Atahualpa and the Book[1]

8/13/2019 Atahualpa and the Book[1]

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,¡Vlrt¿rol, xrl. No 16 ilj, pF l.1l-168.Dc ¡r¡rcnr ol Rodrnce LanSuae¿s, ¡Jtrn.sir ol Mi.hig¡¡

ATAHUAI.PA ANI) IHE BOOK

Sab¡ne.\la(Coma(k+The University ol luichigan

Thee¿ v accoxúts ofthe conqucs¡ oiboth l{exico and Peru conuilr certainke).' episodcs irhich \rc.e rold in d ift¿re nr wa-,"s a nd s it h pa¡licular arrc n tio n andcare because ücy were intcnded to carrr'a nre¿ning which transccnded thc.pisode itsc¡f. The capturc of l\,lo€1e2una as rold b) Cor¡és rhüs divergc\

'igniñcantly fro¡r the samÉ clenr as told some thi.t\ lears later br- Sahagún'sn¡tive inforrnants Thcse diverg€r1ccs highligh¡ shat various n¡rrators

'lrill¡rent times belicved nceded cxplainingabou¡ ¡heconquer ol}le\ico.In Penr;lso the slatk realit of conquest, ol lhe c¡d of Inca clvilization. inspiredli\'ergent e\planations as io horv this rcalit had €ol¡c about. One sel of rbese:\planalions focuscd on the encounterbctween he lnca Atahu¡¡lpa at thc head ol:ri ast lros¡ and Pizarro with his SpaDiürcls in rhe l¡ain squarc olCaj marcao¡.:.- atlcrnoon ol S:iturd¡\ tó \o\embcr l5J.l.

In itself. this eucornter unfolded s¡ aighllbr\ra¡dly cnough. Aiahurlpa was

:rrricd into thc square ol Cal¡nrarca on a gold-encrustcd liller. prec¿d.d b].rmcrous ¿íend¡nb \.ho clearcd his path of dirt and grasses. and bt further::isndants who nraLlc Ir1usrc. Thc Spaniards ¡ncanwhilc $efe hidden ill threerr:Ldi¡rgs surrounding rhc squarc, ¡hus giving rhc lnca th - imprrssion that lhet:ie ¿fraid or read) ro sur¡endcr. Next, dre Dominican Viccnte de Vaherde

:::1c lol \Ard. qpokc 1o the lnca and rcached up ro hinr so as to hard hi¡r dre,.::.'d book he was carrling. ..\lier inspccting ir. Atah ¿lpa dropped thc book..::ir led Vaherde to ¡rakc a prehrranged sign for Pizarro and his men to aftack.

: _i.' ofdle assailants made süaight for Aiahualp¿'s litler, dmgged bim liolr) it

- j:r¡k hinr prisoner. Ten months late¡ lhc Inca $as s¡rangled a¡d the conqucr'.s cmpirc beg¿n in ea es¡.i

-:r:lie¡r¿¡sion.lth¡¡aDrr$aspr *fre¡ar"rhe¡oolr¡1|eAr¡cricxr"(,¡¡.r.tr..,r1$¿' l:nr nr\n Libr¡rr. Prcvld¡rce. Rh¡de Isl^¡d. run. ll l¡. 198i.



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l\,,, St)iU,iirr(k li)()k ttrcir Dritir¡rry sutc.r()ril)r fi)r l.u rcd. tn rctcltirre whail't',"1.'rr .,..,,,.,r,tirt).,r,.r,rdrr,t.,nrn,teg,,trr.,,r,',,,tU.sr , r(l ()n how Sp ni¿rds nd Andc¿ns coutd comlnüDicxte wittr cach

r, ,. srrer ll¡. inr¡ cnsc cr¡trurrl disl.rDcc betwcen Lhem. tn cxamining, as wc$ ll¡lt) lrcrc. thc chr¡r)gcs which thc story undcrwenl with the passagc oftine and,, rl,. l,ir¡¡s ol dill¡¡cDt writers, wc exa¡uinc not onl} thc fory,s iDncr logic bur,1 .,, rl,c cll¡¡ging preoccup¿rions ot spaniards and Andcans in eart, c;tonial1" . L'.'ll\ ,.,.,r.ut rh.\rnr\ rtr..t",^tsnr,h\:,t\er,t,.h,ndedru \rJt,rutp"' r ..r¡rftl f¡aturc. ln clill¡re¡r wats. rhis book spe ed our rhe retig(rs andt , rrre,rl scll:dcli¡irion of Sp¿¡i¿rds on rheone hand. ard rhccutru¡al.tilt¡rcnce,,1

^r¡l.ns o¡ the othe¡.

Aecordi¡g 1o qrisróbal dc Mena. tlre carliest pubtishcd cyewitness oi rhc,,)frlucsr ol Pc.u. Valverde carricd

r cross in his h¿nd. wishing to Lc (rhe hc¡) rhc things of God, ...rnd he said tha¡ thc Chris¡ians wcrc his friends_ ¡nd ih¡ he tor¡tgovcrnorlovcd him cry nruch and Lhat (Atahuatp¿) shoutd enlerlris dwelling in order lo scc h;m. (Al huatpa)repliedrh¿rhcwolrktnot ¡dlancc lirÍher uDLjl the Christj¿ns returned all thc\ had.rol' r lrñ," Irn' I (.,\ , rt,i. dr,JU-r,... r. "¡e I,t,.. Lr, .ri¡rwith a book in his hand begrn lcttinS hLm thc rhings ofcod \yhichhc needed 1o know. And (Arahu¡lpn) did nor w¿nt to accepr 1lrem.BUL he asked fbr rhe book ¡nd the fii¿r 8¿ve rt to him thinkrng rh¡rhe rvas goirrs to kiss iL, arrd he rook ir and threw ir ¡w^r ... And rhepn-rrI C,II, rnd .1,,,u t ,ts dnd ,,r) ,ts., ñrne to, r n.,,."," rorrt,Christians, and atrack rhcsc doSs our cncmjes, who do nor wantthe thiñgs ofClod. Because this c:lcique h¡s thrcún ihe book otourlroly law on the ground (pogo 242).,

WhcreupoD Pizarro aDd his mcn s¿lliec[brrh ¿¡d capruredAtahu tpa by forcc of,i'i¡¡s. lhe efisocle that led up ro this acl ol rvrr. lvhere the bt¿ckrobed Valverde

.irrrinS his.ross cont'onts^L¡hualpa

hotdi¡g rhe book lrigh above his heaci,r¡d) to throw it, appca.s as a woodcur on thc riltc p¿Be ofCtrisrtbal de Mena ss,,r¡llfublicaLrcnofApril 153.r(Figurc l). threelnoDrhsla¡er¡hes¡nrcwood.urÍrved as the tillcpage prinl fot rhe Ttuc ot:.:ount of ¡hc ,:o quüt ol p¿tu byLiricisco de Xerer (Poso 192 193).

Xerc7. secrelary and loyal rdvocalc ol pizarro. providcd a more.lcraitedir.courl ol whar hatpene.l rcga.ding thc book. Approaching Ai:rhLralp¡ wiLh

^ r oss io onc h¡¡.1¿nd his biblc in the orher. Vatlcrde said through an úrrerprcrcr:

''I aln lhc priest of C;od and rcach athrisri¡Ds thc things ot Cod.and i¡ thesame w¡y I cornero le¡ch you. Whal I rc¿rch you iswh{Lü .J ha,.¡ lerr .o r'.. ul|(1r.. rn rhr. b,,^k. I tr.r, ¡.,r,1,,,, beh:ll

F-igure lThc Donrinic¿n friar Vincente de Vaherdesl¡uds bel¡re llrc Inc:r At¡w llpa whois aboul 10 rhrow li) thc grou¡d the s:rcred book the triar gave hin. l illcp¡geprint of rhe anonvmousllr publishcd /.r ab,¡qrlfa ¿cl Pctú,Se\tlle 153a.

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Sive hiÍr the book L() scc ¡nd hc g vc it t() hirn (sill¡ lhc elirslrs)closcd- WhcD Atahü¡lpa w¡s uD.rblc to ofcrt (rhc (rllsPs). I lrc lritrrcxtcndcd his rrm ro open (them) ancl Ahhrr¿lp¡ with Srcriconlempi süück him on the arm. not wanting hinr 1o operr (l hcn¡ )

Ancl insisling on opening (thcm) hinself, he did $. But hc di.l notmalvel at the lefters or thc papcr like other Indi¿ns ¿¡d thrcw thcbook fi\ e or six paccs .rwat üom him. And to the liiais woÍdshe a¡swered proudly aúd said: "I know welL how lrou bav.bchalcd dunng your loutney, how yoü have mistrcaled nry¿¿.¡r"¿s ¡üd slolen cloth from thc sLorebouses (Xercz I I l).r

By mertioning a interpr€ter, Xcrez wished to strcss that Atahu¡lp l)a(l

understood wh¡t Valverde said. aDd thalhis rejectioD ol "tbe thinss of (io(l

could theretbre be viewed as a dclibcratc act ofdefiaDcc. The issuc ol a na(ivc ol

lhe New World defyins ihc "things ol God" was tLmiliar to at lcasl lonrc ()l

Xerez' re¿ders. l,ccausc lawyers :tnd theologians had repe¿lcdlj discussc(l orr

beh¡lÍ ol thc Spanish crowñ \dr¡t could conslilute legitiDrate grounds liconquesl. lxp]icii rcicction ol Christianit] was one such grouDd. ln a .l¿l¡//¡¡ (n

l526thcenrpcrorCharlcsVaccordinglystipulatcdthatcoDqucslsshouldnotb.initiatcd withouL infi)rming lndi¡ns of their liecclom tu submir pqrccfull) to

Christianiry and spanislr sotereignty (R.("p¡Ia¿r¿tl t,1,2: Pagden 50f0 Indcc(I.in l5l2, theiurisl Juan LópezdeP¡laciosRubioshaddraltcdaclocumcnL know¡l'¿s Requ"t¡n¡ento, which presented n¿ti(rrs to be conqucrcd with thc option r)l

pcaceli¡l subnission ¡ncl evangeliz¿tioD and which was Lo be read oul by lhccoDquerors belbre inili¡ti|g warfate (sec IIanke;Gre€Dblatt 572ff: cf llefnl])ingl28fI). All his¡oriars of ihe cooquest ol Pcru told their fory wiih ¿n cyc on thisprccepl, rvhethe¡ it was to accuse the conquerors of:rcts ol unlawtul asgressidr,úr úherlr(r I sJs ro.¡cq,ri rh n .'l U.l, a r '.

Müch thought therefore \ycnl i o ev¿luating^lahualpa's

reaction toV¡lverde s approach. Opinions varicd as to whethcr thc book which tbefriar hacl

carried was ¡ Ílible, r brcviary or some other Chrislia text, bul this questionremained ¿ side issue. ]]or wh¡tcver the book lh¡l had bccú involved, ilexemplified ' r holy law". Anolher question that s1¡yed ¿t thc peripherics ol

thediscussion was w hcl h cr Valverde's conve$alio n withthe hrca had comflic.lwith rhc lbrnralitics which the e¡]lperor's l¡w eoli$agcd. that is, whelher

Valvcrcle's words hrd amourted to a truly complete cxhortatior to accepl

Chrisrianily. lnsle¡d, Atahualpa's.elrction lo V¿lverdc's book did duty Ibr thc

oLhcr nicerics ol licit conquest.Clrislóbalde Men¡, as webaves€cn, thoughr Va lvc rdc expected t hc lnca to

lrerl the book in accordance with Catlntic ritL¡al: for bolh clergy and l¡lnen.when lr¿ndling a liturgical book. would lirst kiss il. Later histotians were morcpr¡gmatic, and did nor cxlcct Lhe l¡ca to display familiarily lvith such

ceremonious iDtricacies. IDsLcad. thc discussion turncd lo reading. heari¡g an.l

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"',rrl,L,,,rv.wrt,r.sscs..lL¡r ltüi/(1.Î(1,,rcpo11s¡(li togLrc.toAr¡hU,rtt)l,s,L ¡ , ,,1 1,,, r.sl(iriLti¡)r¡ ¡)l $4¡irl ttrc ilvlr{lcrs h¡d l¡t\cD. Vllycrdc p¿lr()nrTjngt

''Lbk Alrlhurlpr, surcly Cod co¡ln¡ncts os rh¡r wc shoutcl tolc,.rt lrollrer. l hcrr ALrhualp¡ rskcd hjr¡:..Who is rhis Cod?. -fhcl,,r r siri(l: "llc wlro nrrdc you :lnd ¿tl ot us. Ancl tlr¡r which I te ,,U,lrclcli wrillren ilrlhis book'TtrcnAlahualpa¡skcdhimforrl,. l¡ \)k lnd Lhc friarg¡vc it to him. An.l whcn Aiahu¡ha saw thel ¡)l\ l¡c rhrcw iL as,¿y ald mocked the liiar (Ruiz de Arce 162lfl.

', ',i,1 r l\', ¡c0ifdi¡g to Dicgo de I rujilL) 158) who also had been ar Catama..ll'rL',,r$,,()1.inl5Tl,Vahcr.iccxplainedlhathclvass¿ ingwharcodsaid.¡ll,l rlr .1, w¡s writtcn in rhc book, whitc pcd.o pizarro (chrps. 9, 37), rhc

, , ',,,t,,, r1)r's br1rthc., thoughr he recalle¡l1hat Vah¡e¡de rcad from the book as hc

A lll¡csc ¡ ccounts shr rc .)ne fealu¡e. Th.y ¡nchor thc authoriry and rruLh of'1l ,,,.ssrgclheinvaderswcrcclaiming1()conveytoArahuattainthebookthcirti rhcr cr¡ied. Cieza de Lc(in who hrd not been ¡r Cajamarca bur had,. clLrll qucstioned those $ho wc.c. tbL¡nd rhc sl(ry unsaristaclory. Val.\,erder' \r lrlru¿lpa üe book. Ciezi (chap..l5) ¡grecd:

lhc lnca looked at ir ag¡in and over ¡gain. and leafed thc p¿gesonce or fivice. So mary shccts seemed üseless to him and hc rhrcwil ¡way without knowing rvhat ir was. For if he were ro havcun.lersriDd, rnaucrs would lta e ro havebeen edptanrcd differenrty.

( ,,1ir could thls not agrec th¿ he eveDts otCajalll¡¡c¡ somchow enshri cd aL,sr (xusc for llrc iDvasio¡ aDd conquest of ihc tnc¡ et¡pirc, fin At¿hualpa bad r,, ir¡ ¡o posilk)n to ündcrst¿nd V¡lvcrdc's reaso¡ing or ro appreciare rhe|,,ilicrncc of thc book- FurLhcrmore, as Cabclto de V¡lboa (II. :t2, .1i0) l¡rer

ti,, rrlccl out. God could bc observed <lailt condoning sins Iar greater tha¡), r¡rt)t)ing ¡ s¿cred book on the ground whether dctibcrately o¡ r1o1.

1]L't thc p.obtem did nor conrc to rest hrrc. Francisco t_ópez de Cómara,\vlr,)sc history ofrhe Indies was pubtjshcd in 1552, was the fiñ ro suggcsL Lh¿t\1¡l¡Ltlrlpa was sonehow e\pecring L() listen ro Valverdc.s book, ¡o he.u il spcak.

( ii) r¡¡r¿recordednuncrousde¡ailsaboutthelncasandpcru some.orre{1 rn.l,lhcrs firncilul whiclr arc nor to be fiNnd elsewhere. This mixttrre off¡n. rn,l'.'1, .r\, (lr,rr.,,r.ri,,., ,r.-,Lte ng.,t rtr,r^r\ úr cr¡t"u,rttJ rnJ rt,e úook.\flrirh opcDs wirh an elaboratcly ¿ryüe¿ Ret¡gio gcspkidl. V.rtlcrdc, ha\ing, \poundcd the doctrines ol thc T.iniry, sin and salvation, ato¡g wirh the theory



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lribLrtc r() úese ¡ulcrs ¿nd 1() atrundon his i(l¡,ls ¡r¡(l lirl$ ,c118¡)rr

Alahualpa respon¡led rh¿t. beirg lice. hcdi(ln()¡ (l.si¡ c l0 hc.r)r¡¡.a lribut¿ry... And, with rcgard to religion. hc s¡ri(l thal his, trvD w¡\very good añd hc lbund himsclf contcnted lvj(l¡ il,:rn(i lcll Ir.ithcrihc desire nor lhe obligation lo q crion a rrllttcr so ¡ncitr¡l trn(1

wcll provcn. And (thc lnca slid) thrt Christ dicd. whcrcrs I l)c S'rn

¡nd Moon neverdic¡j. a'rd hot{ did lhc friar know th.l rhc (;ttrl ¡rl

Ch.istiaDs had crc¡ted thc world'¿ lrriar Viccnle rcplicd tlrtrt thc

book said so. and Savc hiln his brcvirry. At¡hu¡lp opcncd il,lookcdatit,lcaledth¡oL¡ghit.¡ dsryingth¡ltohi thcbo()ks¡i(lnothing about thosc lhings. lhrcw it 10 the ground- ¡ht f¡;¡¡

picked up his breviary and¿unrcd

toPizarft'. shouriDs. " l hc

Gospels lcast tol the ground, vcngancc (hrisiixnsi (1.(ipe/ de

Cióm¡r¡, chap- I13. p. 228.)

fhrce years later. r more elaborate vcrsi(m ofthis storr w¡s públish.d lr('rrr llpcn ol Agustin dc Zárnre. controller ol thc i Pcrial lrtt¡nccs in I'rrrL

Mission¡ries werc nr¡kmg some progress in convcrting Andca¡s l(' ('hrisl rrrrrll ,añd z-.irale's account ofelcnls in C¡jan¿rca reflccrs wh¡t thcv lrrd lc¡úrc(l¡h rrrr

Inca rclig¡on. Atahualpa thus r€spo ded 1o Valvedc s lheolos¡.¡l¡nd Polrr(:rlexpo\ilions wilh a deiailcd Andc¡¡ counierpart. which mcn¡iinrcd not ,)trl\ lltSun ns cre¡tor. but:rlr) mothcr E¡lJh. lhe .{,¿.,¡r.

^rrdc¡nhol} prcscr¡c(srrIrl

I'j.ch¡c¡nrac. ln^ker ol lhe world .

As lo. C¡stillc, he knct{ nothing ¡bout it ¿nd h¿d not secn i(. A¡r(lhcaskedlhc bishophowlremight knowthat ¡ll hc l)adsaid wxs lhcrrurh. aDd where oDc could le¡rn i1. l hc bishop said rlrrrl it $ll\written in lhat book. which wns lhc wriliDg ol (;, AndAtahualp¿nskcd h¡nr fi)¡ ¡he brcvii¡ry or U;blo wbich hc hcld in hish¿nd. ¡nd rccciving it opened it.lurrringthc ptrges liorlr orr{r tnd t¡J

thc other. Thcn he saici th¡t tu hinl the book sr¡id noihing trncl .il(lnor speak one word to l)im. and threw il oü thc grouDJ'l

A gene.ation larer, thc nlission¡ry rnd scholar M¡rtin dc Murú r.rrrrrrc¡l

to lhc r¡uch discusscd episodc ¡nd pltrccd ¿ yct stronger cmphrsis,'D Lhc Arr¡(¡rrsidc. I)urnrg the l¿tcr sixtecnLh cenLury. stories oircul¡ting lhrlr¡gh()rrl l\'rrrsusgestcd thal the conquesl could b. rcndc.cd inlc¡¡iSiblc i¡r ¡hc lighl ol

^n(k:rImyihs anci oracles which had predicrcd lhc cnd oftht lnc¡ c¡)rpilr lntltl. rrrl rr)rol Strtngc supenratüral nrossengers frcnr the Crctr(or' Mtrrúrr rr.ccl)l¡,1 llir$oraclcs ¡s hisioricrl; accordi g¡ohim.ihcreforc.Arrrhurl¡rl¡rr(lr(tr¡si{lcr.(llllSpani¡rds to havc been th$c nrcsscngcrs Mtr¡ú¡ ¡ls,) \ rs ¡l ¡¡r\r ¡n r'\r'rirlhisl()rians to m¿rinl in rh¡t l()r lhi\ tr¡n'rr. thc lri(¡ l¡'slr hr,l irl)ln{trrltrrl lllSp¡nirrds unatrrre¡. fhc I Crr rLrlc,i,nli.it)rrlc(lrr¡lrri,irr(v.litlrt)rr.r f,ririL.lol v¡r VrrL\cr(lcsl.t,|c(ll,t,srr,(1,1,,'l,li rrrrr,ri*\rt,rl,,,,rrstrrl1)rlrrr\rLrv.rril.rrrL¡rl

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" Lr¡ l^tlllLirlt)l\

rc¡ctitrr l() lt¡c book ¿nd the Spanin(ls. sUbscql. lL L lL ,',, r\ tirr ¡r irit() lw() distincl cpisodcs ¿nd rcvcrscd Lhcir ordcr ¡c

' ,l, rl s iri, Al¡h,rirlt)ir rv.s (lrtrggc.l froD his littcr thus occurr.(t n,)l ir¡

' 't ,, , rL ir. l,LLr ,)r¡ ln cl¡licr occlsiolr, \ hc¡ hc rcccived rwo Sprnistr r¡rr' ' .,¡ ,, , l( iLr:r,riIr 1,,)¡lr ]l7i lrigurc 2). the tnc¡'s frtt fio rtrc tiLLcr, vtjietr' , L,,, rL,,llr.r (,, s.qU.nccs ()r¡ rhlrr occasj(m. was mcfctv a sig to rhc Splnilrts

, ' r tr.r rr)Lrl(l h.fi .

t iLr ,,i|¡ ll)i,,ir .¡)nccplrLllucdw djrrc:rltheLimcotthcconqucsLn,)t irs¡r 1 :rl t,,rlli.r il h¡(l lc(Lrrlly bccn, b 1 sr¡r ilirNrycn¡clmc rol c.¡lliI ¡l ,t ¡,1,:. l .lBrún SI)¡Iiirr(ls lnd

^ndcr¡ns$,trich hc sLitl obscrved i¡r tls t)wrl

r,\ Ll,,,r,il, i,,lcn(cilrLlnrissit,riziDsconfionre.t I¡rcaordcr¿nd r)llricsr . reL , r,.t I,ljirse l,r,t\ I)t¡cc in rhc squ¡rc ot a.rt¡rnarca ll.\ an ct¡b1Ixlc.rxt

,,L,, Lr,l t)l llrc lDc¡.()ur 1 Atrhurlp. wiLh hi\ crprains lnd ()btcs ln(t l(l1,, ,,.,,,¡ lr l,,rr\rItrrc(ill¡csqU rc,]r¡lh.c n(crotwhichhc:rs0c dc(t.rt¡¡) ri , ¡l ) ' .\,¡ir,,,l lil¡r sl¡¡J(l Il¡c (1i8¡itrrics ot lhe e(,urr.

_Ihc Sp ni¡rds (lútrv.rr(l

1,1,, ,rl,,,,rL.,trclfr tt¡irllt,elt¡l(tc,) retooblli¡thetr¡c¡\tricndstrit)toj tt¡., r, ,, N.\t. Virlr.r¡c:rpl)elr.(l(t;i'rIre l).

I,'I,L,,,L(,,,ssiIIIjs,,IIIII l¡,,,r(ti (tlhr. irr i,rtrrslcll Itcsiri(t, \l,rliUrlt)ir tlr,ri lir irln) \rls :L,r irllblssir{11)r iL,i(t rcssrrrrcr ¡)l

r , llrrr L rv Irr,rl l,'li. ir l .|(l ,'l (iirl. irrj(l ttrirl AlirtIIr t)|'1, ,r ,l l ,r: lÍ.,,,1 1¡,1 :,(l(i,. tll..irs,,,r,t t¡.trcvr llrr |¡)st¡.t1)tt i i LL,iL,,¡)Lrtt¡',1,,,, it ¡r|.t . Alirtlr, t,,r ¡,,.i r.t)1.,1 |,r(I.,l iirr,\,'Lrltl,,,l,',.,,,jrr.\,r't)lllrrsL|,wt,i.t,,,.r.rttr.\:r,,11 r. , ,,/,,/\ ., i,l rr,,t, ,,ri rt,irl ltrL.v ,, .,, tr:r¡t Ltr t,,\r \vt, j t,,

l¡,1

Figurc lGuaman Pona( 1980:38O clcpicts At¡\ ¡l1ptr cnl¡ronecl(¡r (l¡. rrsr¡) rirr( ('lll¡Inc¿'iDthc citvolC¿¡rrl]a.crr, $nrilcIri/¡.ro:rn¡Vrl .Rle.rcl)rcr'¡r(lb\ll¡'"l¡(lirn lrclipe. lür¡sLrl{)f ,Drkc lher, (i, bclltr. hi rr

/i;,iÁ ,\,a"*' ^ sn-; ^tâ/?A,.J p^ fn4



krIl^¡ril

re¡rlic¡lrrr Vr(rr1(\vh,,lirL,l l,)Ll l, ,i, rl,L:r lli r,)1

lrir¡r Victnlc s¡id ll¡rl rh. g,)sl¡l hi¡l s¡i(l Ll. llr. lr),,1 r\ kl

^trihüalpxs¡id:"(iiv.t|rúlhcllx,[s('rh¡rlrrr.'r\¡]_ ll¡ \¡"¡ l('

mc. And so hc gavc il n) hrn¡ nn(l hc l(¡,k rt ir' hrs li¡r(ls rLitll)rg.rrrlo lcal thmugh lhe p¡gcs ofthc book. And lhc 1r) ¡ srirl: ll(^vLsthis, that (thc book)docs not s¿:' it to r¡cl'An.l this b¡)(,1 (l(,c\ r),)1

spcrk io mcl" l'hc lnca Atah ¡¡lpa spoke wilh glur o¡¡icsr).se tcd on his thr)nc, and thrcw thc book lroru hrs h.rn(is. I ri:IViccnte shouted aDd said: 'llerc. c¡valicrs. fiAht a,raillrl lhcse

Scnrilc I'r.l¡¡ns Rho opposc our t¡ilh '

\r \lr \t t \ \Nrr |||| ¡rrr¡.

BVEV11}B|ERr40 4/6

RIBBI'4DORETORr/,r ra, ,e¿'A rñ p6;a ttltstu ¡¿ tt aattí. -,-,-,

''IheSpaniarcls¡ilrckcd.At0hurlp¡waslakenprisoncr.andinthcprison"srt(¡,'

rl'e 8 ound, despoilcd ofhis {hrone xn¡j kingclonr" ((;unD¡an ll¡n¡. l8ó).*The rcligiors (liscussi,m ¿rboLrt Lhc i¡nnroflal sun and thr lnc{ s Law (lc¡ ircs

liom ai(t¡r¡13 or Zár¡te At lh. s¡mr: rinrc. howelcr- this cliscrrssion {¡rrlurc(lrcgul¿r¡t in missnnrary (tisc(rrse, with lvhich cua¡ún Po¡r¡. who had work.tls traoslilt()r in c¡mpaigns to.xLirprt€ Aldc¡n reliEi(,n ¡nd knc\r,M¡r(ín (l(

Murúa. wrrs.iccply t:rnrilirr.') Onc ol thc ccntr¡¡llhcnes ol his a¡r'lrra rlrcrcli)r(is lhesubjcctr)t1 of A¡dcans ro col¡n)i¡linniluli()ns both sccul¿r r¡)d ecclcsiasticrl¿rs obie.vcd bl Cir{mrn Po'n¿r hinrse'f. Subrnissio \Lnsritualircd in thecobn}iar¿rictyotputticdispl¡ys:ADdc¡nskncltbcfbreorwcrepunishedby:jprnislrllgures ol rr¡thorit], the)¡ w¡lkcd ir hicrrrchically ordcrcd proccss()ns and LooL

p¿11 iD chrbor¿te ¡hc¿lrical (lisplays rcprcsen¡rrg th€ erlrbl¡shcd ordcr ofsociel\((iurnr¡D |om¿,565.568,621,627.ó3-1,691). ihedrn$'ingswhichsuppiemenr(.juaman ltnna's rcxt depict n)any such occasions (Fisu¡c 4). ln sclcralo{ these. rSpanish bc¡rcr ol iruthorill is equippcd n¡lh r book c¡rrr¡ng thc supeBcript;on"obeclieucc" ((;u¡man Pi)nr:i.18:.41J6).Lo l.ol books cont¿ining unaltcr:rblcwntte¡ irnd quoL¡ble texLs lent wcight t() Sp¿nish and Chri\Lia¡ clainls fbr(lominrnc€. At¿hL¡nlpa conlion¡e(l with Valvcrdc s book thus was only the firslrt any Anderus ro bc subdLred by writicn authofl¡y. Only oDce in Gr1llmrnP(¡na's long book is this pnuern rcvcrscd cxplicitlr. Ihis is whcn. iD ¡ sectio

cnt¡l¡ed "Thcchltprerol thcqucsrioll.. his miÜcsrI asks, the:ruthor rcspoDds.

(ju¿nr¿n Poln¡ hokliDs his op.D book knc¿ls bclore Philip tll. ¿nd.¡iscs hisrisht hrn(1 ir¡ lhe gestrrrc ol spe.ch rr instrLrction (l igure 5). We have lrerc ^r('rdered hicr¡rchr. ¡n *hiclr rhc cr('wned kt'lg ho¡di 8 r sceplcr coñvcrscs wi{l¡tl¡e uthor, who rhroughoul his book has meliculously establishcd ¡ol only the

ruthcnLicitv of hi$ knowledAc but ¡lso his ¿uthoritr 1o spe¿k an(l write.r\ccording l,) Cra¡r¡o Ponra. (h¡s ordcr ol l¡icrrrchy, the rüLherr¡¡c¡t ol

knowlcdgc ¡nd thc aulhor¡t) with whrch koowlccl-ee nluf bc p¡rscd on wcre ¡lll¡ckiDg rrhen thc Sp¡niar'(ls llt Cl¡j¡¡r$rc¡ ¿ddrcssed thc l¡c¡.tusr ¿s w¿s lhc casc

|t his owr) da -^l

C¿janrnrc¡. rhercl¡re, Vr¡lverde who ¡ndce(i holds his boo¡.crnno¡ sptak l(¡ thc Inc.r, nd I:elipillo thc inl rprctcr. vitlr ¡ ring thn)tLgh his

nosc¡r)d smallh 1pcrchcclrakishlyonhishcad.nrist0krDlyr iseslrislclt¡¿ndin {he gesru¡r ol specch l¡rd i¡str.rc¡n)n (se. F¡g¡¡tc l). l'hc lnc, is thu\

* .9< aqL u tt

r,.igL¡rc:t.

'-,,' - P,,,nr,¡I' '¡r,:+)).trus..,p c(tt¡,t,irnEib,L,tcra(||rB..,,b(Jr,L,.

'{'il)

'lll"'l /,// ,'t





lil S^llLNl Nlr\( I {rl{Nl^( li

rhcrclinc irskr(l ((; reil¡s(, l/rrrrr, r¡rúl l. )). .rll. l,) r\til,,rn ll¡ ¡rr¡ tb.wildcrDcnr. (jarcilns() rcnrnr(ldl his rú(l.rs ¡)l rlr. ( irr(hisrr ¡n 1)r¡\lrr¡¡.Avmar0, and Spanish which Ar)(onr) Itrclrk) pul)lishe(l in l.irr¡rr irr 158 5. l, )r rri

it. all Spanish rheological and rnosl elhicnl lcrnrs wcrc lcll untr rrslirte(1.^r llIlso remembered his o*n exper¡cnce as a schoolboy in Cüscl), twcoly nr¡c v.rrrr

atter the conqucsl, when Andc¿ns were st¡ll deeply rclrctánl lr) lcllrn rtr sp(¡l'Spaoish (Garcilaso ¡1i.1r¿ria gen¿ru| 1.23).

Secondly, Valverde s discourse involved nunerous abst.acl lcrnrs wli( lr

prcscnted their own difficultiqr to Andcans. This issuc h¿d occ¿sidrcd rcp(xl(11refl€c¡¡on among h¡storians ol-¡hc Indies, who we.c pron€ to notirrg th¡l b',llrMexicaD ¡nd Peruvion Indians posscssed extr¡ordinary praclical skills but vcrvlew thcorctic¡l or speculalive oDcs- Ga'cil¿rso thus lhought that in praclierrl

medicinc and practical astronorny, the Incns could easi¡y match Sparish rrklEuropcan ach¡evencnts. Büi nor so when it cametoc¡plaininghow the hu'no'r \

function i¡ the humrn body. or how the invisible fiÉt causcs, as dislinct froD rh(visiblc srcondary oncs. operatc iD the univcrse (aiarcilasa, Camo¡u/¡as ra:t1(t,ll,2l ll). He.c, thc lncas had indeed glimpsed thcexistcncc ofaD invisible crcrlorand primar¡ c¡üse. but thcir undcrstand¡ng had rcmaincd inchoate- lhcvthe¡elorc rclcred in their hca¡ls ¡hc invisible "creator ol lheworld" Pachacánrn.,¡nd addrcsscd a fully arlicul¿ted cuit to thc sun as dcity and visiblc causc an,lortgtn (A,nü ]a úo Il, 21.

Whcn thus At¡hnalpa ques(¡oned Valvcrdeas to (he nalure oftheChristi;'nSod, h€ addresscd precisely thal arca of knowlcdgc which, accordin8 ro

Garoil.tso, the Inc¡tl lacked. Natural reasoñ, ¡ taculty ol?tllhuman beings. coul(llca¡llbelñcabthcpostulalcoltheexistoüceofabsLr¡ctandi¡rmalerialen1ilics,which. ho\¡cvcr, h¡d neverbccn €xplorcd in thc Andes- Furthermore. spccificrllvChris¡i¿¡n knowlcdge was thc or¡tcomc not of natural reason bul ofrcvelador.¡nd rhus h¡d to betaughr. Carcil¡sls At¿hu¡lpawas readyio be inli)rfned,tLn(learlier lnc¡ specrl tio¡s as 1o the DaLLrre of deit-v and scientific causation ha(lprcpare{ h¡m to undcrsránd (hc Christian messagc-

But that was noi ¡h€ wholc story. For whár kind of teachers wcre lhrinvading Spaniardsl carcil¿rso began his accoünt

ofihe conlrontation ¡'i

Caj¡ tarca with somc remarks on dre style oiV¡lveúc\ discourse. Carcilasl'habi(üally atlribu(cd staten¡crls ofspccial weighl lo ¡utho¡s oraulhoriricsothcrth¡n h¡mscll-. So here:

(Fa¡lrer Rl¿rs Valera) says th¿ thc pricsts Ju¿ln de Oliva andCtislób¿lde Medina. both great preachcrs and vcry learDcd iD thebnguage ol the lndiaos, ¡nd Ju¡n dc Montalvo, pricsl and grcat¡n(crpreter, and Falconio

^ragonós,doctor in both láws ¡n the

book he w()tc ,ts l¡hütate Indo nr setwn¿ld rnd the Franciscanfri¿rr Marcos dc .lotie ¿nd many ()1b€r nren who wrde books...allnSrcc that (the oration ol iiiar Vicen¡e dc V¡lvcrdc) \ras vcry drland harsh, with no touch ot delicacy or appcal to rclincmcntlllistoria 1.211.

A l^lll^lt'^ ^Ntr

lllt trrl\

Fisurc 6

" I ),,,finic. holding an open book. ¿nd Sr. Thomas Aquinas, hotding a ctoscrtl' " I ñ|ich supports a ¡¡rodet oi rhc Church, flank rhe Vj¡8in Mary. ¡hc tw,,'''¡| .Ils,' hold *rolls inrended roconvey rhcirspokcn word.In the forcsrorn(t.

,r, (.,rhnicKings.Anor¡ymouspainrer.tátctiticenlhorntrr).prado.Mr(t,i(t.







\^ lrtNl ¡t^',,rrrNr\i li

t)¡rl ln,r(l(hlror), i1 .Prt() ,,i/e(t ¡ (r¡llrrrrrl hidrrr(h iir \ lrr'lr Alr(l{:rrrs wrr'u)f¡ri¡)r Lo Sp¡nitrtls. (ilrrciLrst) rci.ded rlrcsc ir¡rcrlrrrlllrr)rrs ()l Irre¡ rlrrrr rtdcr'

His Atahuaipa s rctdiness to lcrrn lhc clrris(ian rncssrtsc. ¡¡]ch()lúlirs ir wrrs ii¡

thc cuLtural a¡d inlelleclual ¡chievc'ncnls ol his pcoPlc. PUt irr tlues(i¡)n (l¡c

cullL¡rai hierarchy. llut a more subtlc issue w¡s a stake. which wrs lhc iDncr

Luningof¡pcrson'ssoul.Wherethus¡ccordmgtoearlierhislori¿ns,At¡hualpahad respon<lc<t to Valvcr.le's deü¿nd fo instant conversion. submissiolr, and

lribute with anger and pride, Garcilaso s A1¡hu¿lpa

was saddeDcLl. He imacine.l th¿r lhose whon) hc lt1d his lndi¿ns

had calle¡l Vjracoclús, belicving thcnt to bc gods, were being

translormed into his rnortal cnemies since thcv madc such harsh

dcmands. Hesighecl and urtcred thc word " Arac," which is ro sav.

'drgriet "and withihis inlerjectionhe expressed thc greal sorrow

he eiperiercecl at (whar he hAd heard).. (G¿rcilaso, H¡rt¿r¡a

scncr¡11,121).

But thcn he m¿fered bis emotions ¡nd rcplied wiLh a carctullv rc¡soncd and

nu¡nccd slatement such as befitlcd a well eduürtcd priicc The'c were thns no

conccivable grou nds lbr explo itiDg the con fiontation ot Ca ia m¿rc¿ ¡s a ca use o 'lusti{ic¡tion tbr conquest. fh€n why did the coDquest ha}rpen?

GarciLaso implies but docs not state th¿t itthe Spanitr'ls at Cajanr¿rca had

bcc¡ ¡bleandwillingro teach.the l ncas rvould have learncd ú)nflictwould havc

bccn avoided, rot ot1ly at thrt time bul on numcrous subsequenl occasions lhchisloryofsp:lin in Peruwo ld have been a h is Lorv of pcaceful coex istcnce such as

Bartolornóde LasCasasaDdhisfollowe$hade¡visioned However.roentert n

such a prospec¡ was to ovcrlook thc ¡ole ofchance in history. ch¡Dcc which dicl

not arisc fron specific human actn)ns. but from:r c.rt¡in ncs¿tive nromentum in

events which Garcilaso sonetimcs ascribcd lo demonic agcncv bu1 Dsu¿llv left

unexplxined. Ihosc miscommunications belwecn Andeans and Spani¿rds, of

\yhich the confronl¡tion at Caial¡arca w¡s onl) lhe firsl, lverc Lhe pR)duc1s ofthis ki d ofchance, bec¿usc they arosc not by dcsign bul fortuitouslr' To a¡tach

thc cause orjustiiication of thc conqucsl of Peru lo a slccitlc ¿clion, such as thc

Inc¡ s droppinga book or misre¿ctiDg to it, was lhus mist¡ke¡. quite apirt fmmthc slory itself bchg l¡lse.

Gua¡ran Pom¡. by contrast, acccpled the rory of the book lhat lailcd to

spcak as t.uc. Thjs book was ¿tr objecr .rl religious and politic¿l Power bcc¡use,

fiom thc Anclean point olview, thc Catholic lcrchings it coot¿fted b¿d hclped to

destroy lhe hca statc. And fro¡n thc point ol view d the invaclers' as Guanr^n

Ponra was able lo obscrve ¡iaily, C.tlholic tc¡ching suslained and laliclated thc

coloDi¡lorder. Irurthcrmore,in brrade r lcrms, lhe wrilleo word ofgovern¡r'Dlalcncluiries and litigarion was a frcquentl)' cmplove(l dcvice fordepri ing Andeans

of lheir tr¿dilionrl rights aDd aLso ol lheir p.6onal .rDd landcd properrv

Although by Guaman Poma's day. some ADdeans had le¿rned to use thc

resourccs ma¡le availablc bv lileracv in theif own intetcsl' Gu¿m¡n Pom¡ oftcn

\r\rlir\It \ ^Ntr llrIili

ill

farcd i< .( /"J.|igure 9

(;u¡m¿n Poma (1980: 3ll) dcpicts rhe tnca Topa Inca yupaDqui[,la Dra Ocllo beirg caried our "fora srrdl" ir rheir pcacetime lilrcrcouple are shaded by a leafy awning.

The imperirl

&-on af7ya hyAt aíaÁ



Al tNt Nt^' ¡ r)rrNr]\r L\

1¿)A14},AS}ELTIAÚA

/'.r-

Figure 10

Thc lnca Gu¡)ra C ¿pac. .lepictcd by Guanr¡n Ponra (1980

sling in thc roolless wartime littcr.

+w w,w&',n^ b y is a^ v-- ,"t Y '

:Jora, lt ;,''a',f tu""^

@,tÁ:a¿â-"^ /U-t U^ -kl-' r.'

(,a l. /r¿ " ¡r

335) wicldnrs his

.,il r , \rricLrrl\ \¡lLrr\ i1 i L( I I r r I r r \ I I I I r v . i L rl tLr(jr( r¡l tl, iIrtr rrlr trrrl .l

\l.rlr rLl|rr lrr(l lu r ¡ vr( llrr ()l llr( l ¡)li s trlIsll lr)(i L:Íc ls.llItrlir()rcLh:rrrsl.hrt)r:r(li(::rlrirli(rrtL(:$:rsrnic(lc(ll()Lr¡{lersl,ür(lllkr,,l.

, rl,.l¡¡)klrlh.clrrirstr{)pl¡e()1 (,ri,t¡¡:,rc¡ llcüc..1r¡1[el(¡)tslcl)s('l (irlr.rlL,,,ittr:L,rliisl( r¡ns,(irreil¡sopon(lcrcrlthcinrp¡ctolchrr¡.e()rhunrnirllLs..,,r1 llrllr disr¡,rssc(l lhc book 1t{)gethcr. (;u.m¡r l1¡¡r. or lhc i,ll¡r, hir,(1..,tL.t,rc(l ,,¡()\l 1)l thc Lr¡dition¡l sL(rI but LuÍ¡ccl t() Anclcxu Irrll¡¡l\,'l, \tt.,rrl,rron. As sc have secr¡. hc scparrtcd lhe nrilitartr lrorn thc relig()us rIr,l, LI r,rlcelrpsc o1lhe lnca.Iniri lly.son¡ctinrcbcl,rre1h¡:e¡counterrr(rirnrllrrijL.r$,, r¡rountc(l Sp¿¡i¿rts c st the Inca trom his litter (see 1ri8u.c 2). (ir¡.rrLrrl\,ri,ir depicts this l| the Inca s peacetilrle liiter (ligure 9). which w¿s surn nrn1c(l\ ,r r,¡,1 ol lcavcs to sh:rde the seated occupant. \ hereas the milit¿ry littcr \ 1r

,,')rl$\. to rllow the occupani to fand wbile wield;n8 his wcapons ((juri¡¡ir¡l\',,ir, ll2, :115. :184: t jSure l0). Iiom tlris pe¿cetime litter, thc ¡¡c¿ .lclc¡(lsl, ,,,scll in ¡in with a Spanish l:rnce, not wi¡h one ofhis own viclorn)us wc¡pons.\L),r irrh:r1intlrcscvcnteenth cen¡nyQuechua7id¡t¿¿yolrhe¿ca¡hol/1t¿hu¿1t'tllrr lnc¡ ccrenroniouslv hrnds his ir¡pcrial rrcnp(rns Lo his Iollowcrs belorc bcillsr.,t)1Lrcd bv the Sp¿rniar.ls (Jcsús I-ar^. (ú1. 15011; cf. 1.18)- I Ic.lclers, th¡t is. r,,IrrDr}slcrioLrsrndnragicalpowcrofthcsLr¡ngcrs.whoscadvcüt.soA dcr¡s('lIre cirrlv coloni¡l period belic\cd. hrcl bcen prophcsiecl l.)ng ¡go. I he lnc¡ \,Lt)$nllLll was col]rpleted i¡ C¿jamarca. whcrc. cntlrfunecl on an ¡/rrr. lrcrl,rlrontcd Pizar¡o and Vahcrdc (scc Figurc:l).

Tbc ü\) r. which had coünrerp¡rls in Cusco. Vilcashuanrá¡ ¡nd orh.rl),,)virtcial capit.rls, was throne. observation point for astrononricnl data rn¡,,I).nrtg to thc inrer parts of the errh. all in one (Zuidema, "t.l u'httt,'ll7 162) LrlrliguredinreligioLrsritualscalTiedoutdL¡ri¡giheactiveagricrltür¡lrcxr. which r¡n from A gust to April, and $¡as dormant duri¡g ihe rem¿inins dr v,r{,nths ofthc vc.rr. whcn rhc eafih was sterile. Ijnihrcned on the ¿ r". At^hu¡h.,..ci\ ed V¡lyerdc's silc¡t book. With th. lnc¿ s cafturc. ihc thr)nc ru, bst ils,clisious and political signilicancc. bccausc Andcans had cnLcrcd into ¡ perrcdol,,rcrilir). a "wotlcl upsidc.lown 'as Cunmnn Pomn cxprcssc¡l it. which unlikc thc

srcrilc morrths of thc yc¿r, di¡l noL comc k) rn cDd aL a lixcd poi¡l.According lo:in,\n¡lcrn mlrh whi.h is told in m¡n), difl¡rcnl vcrsions, llrclnca at lhe time oi the concluesL cDtcrcd into Lhc inDcr parLs of the carrh. or ol ¡f¡ount¿in. frorn $4rich he willrccnrcrgc at somc lirlurc 1imc. L'Sincc rhe rrft g.rv.irccess t() thc inner parts of the e:lflh. oüc lnay corclude that Atahu¿lpa's l¡11

lr.ür il bct()kcns his disappear¡nce into the earth.V¿lvcr¡lc's book. whe¡trer expecled to spe¿k or roi, was ¡ linopertr obtcct

shich lt¡d no counterp¡rt in the prehispanic Andes. Hence. -1Lr¿n de S¿nt.rcnr/lrrchacuti Yrmqui, an Ande¿n historian ard co¡teürpor¿ry of aiu¿rn¡D I'(rnr,r.l¿ted the st(nr oi a'¿jam.rlc¡ witholrt rei-erence to rhis book (S¡nt¡.ru/I'achacüti.3l8). ajurm¿n Pom.¡, on thc othc. hand. wrs rvcll rc^.I irl Sp¡¡rslrri\t()riogrrphr. \yhich hc intcgr¡lcd inr.r rn

^ndc¡nl;amcwork. Ir(r l)

cnvisn)nin8 the Inca rccciving th. book lvhilc enthurcd on his ¿r¿r. l,r



4r+COAECTIMIELATO

t0pE67T\6tate ^to

¡ oa4ñbül l

J:f.i; lü,íüxzl I) 1ÍÁ

Ir¡

¡r-|g1

EIA

Figure I I

aiü¿mAn Poma { 19E0:498)depicts in word and im.tge thef¿tc olhis tbllower Don

Cristob¿l dc Leon. a.¡¡l¿.d litcr¿le in Spanish and Q[cchu¡: "'lhc Crl'/¿gl.¿,has imprisoüecl ancl affiicted Don Cristobal dc Leon. bcc.tuse hc def¡nded thc

IDdi¡nsofhisprovincc.'lr goingtohaDgyou,IamgoingtobañishvoutolhegaLleys, litigioüs Indian s.ou¡.hel. lior my peoplc I ám going Lo sr¡fer in these

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ship h d comc in thc oLhcr sc¿ r() v¡rd rhcAr¡lcs. a¡d then a111)e end of a ye:lr .l boy arrivcd in rhc squrrc (¡)tCusco) with a large book which hc s¿lc h rhe old lnc.r Pachacuri.Thc lnca L(x)k no notjce of thc boy and thc book he galc ro rservant. Thc bov ask.d the servaül lbr thc book a¡d weor rraiglrrouL oithesqu¡re ̂ Dd passiñgthecorncr hc clis¡ppcared. But l¡lcrPach¡rcr¡ti lnc¡ Yupanqui ordered thal he should bc looked t¡r.who hc w¡s. and no.nrc kncw who he was. Thereli)rc thc tncaf¡sted li)r sjx montlN in Ilococachi vithour knowing (S¡DtrcruzPachaculi:100).r'r

Spanish ancl ,^ndcan interprerers of Lhc cvcnts ol alrj¿m¡rca wol'kcd wirlrll'e samc basic hgrcdicnls iD the story. Bur wh¿1 was ro be explaincd wrs¡iilerenLfi).Ancle¡nsaDdSpaDiards. l he earlicsl vcrsioDs ofour story docur¡crrlr desire sonrehow rotüstily Piz¿rrds a¡tack on rhe Inc¡. x dcsirc which Andc \obviousu clid nol sharc. This dcsire rece.led i¡rto thc b¡cksft)und on.c rt,cconquest ol Pcru hacl be come a lai¡ at.ontlí.Sp.tni¡rds observi g a¡d slL¡dyins,\ndcan culturc we¡e now col]frontcd more seriously than belore by Llre ncc.l ltrcrplain how rcople uho h¡d no lvriLins and no books in the Eür.,pea¡ scnscseci¡g that tbc accounts ofthe q"i¿.' wcrc .cglr(led rs onll, a parrial equivalcnlt() writi¡g--uDdcrstood the lrritten $()rd at rhc rime offi.sr coltacr.

Iror Ar)dcaDs cluring the earll colonial pcriod. on the o¡her hand. rhcproblcnr w¿s .t diff¡rcnl onc. Many ol then1 wcrc litcr ¿rc nr borh Quechü¡ rrdSpanish. But for thcm. lilcracy opene.l lew doors (Figurc I l).:r I tcncc, the ¡r)clAt¿hu:rlpr's irconrprchcDsion ofthe book he hel.l in his hands could becolncparadigm for lhe position ol A¡deans at l¡rge in coloni¿l or cvcn post colo¡ialsocietv. This is why. in .Andcrn eves. rhe book eilhcr rcnraiDcd silenl ,,,disappe¡rcd. I he lalcr vcrsx,rs ofour story have üavelled a loñs disran.c litr¡thcir orisin iD Clajam¡rc¿ in 1532. Yc1, rhc chanSes we h¿ve watched do nordcnrons¡raLc thai the earl)¡ versidls of thc storl, are more truthful rhan the hlcroncs. Rrther. Lhe different porlr¡ ¡ls of that morncDt ofviolence ¿nd conlus rr.lcmonstrate rh¡t a historic¡l event in irclfand thc means whereby or reasons li,rwhich it can bc rcndere(l inielligible ¡rc nd ncccss¿rilv the s¿nre rhi¡g.



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Documents

Atahualpa and the Book[1]