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 In the 13th century the Inka people were a small clan of mountain dwellers, one of a hundred different tribes living in the Andes Mountains. It's not known where they came from, but they settled on a high plain where they built the town of Cuzco. In the course of two centuries the Inkas established a royal family and gradually came to dominate some of their closest neighbors. Legend says that the royal family was directly descended from the sun god, Inti, but despite their divine origin, Inka rulers didn't do anything particularly divine for many years. Then, during the reign of the Inka ruler, Viracocha, things changed. A rival group, the Chancas, threatened the Inkas. Viracocha was terrified of the notorious Chanca warriors and fled into the mountains. His son, Pachacuti, refused to join the retreat. Inti visited him in a dream and the vision inspired him. He gathered a band of warriors and stood his ground against the Chancas. A little help from Inti at a crucial moment turned stones on the battlefield into soldiers, and the Inkas triumphed. Pachacuti proclaimed himself the Sapa Inka (unique king) and celebrated his victory by drinking chicha (beer made from corn) from the hollowed-out skull of the defeated Chanca leader. It was a victory ritual that he would repeat many times as he went on to create what would become one of the largest empires the world had ever seen. |