Account of the Fables and Rites of the Incas

7. The Capacocha

77 Chapter 7 The Capacocha Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui also invented the Capacocha, which was [carried out] in the following way. The provinces of Collasuyo, Chinchaysuyo, Antisuyo, and Cuntisuyo would bring to this city, from each town and lineage of people, one or two small boys or girls, of ten years old.1 They would also bring clothes and livestock, as well as sheep [made] of gold, silver, and mullu. These were kept in Cuzco for the reasons that will be told. After all this was assembled, the Inca would sit in the plaza of Haucaypata, which is the large plaza of Cuzco. There the children and other sacrifices walked around the statues of the Creator, Sun, Thunder, and Moon that were already in the plaza for this purpose. They made two turns [around them], and after finishing, the Inca summoned the provincial priests and had the offerings divided into four parts for the four suyos: Collasuyo, Chinchaysuyo, Antisuyo, and Cuntisuyo , which are the four regions into which this land is divided. And he would tell them, “Each of you take your share of these offerings and sacrifices, take it to your principal huaca, and sacrifice them there.” And [having] taken them, [the priests] would carry them to the huaca and there they would suffocate the children and bury them together with the silver sheep and gold and silver human figurines.2 [Also] they would burn the sheep, rams, and clothes, as well as small baskets of coca. The people of Cuzco would take the mentioned sacrifices to Sacalpiña,3 which is about one league from Cuzco, where the Indians of Anta would receive them. And so they delivered them to where the sacrifices were to be made, and con- 78 ] Account of the Fables and Rites of the incas tinuing in this way, they would take [the offerings] to the rest of the provinces. They conducted this sacrifice at the beginning of the Lord Inca’s rule so that the huacas would grant him good health, keep his kingdoms and dominions in peace and serenity, [allow him] to reach old age, and to live without illness. In this way, no huaca, or mochadero4 [place of worship], or shrine, no matter how small it could be, ever lacked [a share of the] sacrifice, because it had already been determined and decided what was to be sacrificed at each huaca, place, and location. The reason [the] parts of the sacrifice had to be enough for all the huacas, shrines, trees, springs, hills, [and] lakes was that they portended that none [of the huacas] should be missed, so that none of them would become angry and furiously punish the Inca due to a lack of an offering.5 If they arrived at some high hills that they could not climb because of the rough [terrain], they would throw the sacrifice with slings from [where] they were able to [reach]. Thus, the above-mentioned sacrifice and offering were made at all the principal huacas in all the provinces. They went first to them and then [to] all the huaquillos6 [little shrines] and shrines that were in the whole province, giving each one what had been set aside for it in Cuzco, since in Cuzco [there] was its quipocamayo [record keeper], who is like [a] record keeper for each of the shares, who kept track of and calculated the sacrifices that were to be made in each province. They would begin making the sacrifices in the city of Cuzco in the following way. The first sacrifice [was] to the Creator.7 The priests who were in charge of his statue received the sacrifice, pleading with him to deem it proper to give the Inca long life, health, victory against his enemies, and not to take him in his youth, or his sons, or descendants. [They also pleaded] that while this Inca was Lord all the nations he kept subjugated would always be in peace, multiply, have food, and that [he] would always be victorious. Having made this prayer, they suffocated the children, having first provided food and drink to those who were old enough, while their mothers [blank space] to the little ones, saying that [in this way] the capacocha [ 79 they would not arrive hungry or unhappy where the Creator was. Other [children] had their live hearts taken out, and so the priests offered the beating [hearts] to the huacas to...