Editing Inca Empire (section)

=== Origin ===
The Inca people were a [[Pastoralism|pastoral]] tribe in the [[Cusco Region|Cusco]] area around the 12th century. Indigenous Andean [[oral tradition|oral history]] tells two main origin stories: the legends of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, and that of the Ayar brothers.

==== The Legend of the Ayar Brothers ====
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Manco Capac, First Inca, 1 of 14 Portraits of Inca Kings - overall.jpg|thumb|left|[[Manco Cápac|Manco Capac]], First Inca, 1 of 14 Portraits of Inca Kings, Probably mid-18th century. Oil on canvas. [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
[[File:Manqu Qhapaqwan Mama Uqllu.gif|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Manco Cápac]] and [[Mama Ocllo]], children of the [[Inti]], [[Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala]], ''[[El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno]]'', ''circa'' 1615]]

The center cave at Tambo Tocco (Tampu T'uqu) was named Capac Tocco (Qhapaq T'uqu, "principal niche"). The other caves were Maras Tocco (Maras T'uqu) and Sutic Tocco (Sutiq T'uqu).{{sfn|McEwan|2008|p=57}} Four brothers and four sisters stepped out of the middle cave. They were: [[Manco Capac|Ayar Manco]] (Ayar Manqu), [[Ayar Cachi]] (Ayar Kachi), Ayar Auca (Ayar Awka) and Ayar Uchu (Ayar Uchi); and [[Mama Ocllo]] (Mama Uqllu), [[Mama Raua]] (Mama Rawa), Mama Huaco (Mama Waqu) and Mama Coea (Mama Qura). Out of the side caves came the people who were to be the ancestors of all the Inca clans.

Ayar Manco carried a magic staff made of the finest gold. Where this staff landed, the people would live. They traveled for a long time. On the way, Ayar Cachi boasted about his strength and power. His siblings tricked him into returning to the cave to get a sacred [[llama]]. When he went into the cave, they trapped him inside to get rid of him.

Ayar Uchu decided to stay on the top of the cave to look over the Inca people. The minute he proclaimed that, he turned to stone. They built a shrine around the stone and it became a sacred object. Ayar Auca grew tired of all this and decided to travel alone. Only Ayar Manco and his four sisters remained.

Finally, they reached Cusco. The staff sank into the ground. Before they arrived, Mama Ocllo had already borne Ayar Manco a child, [[Sinchi Roca]]. The people who were already living in Cusco fought hard to keep their land, but Mama Huaca was a good fighter. When the enemy attacked, she threw her [[bolas]] (several stones tied together that spun through the air when thrown) at a soldier (gualla) and killed him instantly. The other people became afraid and ran away.

After that, Ayar Manco became known as [[Manco Cápac|Manco Capac]], the founder of the Inca. It is said that he and his sisters built the first Inca homes in the valley with their own hands. When the time came, Manco Capac turned to stone like his brothers before him. His son, Sinchi Roca, became the second emperor of the Inca.{{sfn|McEwan|2008|p=69}}

==== The Legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo ====
Legend collected by the {{Lang|es|[[mestizo]]}} chronicler [[Inca Garcilaso de la Vega]] in his work ''[[Los Comentarios Reales de los Incas]]'' ({{Translation|The Royal Commentaries of the Inca}}). It narrates the adventure of a couple, [[Manco Cápac|Manco Capac]] and [[Mama Ocllo]], who were sent by the [[Inti|Sun God]] and emerged from the depths of [[Titicaca|Lake Titicaca]] (''pacarina'' ~ ''paqarina'' "sacred place of origin") and marched north. They carried a golden staff, given by the [[Inti|Sun God]]; the message was clear: in the place where the golden staff sank, they would establish a city and settle there. The staff sank at [[Huanacaure|Mount Guanacaure]] in the Acamama Valley; therefore, the couple decided to remain there and informed the inhabitants of the area that they were sent by the [[Inti|Sun God]]. They then proceeded to teach them agriculture and weaving. Thus, the Inca civilization began.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vega |first=Garcilaso de la |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKwUzwEACAAJ |title=Royal Commentaries of the Incas, and General History of Peru |date=1966 |publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] |isbn=978-0-608-08701-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire - Creation Stories |url=https://americanindian.si.edu/inkaroad/ancestors/creationstories/children-sun.html |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=americanindian.si.edu}}</ref>