The record of historical events, as they occurred throughout the long reign of the Inca dynasty, was preserved only by a system of _quipus_, or knotted cords, the art of writing being unknown to the Incas, or, according to some authorities, prohibited by law. Only the _Quipucamayos_, the authorized guardians of the _quipus_, were able to decipher them. This career was considered one of great honor, and instruction therein was given in all the provinces, under the direction of the _Amauttas_, the Savants of the empire. The chief archives of the state were preserved in Cuzco, where an immense collection of _quipus_ was found by the invading Spaniards, who destroyed the greater part of them, without having them interpreted. As a consequence, the information secured by the historians of the Conquest and by writers of later date, relative to the genealogy and history of the Incas is necessarily incomplete and, no doubt, inaccurate; though the descriptions of the appearance, laws, customs, and national development of the people of Tahuantinsuyo may be considered as generally faithful and reliable. According to the genealogy given by Garcilaso de la Vega, the first Inca, Manco-Ccapac, was succeeded by Sinchi Rocca, a peaceful and prudent ruler, who is said to have taken the first census of his kingdom, and is credited by some authorities with having made the division of the empire into the four regions previously named; though, according to Cieza de Leon, one of the most reliable authors, these names were applied to four great highways which extended from Cuzco to the extreme limits of the empire, northward, eastward, southward, and westward. In any case, the Incas built broad and level roads, from six to eight feet wide, and in the mountain regions, where they skirted the steep slopes of the Andean range, they were prevented from wearing away by the construction of stone embankments; on the plains, the highway was indicated, as in many countries at the present day, by guide posts at intervals along its course. Also, _tambos_, or inns, were built at the distance of a day’s journey apart, and here the traveller could always find shelter for the night. The third Inca, Lloque Yupanqui, conquered the Canas, a powerful people of Ayaviri and Pucará, after a struggle which depopulated their settlements, and forced the emperor to introduce _mitimaes_, or colonists, to replace them. He also subjugated the Collas of the present department of Puno. [Illustration: NICHE IN THE FAÇADE OF THE PALACE OF MANCO-CCAPAC.] It was during the reign of the fourth Inca, Maita-Ccapac, that the power and genius of the imperial monarchs began to extend its influence as never before, and greater pomp and magnificence than had previously been known attended the coronation and other ceremonials honored by the sacred and royal presence of the Inca.