ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE INCAS AND GENERAL HISTORY OF PERU

Abstract

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega was born in Cuzco (Peru), on April 12, 1539. He was baptized with the name Gómez Suárez de Figueroa. His father was Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega, the Spanish conquistador, and his mother was Isabel Chimpu Ocllo, an Inca princess. History recognizes him as the first cultural mestizo of America because in his works he united Inca and Spanish culture. As Cuzco had a bilingual environment, he learned to speak Quechua and Spanish. At the age of 21, he moved to Spain. There he continued his education. In Spain, he became a writer and published several works, among them, Comentarios Reales de los Incas [Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru]. This work is organized in two parts: the first narrates the history, customs, and traditions of ancient Peru, although it emphasizes the Inca period. The second focuses on the Spanish conquest. From this book, we have extracted chapters that refer to pre-Inca life, religion, food, clothing; and from the Inca period, the origin, religious practices, and the vision of Viracocha.