Sinchi Roca, Sinchi Rocca, Cinchi Roca (in Hispanicized spellings), Sinchi Ruq'a or Sinchi Ruq'a Inka (

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 ...

for "valorous generous

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 ...

") was the second

Sapa Inca The Sapa Inca (from Quechua ''Sapa Inka'' "the only Inca") was the monarch of the Inca Empire (''Tawantinsuyu''), as well as ruler of the earlier Kingdom of Cusco and the later Neo-Inca State. While the origins of the position are mythical and o ...

of the Kingdom of

Cusco 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 list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

(beginning around 1230 CE, though as early as 1105 CE according to some) and a member of the Hurin

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

(first dynasty).

Family

Said to have been the son of two of the original Inca siblings,

Manco Capac Manco is a male given name, and may refer to: *Manco Capac, also known as Manco Inca and Ayar Manco, according to some historians, founder and first governor of the Inca civilization in Cuzco (KOOZ-Koh), possibly in the early 13th century *Manco Inc ...

and

Mama Ocllo In Inca mythology, Mama Ocllo, or more precisely Mama Uqllu, was deified as a mother and fertility goddess. In one legend she was a daughter of Inti and Mama Killa, and in another the daughter of Viracocha (Wiraqucha) and Mama Qucha. In all of ...

, whom they conceived in Huaynacancha. He was Manco Capac's successor and continued the rule after his father's death. The father of

Lloque Yupanqui Lloque Yupanqui (born c. January 1, 1260 – died c. January 1, 1290, aged approximately circa 30) (Quechua ''Lluq'i Yupanki'' "the glorified lefthander") was the third Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco (beginning around CE 1260) and a member of ...

. His wife was Mama Cura, of the lineage Sanu, daughter of Sitic-huaman. They had a son named Sapaca. Manco Capac, Mama Huaco, Sinchi Rocca, and Manco Sapaca erected the House of the Sun.de Gamboa, P.S., 2015, History of the Incas, Lexington,

Reign

The Kingdom of Cuzco later became

Tahuantinsuyu 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 ...

(Inca empire) under the rule of

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 ...

. In one of the Inca foundation myths, Sinchi Roca led his family to the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

of Cuzco. He is said to have created a territorial division of his domains and is considered to be the initiator of the first census of the Inca population. He also ordered all members of his ethnic group (Inca) to pierce their ears as a sign of nobility. The 16th century Spanish writers, including Cabello de Balboa quoted by María Rostworowski, also affirm that Sinchi Roca would have been the first Inca to use Mascapaicha or Maskaypacha (

: ''Mask'ay'' seek; ''Pacha'' land, world, or space-time), which would become the distinctive sign of Inca sovereignty. Among the Incas, the imperial crown was composed of several elementsː the mascapaicha, the most important, was a fringe of red wool, ordered on the forehead because each of its strands "passed through a small tube of gold". Above this fringe were two or three black and white feathers of the sacred bird Korekenke (or Andean

mountain caracara The mountain caracara (''Phalcoboenus megalopterus''), (Spanish: corequenque) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in Puna grassland, puna and páramo in the Andes, ranging from northern Ecuador, through Peru and Bol ...

). This fringe and feathers were secured on the forehead by a turban or headband known as the llautu or llauto consisting of a multicoloured braid "of extremely fine

vicuña wool Vicuña wool refers to the hair of the South American vicuña, an animal of the family of ''camelidae''. The wool has, after shahtoosh, the second smallest fiber diameter of all animal hair and is the most expensive legal wool. Properties The d ...

", wrapped several times around the head. The mascapaicha was the mark of absolute imperial power, to the point that "to take" or "to gird the mascapaicha" or "to claim the scarlet fringe" was the periphrase in use to signify the coming of the new emperor or Sapa Inca, during a ceremony where he received it from the hands of the Willaq Umu, the high priest or pontiff of the Inca religion. One of the stories told about Sinchi Roca was that during his reign a llama shepherd had entered his house and took a young woman whom he cherished very well. The Inca then had them captured and tortured him to tell why he had committed such a sin; the young woman, not wanting to see the villager tortured anymore, revealed that she had fallen in love with the llamamichi (shepherd of llamas) as soon as he saw him wearing a wacanqui (amulet of love), and the shepherd confessed, in turn, that he had received such an object from a demon in a cave.

Building program

The chronicler Pedro Cieza de León states that Sinchi Roca built terraces and imported enormous quantities of soil in order to improve the

fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...

of the valley. ''Sinchi'' came to be used as the title for a

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

, while ''Cápac'', one of his father's names, became the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

for a sovereign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roca, Sinchi Inca emperors 13th-century monarchs in South America Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown