Sapa Inca

Representation of the Sapa Inca, Pachacuti, wearing the "Mascapaicha" (royal crown), in the main square of Aguas Calientes, Peru

The Sapa Inca (Hispanicized spelling) or Sapa Inka (Quechua for "the only Inca"), also known as Apu ("divinity"), Inka Qhapaq ("mighty Inca"), or simply Sapa ("the only one"), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco and, later, the Emperor of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) and the Neo-Inca State. While the origins of the position are mythical and tied to the legendary foundation of the city of Cusco, historically it seems to have come into being around 1100. The position was hereditary, with son succeeding father.

There were two known dynasties, led by the Hurin and Hanan moieties respectively.^[1] The latter was in power at the time of Spanish conquest. The last effective Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire was Atahualpa, who was executed by Francisco Pizarro and his conquistadors in 1533, but several successors later claimed the title.

Pre-Conquest Sapa Incas

First dynasty

Little is known of the rulers of the first dynasty of Sapa Incas. Evidently, they were affiliated with the Hurin moiety and their rule did not extend beyond the Kingdom of Cusco. Their origins are tied to the mythical establishment of Cusco and are shrouded in later foundation myth. The dynasty was supposedly founded by Manco Cápac, considered the son of the sun god Inti.

Sapa Inca	Birth	Death
Manco Cápac c. 1200 CE – c. 1230	Considered the son of the sun god Inti	c. 1230
Sinchi Roca c. 1230 – c. 1260	son of Manco Cápac	c. 1260
Lloque Yupanqui c. 1260 – c. 1290	son of Sinchi Roca	c. 1290
Mayta Cápac c. 1290 – c. 1320	son of Lloque Yupanqui	c. 1320
Cápac Yupanqui c. 1320 – c. 1350	son of Mayta Cápac	c. 1350

As a rough guide to the later reputation of the early Sapa Incas, in later years capac meant warlord and sinchi meant leader.

Second dynasty

The second dynasty was affiliated with the Hanan moiety and was founded under Inca Roca, the son of the last Hurin Sapa Inca, Cápac Yupanqui. After Cápac Yupanqui's death, another of his sons, Inca Roca's half-brother Quispe Yupanqui, was intended to succeed him. However, the Hanan revolted and installed Inca Roca instead.

Sapa Inca	Birth	Death
Inca Roca c. 1350 – c. 1380	son of Cápac Yupanqui	c. 1380
Yáhuar Huácac c. 1380 – c. 1410	son of Inca Roca	c. 1410
Viracocha c. 1410–1438	son of Yáhuar Huácac	1438
Pachacuti 1438–1471	son of Viracocha	1471
Túpac Inca Yupanqui 1471–1493	son of Pachacuti	1493
Huayna Capac 1493–1527	son of Túpac Inca Yupanqui	1527
Huáscar 1527–1532	son of Huayna Capac	1533 Killed by Atahualpa
Atahualpa 1532–1533	son of Huayna Capac	26 July 1533 Killed by the Spaniards

Ninan Cuyochi, who was Inca for only a few days in 1527, is sometimes left off the list of Sapa Incas because news of his death from smallpox arrived in Cusco very shortly after he was declared Sapa Inca. He had been with Huayna Cápac when he died. The death of Ninan, the presumed heir, led to the Inca Civil War between Huáscar and Atahualpa, a weakness that the Spanish exploited when they conquered the Inca Empire.

Post-Conquest Sapa Incas

Sapa Inca	Birth	Death	Notes
Túpac Huallpa 1533	son of Huayna Capac	1533	Installed by Francisco Pizarro.
Manco Inca Yupanqui 1533–1544	son of Huayna Capac	1544	Installed by Francisco Pizarro. Led a revolt against the Spaniards in 1536; after his defeat, established the Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba.
Paullu Inca 1536–1549	son of Huayna Capac	1549	Installed by the Spaniards after Manco Inca rebelled; ruled in Cuzco.
Sayri Túpac 1544–1560	son of Manco Inca Yupanqui	1560	Ruled in Vilcabamba.
Titu Cusi 1563–1571	son of Manco Inca Yupanqui	1571	Ruled in Vilcabamba.
Túpac Amaru 1571–1572	son of Manco Inca Yupanqui	24 September 1572 Killed by the Spaniards	Ruled in Vilcabamba. The last Sapa Inca.

This last Sapa Inca must not be confused with Túpac Amaru II, leader of an 18th-century Peruvian uprising.

In popular culture

Literature

Pachacutec, a resurrected Sapa Inca king who is over 500 years old, plays a major role in James Rollins' novel Excavation.

References

↑ Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa; Gabriel de Oviedo (1907). History of the Incas. Hakluyt Society. p. 72.

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