Analysis of Titu Cusi Yupanqui's account of Spanish arrival in Peru

¶ … Titu Cusi Yupanqui, History of How the Spaniards Arrived in Peru

"History of How the Spaniards Arrived in Peru" -- Critical Analysis

Catherine Julien's book "History of How the Spaniards Arrived in Peru" is a translated account initially written by Titu Cusi, the penultimate leader of the neo-Incan state. The text is impressive because it provides readers with the opportunity to learn more about the moment when the American continent was invaded as seen by Native Americans. Julien makes it possible for the masses to understand that the Incan civilization started to suffer significantly because of other reasons, as Spanish conquistadors were not the only factor causing this state to fall. Titu does not hesitate to emphasize the fact that his people suffered defeat at the hands of the Spanish. However, he also emphasizes that it is important for future generations to have a complex understanding of events surrounding the fall of the Incan Empire.

The death of Huayna Capac, Titu Cusi's grandfather, marked the beginning of a period of distress in Incan lands. Huayna's sons, Manco Inca, Huascar Inca, and Atahualpa were unwilling to allow each-other the chance to rule over the empire and got actively involved in imposing their power in the territory. Franciso Pizarro had arrived in the area at this point and realized that there was an attractive opportunity for him to exploit locals (Yupangui & Julien vii).

Titu Cusi primarily believed that Atahualpa was wrong because his pride was one of the principal reasons for which he failed to develop a healthy relationship with the Spanish. He did not appreciate Atahualpa because he was a bastard and considered that he took on Incan leadership through force instead of using proper means. Even with the fact that Titu realized that Francisco Pizarro was mainly interested in taking advantage of his people their resources, he respected the man because of his diplomacy and because he considered that he was different from most Spanish individuals as a result of his tendency to put respect first in some situations (Yupangui & Julien 53).

While most people are inclined to consider that the Andean society was peaceful before the Spanish arrived, the truth is that most individuals within this community were actually obsessed with power and went through great efforts in order to obtain it. Titu relates to how Pizarro is sometimes reluctant to act in agreement with his people's interests, but highlights that the well-organized nature of the Spanish community prevented it from experiencing significant problems. In contrast, the Inca group is ruptured by internal conflicts as Manco Inca struggles to retrieve his lands from his power-crazed brothers. Huayna Capac's death marked the beginning of a critical period when considering conditions in the Incan Empire (Yupangui & Julien 13).

Most Incas thought that the Spaniards were gods and that their behavior and appearance differentiated them significantly from what they considered to be normal people. "The Tallanas yungas also called the Spanish virachochas because of the excellence of their appearance and the great differences between them: Some Spanish had black beards and others had red ones; and because they were seen to eat on silver dishes and because they had yllapas" (Yupangui & Julien 11). When considering that the Andean people had a limited understanding of technology at the time, it only seems natural for them to have trouble trying to understand the Spaniards.

Atahualpa clearly held great respect for the Andean traditional drink and considered that it was an insult for the visitors to show little interest regarding it and even to spill it. He probably considered that the Spanish were trying to impose their power through putting across such behavior and that it was essential for him to employ a similar attitude by throwing the letter. The Spaniards themselves failed to comprehend the ritual that they were taking part in and thus only managed to infuriate their host as a consequence of thinking that the 'chicha' was similar to any other drink (Yupangui & Julien 11).

The fact that the Andean culture was poorly organized made it difficult for Andeans to understand the attitudes that they needed to employ concerning foreigners and local affairs. They thus had the tendency to support any one who was strong enough to become king, regardless of the fact that the respective person was not necessarily worthy of this position. Titu wants to emphasize that the cultural clash between the Andean society and the Spanish one marked the beginning of a different era for the Inca Empire, taking into account that both communities had trouble understanding the other and that they eventually came to influence each-other.

Titu constantly refers to the Spaniards as being similar to what Andeans perceived as being Virachochas because his people had never come across a group that was so different from them. As a consequence, the only thing that he and his people could associate these people with was gods coming from another world. Atahuala himself was aware that many of his supporters would not come in his aid because they considered that the Spaniards had supernatural powers and that it would have been pointless for them to try and defeat them. The fact that each Spanish individual differed from another also influenced Andeans to believe that these people were very different from them and that there was no other term that they could associate them with.