Three basic hierarchies of power-civil, military, and religious-existed in the Inca Empire, and the sapa inca was at the head of all three. He guided the civil government, commanded the military, and was thought to be the direct descendant of the primary Inca god, Inti.
Kings and emperors have always enjoyed a number of different titles, and this is also true for Inca rulers. First, there was the title sapa inca, which means “unique leader.” He was also the commander-in-chief of the army. The people believed he was the “son of the sun,” which meant he was a god in his own right. Finally, the sapa inca was also called “lover of the poor” because it was ultimately the responsibility of the sapa inca to keep the peasants safe, provide them with food and clothing, and provide for them in sickness and old age.
It was traditional for the sapa inca to take one of his full-blood sisters as his primary wife, or coya-although this was not always the case. He was also entitled to take any number of secondary wives or concubines, and some historians claim that some Inca leaders had as many as 100 secondary wives. The secondary wives were often the daughters of high-ranking leaders of conquered peoples or daughters of provincial governors or apus. Secondary wives were considered noble but they were not royal; their children would never lead the empire but would become part of the Inca administration.
The people proved their loyalty to the sapa inca in many ways, but the most dramatic was the sacrifice shown by the capacochas. In an annual event, the capacochas, usually children, were sacrificed. Anthropologist and historian Gary Urton, in Inca Myths, says, “These individuals were sent from the provinces to Cuzco where they were sanctified by the priests of the Incas. The capacochas were then returned to their home territories, marching in sacred procession along straight lines, where they were sacrificed. We learn from colonial documents of capacochas being buried alive in specially constructed shaft-tombs, and recently there have been discoveries of capacochas sacrificed by being clubbed and their bodies left on high mountain tops. In all such cases, the sacrifices sealed bonds of alliance between the home community and the Inca in Cuzco.”
The sapa inca lived an extraordinarily luxurious life, particularly compared to the sunrise-to-sunset workdays of his people. He wore a tunic of the softest vicuna wool and adorned his arms with gold bracelets. Around his neck hung a chest plate of gold and jewels representing the sun. Gold ear plugs three inches in diameter filled his extended earlobes. Even the sandals on his feet were made of gold. Walking in gold sandals may have been a problem, but the sapa inca rarely walked; he rode in a gold-and-gem-encrusted litter.
World History
