Memorias de la pivihuarmi Cuxirimay Ocllo (review)

Alicia Yánez Cossío's latest historical novel, Memorias de la pivihuarmi Cuxirimay Ocllo, is a fascinating look into the origins of the Inca Empire. According to an interview with Yánez Cossío by Thalía Cedeño and Ramiro Dávila, Memorias de la pivihuarmi Cuxirimay Ocllo is based on Juan de Betanzos' Suma y narración de los Yngas (1557), which remained unedited until 1987. Juan de Betanzos is such an important figure since his work reveals the only first-hand knowledge of the Inca Empire other than the Inca Garcilaso's Comentarios reales de los incas, first published in 1609. In this novel, Yánez Cossío brings to life in today's parlance the perspective of Betanzos, who was the principle Quechua interpreter of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Thus, the story as told in Suma y narración de los Yngas, sometimes difficult to read for its colloquial style, comes alive as it flows from the pen of Yánez Cossío.

What is remarkable about Yánez Cossío's historical novel is the way in which it brings together Incan history with how the history itself was preserved. For instance, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador, captured and imprisoned Atahualpa at the battle in Cajamarca in 1532. Atahualpa's wife, Cuxirimay (also known as Cusi Rimay Ocllo), then joined and lived with the sovereign emperor while incarcerated in Cajamarca. Some time after Atahualpa's death on July 26, 1533, she became the mistress of Francisco Pizarro, with whom she had two sons: Juan and Francisco. Not incidentally, while growing up in Lima, Francisco played with the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Furthermore, after Francisco Pizarro was assassinated, Cuxirimay, now known by her Christian name, Doña Angelina Yupanque, married Juan de Betanzos. Consequently, Betanzos' book is a combination of the remembrances of the wife of the last Inca king and his own as interpreter of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Memorias de la pivihuarmi Cuxirimay Ocllo is full of Andean imagery and folklore. As one who lived for years in Ecuador, I was fascinated with the history I was reading. I learned about places and place names with which I am familiar: names such as Tomebamba and Guapdondelig, Quito and Cañar, and many others. Years before the city became known as Cuenca, it was the Incan city of Tomebamba, considered the cradle of the Inca Huayna Capac, which is believed to be built on Guapdondelig, an ancient city of the Cañari nation. Moreover, the amount of Quechua words in the narrative provides the reader, with use of the glossary, a real opportunity to learn numerous vocabulary items. For Ecuadorian readers, as well as for others, the chance to see the origin of this vocabulary and how it was initially used is special. That in itself makes this work a worthwhile read.

The novel begins with the birth of Cuxirimay Ocllo, the daughter of Huayna Capac, in Tomebamba, who, at ten years old, was to be become the pivihuarmi, or favored wife, of her older brother Atahualpa. The engine of the narrative is the conversation between Cuxirimay and her governess Ninacuri, a woman from the Cañari nation. Ninacuri primarily relates the diverse details of the mythological creation of the world by the god Viracocha and of the legendary foundation of Cuzco by Manco Capac. The amount of details given makes the reading a bit laborious at times. However, what keeps one's attention is the growing relationship between Cuxirimay and Ninacuri, as the author delves into the personality of Cuxirimay. As Yánez Cossío develops her character, one wonders how Cuxirimay possibly could be as well-adjusted as she is portrayed. The author then draws the reader to that which allows the protagonist to preserve her humanity, her severe aversion to violence. Throughout the narrative, as the violence escalates and Cuxirimay continually finds herself right in the middle of it, the stories about the Incan wars and...