inca (;

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 ...

: ''Waskar Inka''; 1503–1532) also Guazcar was Sapa Inca of 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 adm ...

from 1527 to 1532. He succeeded his father,

Huayna Capac Huayna Capac (with many alternative transliterations; 1464/1468–1524) was the third Sapan Inka of the Inca Empire, born in Tumipampa sixth of the Hanan dynasty, and eleventh of the Inca civilization. Subjects commonly approached Sapa Inkas add ...

and his brother

Ninan Cuyochi Cuyochi (1490–1527) the oldest son of Sapa Inca Huayna Capac and was first in line to inherit the Inca Empire; however, he died of smallpox shortly before or after his father's death, bringing about a dispute over the crown.de Gamboa, P.S. (201 ...

, both of whom died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

while campaigning near Quito.de Gamboa, P.S., 2015, History of the Incas, Lexington,

Biography

The origin of his name is uncertain. One story is that Huáscar was named after a huge gold chain that was made to mark the occasion of his birth. "Huasca" is Quechua for "chain." Because his father did not think "chain" was an appropriate name for a prince, he added an ''r'' to the end of the name to make "Huáscar". Another story is that his name is from his birthplace, Huascarpata. The actual events that brought about Huáscar's succession are unclear. Conflicting factions and the fact that the Spanish chroniclers' accounts stemmed from the winners of the ensuing civil war led to conflicting versions of what actually happened. Thus, although Huayna Capac named the infant Ninan Cuyochi as his first heir, sources differ as to whether the boy died first, was unacceptable because of an unfavorable divination or even if Huayna simply forgot that he had named him when asked to confirm the nomination. In any event, a second choice was requested and again sources vary. He may have named Huáscar's half-brother Atahualpa who then refused or named Huáscar himself or perhaps even the nobles put forward Huáscar. Whatever the truth, the result of Huáscar's accession and the dispute over it before and after led to civil war between Huáscar (made emperor by a faction based in Cuzco) and Atahualpa (backed by leaders who were based in the north with Huayna). The Spanish chronicler

Juan de Betanzos Juan Diez de Betanzos (b. Betanzos, Spain 1510 – d. Cusco, Peru March 1, 1576) wrote one of the most important sources on the conquest of the Incan civilization, Narrative of the Incas.Juan de Betanzos, ''Narrative of the Incas,'' ed. Dana B ...

who provided information pertaining to the Huáscar-Atahualpa civil war, outlines Huáscar's tyranny. It is, however, a very biased account, as Betanzos's wife, on whose testimony much of his chronicle is based, was previously married to Atahualpa. Betanzos outlines how Huáscar would seize his lords' wives if they took his fancy. More importantly, he seized both the Lands of the Previous Incas and the Lands of the Sun. In Inca society, the lands of previous dead Incas remained part of their household to support their divine-like cult. Similarly lands were reserved for the worship of the Sun. Thus, Huáscar's seizure represented his disrespect and insensitivity for

Inca religion The Inca religion was a group of beliefs and rites that were related to a Inca mythology, mythological system evolving from pre-Inca times to Inca Empire. Faith in the ''Tawantinsuyu'' was manifested in every aspect of his life, work, festivities ...

.Betanzos, J., 1996, Narrative of the Incas, Austin: University of Texas Press, Huáscar then declared war on Atahualpa. The battles reported by Betanzos talk of

Quizquiz Quizquiz or Quisquis was, along with Chalcuchimac and Rumiñawi, one of Atahualpa's leading generals. In April 1532, along with his companions, Quizquiz led the armies of Atahualpa to victory in the battles of Mullihambato, Chimborazo and ...

(Atahualpa's commander) leading armies of 60,000 men against armies of 60,000 men supporting Huáscar. Betanzos's account also enlightens on the bloody nature of Inca wars. Atahualpa's punishment of the Canares saw him rip the hearts from their chiefs and force their followers to eat them. Huáscar was defeated in the

Battle of Chimborazo The Battle of Chimborazo was among the first confrontations in the War of the two brothers, a struggle between Huáscar and Atahualpa for power over the Inca Empire. Atahualpa won, having the more capable generals; he drove Huáscar back onto th ...

and the

Battle of Quipaipán The Battle of Quipaipán was the decisive battle of the Inca Civil War between the brothers Atahualpa and Huáscar. After the victory at Chimborazo, Atahualpa stopped in Cajamarca as his generals followed Huáscar to the south. The second confro ...

. Huáscar was made prisoner and Atahualpa's chiefs

and Chalicuchima occupied

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; ...

.Prescott, W.H., 2011, The History of the Conquest of Peru, Digireads.com Publishing, The war had Atahualpa in the clear ascendancy on Pizarro's arrival. However it was partly because of ongoing civil war that Pizarro was able to triumph. Firstly, the Inca armies were depleted from the civil war. Secondly, disunity can be demonstrated by Huáscar's celebrations and in the celebrations of the province of Cuzco (loyalists to Huáscar) at Atahualpa's capture. Furthermore, Atahualpa had Huáscar killed so that he was not in a position to offer Pizarro a larger ransom of gold than Atahualpa was offering for his own release.Pizzaro, P., 1571, Relation of the Discovery and Conquest of the Kingdoms of Peru, Vol. 1-2, New York: Cortes Society, RareBooksClub.com, Atahualpa (spelled Atabalica) stated "How shall my brother get so much gold and silver for himself; I would give twice as much as he can, if they would kill him and leave me as lord."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huascar 1491 births 1532 deaths Inca emperors 16th-century monarchs in South America Dethroned monarchs 16th-century murdered monarchs

Biography

See also

References