The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2Cieza de León, Pedro de
History
The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2
Cieza de León, Pedro de
Incas; Peru -- History -- To 1548
Proceeding with the narrative that I took down in Cuzco, the Orejones
say that, after the two Incas had settled in Tampu Quiru, careless now
about seeing Ayar Cachi again, they beheld him coming in the air with
great wings of coloured feathers, and they, by reason of the great fear
that this visit caused them, wanted to flee away; but he quickly removed
their terror by saying to them, “Do not fear, neither be afflicted; for
I only come that the empire of the Incas may begin to be known.
Wherefore leave this settlement that you have made, and advance further
down until you see a valley, and there found the Cuzco, which will be of
great note. For here are only hamlets, and of little importance; but
that will be a great city, where the sumptuous temple must be built that
will be so honoured and frequented, and where the sun will be so
worshipped. I shall always have to pray to God for you, and to intercede
that you may soon become great lords. I shall remain in the form and
fashion that you will see on a hill not distant from here; and will be
for you and your descendants a place of sanctity and worship, and its
name shall be Guanacaure. And in return for the good things that you
will have received from me, I pray that you will always adore me as God,
and set up altars in that place, at which to offer sacrifices. If you do
this, you shall receive help from me in war; and as a sign that from
henceforward you are to be esteemed, honoured, and feared, your ears
shall be bored in the manner that you now behold in mine.” And when he
had so spoken they say that he appeared with ear ornaments of gold set
round as with a gem.
The brothers, astonished at what they saw, were as men struck dumb and
without speech. When their perturbation had ceased, they replied that
they were content to do as he commanded, and presently they went in
haste to the hill called the Hill of Guanacaure, which, from that time
forward, was accounted sacred. In the highest part of it, they again saw
Ayar Cachi, who, without doubt, must have been some devil, if there is
any truth in what they relate; and, God permitting, he made them
understand his desire that they should worship and sacrifice to him
under these false appearances. They say that he again spoke to them,
telling them to assume the fringe or crown of empire, such of them as
were to be sovereign lords, and how they should order the arming of
youths to make them knights and nobles. The brothers answered that they
would comply with all his commands, as they had already promised, and in
sign of obedience, with hands joined and heads bowed down, they made the
_mocha_[78] or reverence, that he might the better understand them. The
Orejones further say that the practice of assuming the fringe and of
arming the knights began here, so I put it in this place, that there may
be no necessity for repeating it further on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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