Chankas
Encyclopedia
The Chanka people were a Late Intermediate (ca. 1400 CE.) ethnic group in Peru
. Enemies of the Incas, they were centered primarily in Andahuaylas
, located in the modern day region of Apurímac
. The Chankas were divided into three groups: the Hanan Chankas, or the Upper Chankas; Hurin Chankas, or the Lower Chankas; and the Villca, or Hancohuallos. The Hanan Chankas had their center at Andahuaylas, the Hurin Chankas at Uranmarca
, and the Villca at Vilcas Huaman
.
When describing the Chankas, there is a need to distinguish between two ethnic groups with well-marked characteristics: the Hanan Chankas (or later called "kingdom of Park that war with the Cusco Quechua"); and the Hurin Chankas who surrendered voluntarily to the Quechua Cusco which were not destroyed or subjected to forced land transfers (mitmakuna). The Hanan Chanka did not make major contributions despite villages and found remains of Wari pottery and their own rudimentary tools. This is an area that needs to be better studied.
The Hanan Chancas were an ethnic group that inhabited the region in the departments of Ayacucho
, Huancavelica, Junin and part of Apurímac
in Peru
. They are said to have originated from Lake Choclococha
and united the colonial "Choclopus" (or "chocorvos") and Urcococha both in the Huancavelica Department. Its initial territory was located between the rivers "Ancoyaco (current Mantaro), Pampas and Pachachaca, tax Apurímac. When expanded, made the area "Ancoyaco ayllukuna" with its headquarters in Paucar and the Uran Chancas of Andahuaylas based secondary. They developed an autonomous culture and had an optional language of puquina. Its capital was Waman Karpa ("house of falcon
"), on the shore of Lake Anori, 35km of Andahuaylas, on the banks of the river Pampas.
The initiator of the expansion of Chancas was called Uscovilca, and his mummy
was preserved with veneration in Waman Karpa until the time of the Incas.
They were not rivals of the Incas because they submitted peacefully in the Quechua Cusco out for their "big brothers" the Park or Hanan Chanchan for visory and Rucanas erean brave people who clearly and warriors.
Were characterized as farmers
. Were used and the feline deity painted the face and scream and carry on fighting to the Mummy
on the shoulders of their grandparents. Chancas remained cohesive and managed to develop a major regional lordship lived its heyday during the 13th century.
ran the risk of being captured by the Apurimeños. According to some Inca traditions, the Uran Chancas had been conquered much earlier, around the year 1230, when the Sapa Inca Mayta Cápac
and his army crossed the Apurímac River, formerly called Cápac Mayu ("main river"), by means of a huge hanging bridge. The Inca, Garcilaso de la Vega
(1605) gives Cápac Yupanqui
a similar feat one hundred years later. However, the most solidly researched version establishes his defeat and subsequent submission at the hands of the army commanded by the Inca, Pachacútec.
by the timely arrival of friendly forces.
This difficult victory became a legend in the story collected by the Indian chronicler, Joan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti Yampa Salcamaygua (1613) He states that the battle would have been lost if the stone soldiers ("pururaucas") had not been brought miraculously to life, stones dressed as soldiers to cheat Chancas. According to the victors, 22,000 chancas and 8,000 cusqueños(natives of Cusco) died at Yawarpampa. Anccu Hualloc was injured and captured. The Hanan chancas were chased as far as Antahualla (Apurímac).
The leader of the defense of Cusco took up sovereign power and founded a new dynasty. According to the Commentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega, the inca fugitive was the old Yawar Huácac and the prince that took up the defence of Cusco, his son, Hatun Topa, afterwards called Viracocha Inca. According to Juan de Betanzos
(1551), the fugitive was the old Wiracocha and not only him but his successor (and brother of Cusi Yupanqui), Inca Urco, fleeing from his responsibilities and being the saviour, (??) the prince, Cusi Yupanqui, later called Pachacútec.
According to the victors, Comentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega, the Inca was the elder fugitive Yawer Huácac
and the prince who assumed the defense of Cuzco, his son Topa Hatun, named after Viracocha Inca. This is the most accepted version, which coincides with the chronicle of Miguel Cabello de Balboa
(1583) and the most refined chronologies.
Other chroniclers, among them Bernabé Cobo
(1653), mention a second attack by the chancas shortly after, also headed by Anccu Huayco against Pachacútec. The imprisoned leader not only managed to escape, but gathered 8000 chanca fighters in Challcumarca and in Suramarca and resumed the war, this time to regain the lost territories. Being inferior in force, he chose to escape to the jungle "to a region of large ponds or lakes", following the course of the Urubamba river.
expansion. According to Sarmiento de Gamboa, the Chanca territory was divided into three groups, known as Hanan chanca (Parkos, Ayllus del Ancoyaco), urin Chanka (Uranmarca, Adahuaylas) and villca or Rukanas (Vilcas). The Chanka nation was composed of tribes Ancoyaco, Andahuaylas, and rucanas and soras.
Regarding the geographic relationship of the native indians, the rucanas were divided into three groups Hanan rucana, Hurin rucana and Andamarca rucana. For the anthropologist Victor Navarro del Águila, rucana comes from rukak or lukak, i.e. shippers, mule drivers, the title was given to this province during the times of the Inca empire, precisely because they were carriers for the royalty, wearing a distinctive white and red on the head. The third important province of the Chancas was that of the soras whose ancient language was aimara. The soras were divided into three groups; Hanan soras, hurin soras and Chalco, although still subjugated by Chancas with whom they held constant wars. They worshipped a snowy mountain called Carhuarazo.
They grew various Andean cultivated plants, in different ecological zones, and what amounted to the raising and shepherding of llamas, vicuna, alpacas and guanacos, in herds of appreciable size, which were administered from towns with special provisions to control them and feed them while they provided wool and meat.
. The decoration is in relief, with the application of buttons or clay figurines, supplemented with incisions or circular stamps. The shapes are very open dishes and jugs with narrow necks, that sometimes show rustic faces.
The land where the Chanka culture was located was a strategic place from where they dominated the territory and could easily develop defensive actions. The location was related to nearby water sources, and they could take advantage of the resources offered by the land, and the presence of several ecological zones on which they could rely to cultivate plants and rear animals.
Damian de la Bandera said: "All of them are living between the highest and the lowest points in ground cooler than hot, in high places and valleys caused by the rains, where they enjoy both extremes, of the colder land, to graze the domestic cattle, those that have them, and (those that don't)hunt the wild ones, and of the hotter land, to sow seeds, at their time. The villages are no bigger than the water and land will allow and in many of them no more than ten more indians could live for lack of water and ground."
The same Damián tells us that among these people there were three major trades: - the potters, - the silversmiths or metal workers, and - the carpenters. These trades endured until colonial times.
north of Huanta where the Uran Chancas built the outstanding Sondor fort, the metalworking centre of Curamba and the Inti Huatana in Uranmarca, strategically located in the most beautiful parts of the province of Andahuaylas
.
In every district there is also a large variety of remains which demonstrate the legacy of the Wari Pacor, Chanka and Inka cultures.
Although there is information about their military history and warlords, the archaeological remains identified as Chancas do not allow an exact profile of the life and customs of these people.
Huamancarpa (near Andahuaylas
), as well as Carahuasi and Rumihuasi (near Abancay
), still require further investigation.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Enemies of the Incas, they were centered primarily in Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas is a Peruvian city, capital of the Andahuaylas Province. It is known as the pradera de los celajes, the prairie of colored clouds. It's approximate population of 34,000 inhabitants makes it the second largest city in the region after the region's capital Abancay.-Location:Andahuyalas is...
, located in the modern day region of Apurímac
Apurímac Region
Apurímac is a region in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Cusco Region, on the west by the Ayacucho Region, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho regions...
. The Chankas were divided into three groups: the Hanan Chankas, or the Upper Chankas; Hurin Chankas, or the Lower Chankas; and the Villca, or Hancohuallos. The Hanan Chankas had their center at Andahuaylas, the Hurin Chankas at Uranmarca
Uranmarca District
Uranmarca District is one of the eight districts of the province Chincheros in Peru.-References:...
, and the Villca at Vilcas Huaman
Vilcas Huamán Province
Vilcas Huamán Province is a province in the eastern part of the Ayacucho Region, Peru.-Boundaries:*North: Huamanga Province*East: Apurímac Region*South: Sucre Province*West: Cangallo Province and Víctor Fajardo Province-Political division:...
.
When describing the Chankas, there is a need to distinguish between two ethnic groups with well-marked characteristics: the Hanan Chankas (or later called "kingdom of Park that war with the Cusco Quechua"); and the Hurin Chankas who surrendered voluntarily to the Quechua Cusco which were not destroyed or subjected to forced land transfers (mitmakuna). The Hanan Chanka did not make major contributions despite villages and found remains of Wari pottery and their own rudimentary tools. This is an area that needs to be better studied.
The Hanan Chancas were an ethnic group that inhabited the region in the departments of Ayacucho
Ayacucho Region
Ayacucho is a region of Peru, located in the south-central Andes of the country. Its capital is the city of Ayacucho. The region was one of the hardest hit by terrorism during the 1980s during the guerrilla war waged by Shining Path known as the internal conflict in Peru.A referendum was held on...
, Huancavelica, Junin and part of Apurímac
Apurímac Region
Apurímac is a region in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Cusco Region, on the west by the Ayacucho Region, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho regions...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. They are said to have originated from Lake Choclococha
Lake Choclococha
-External links:*...
and united the colonial "Choclopus" (or "chocorvos") and Urcococha both in the Huancavelica Department. Its initial territory was located between the rivers "Ancoyaco (current Mantaro), Pampas and Pachachaca, tax Apurímac. When expanded, made the area "Ancoyaco ayllukuna" with its headquarters in Paucar and the Uran Chancas of Andahuaylas based secondary. They developed an autonomous culture and had an optional language of puquina. Its capital was Waman Karpa ("house of falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
"), on the shore of Lake Anori, 35km of Andahuaylas, on the banks of the river Pampas.
The initiator of the expansion of Chancas was called Uscovilca, and his mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
was preserved with veneration in Waman Karpa until the time of the Incas.
Source
According to various myths its founders were Uscovilca (founder of Lurinchanca) and Ancovilca (founder of Hananmarca or Hanan Chanka). The error incurred until now was that the ethnic grouping of Hanan Chanka was confused with the Uran Chanka and that the latter joined the Pacor Pocoras in a non-existent entity called the "confederation pocra-chancas."History
For some archaeologists, chanca society is a step backwards from the point of view urban, compared with culture Wari. Their settlement pattern was the most widespread of small villages (about 100 houses). Other scholars believe, however, that some have reached Chancas large populations. The burials are of two types: some in mausoleums, and other simply on the ground. There are also burials made in caves or rock shelters.They were not rivals of the Incas because they submitted peacefully in the Quechua Cusco out for their "big brothers" the Park or Hanan Chanchan for visory and Rucanas erean brave people who clearly and warriors.
Were characterized as farmers
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Were used and the feline deity painted the face and scream and carry on fighting to the Mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
on the shoulders of their grandparents. Chancas remained cohesive and managed to develop a major regional lordship lived its heyday during the 13th century.
The Chancas in combat
According to supposed Incan sources that told of the Chanca culture, the Hanan Chancas were bloody when fighting, when they captured their enemies, they made them prisoners of war. They did cruel things to show the enemy that they should not meddle with them, such as scalping, or skinned prisoners alive. These prisoners were hung upside down so the blood concentrated in the upper body as they made small cuts on the front of the toes, and from there they began to tear the skin gradually, while the prisoner was screaming and terrified. Another way to intimidate the enemy was by making cups from the skulls of prisoners from which they drank the blood of the enemy.Apogee
The height of the Chancas expansion occurred between the years 1200 and 1438. After 1430 the Chanca nation attacked the Inca Empire in Cuzco. Prince Yupanqui, who had previously been sent to a llama ranch, defeated the Chanca. After the war, the Sapa Inca assumed the name Pachacútec after the tough battle, in which the city of CuscoCusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
ran the risk of being captured by the Apurimeños. According to some Inca traditions, the Uran Chancas had been conquered much earlier, around the year 1230, when the Sapa Inca Mayta Cápac
Mayta Capac
Mayta Cápac was the fourth Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco and a member of the Hurin dynasty. As son of Lloque Yupanqui, he was his heir and the father of Cápac Yupanqui...
and his army crossed the Apurímac River, formerly called Cápac Mayu ("main river"), by means of a huge hanging bridge. The Inca, Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega was a Spanish soldier and poet. He was the most influential poet to introduce Italian Renaissance verse forms, poetic techniques and themes to Spain.-Biography:...
(1605) gives Cápac Yupanqui
Capac Yupanqui
Cápac Yupanqui was the fifth Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco and the last of the Hurin dynasty. He was the son and successor of Mayta Cápac. His wife Mama Cusi Hilpay or Qorihillpay was the daughter of the lord of Anta, previously a great enemy of the Incas...
a similar feat one hundred years later. However, the most solidly researched version establishes his defeat and subsequent submission at the hands of the army commanded by the Inca, Pachacútec.
Cusco
It was in 1438 that the alleged leader Hanan Chanca "Anccu Hualloc" mythified himself so that the people or the ayllus Ancoyaco" (also called Anco Huayllu or Hancoallo) gathered 40,000 warriors from war and launched the conquest of Cusco. He advanced victoriously to encircle the city. The Inca Viracocha and many of the nobility fled in the direction of Collasuyo and spread despair until a prince Cusi Yupanqui (who later proclaimed himself Pachacutec) bravely led the resistance. While able to gather allies he offered peace to the besieged, but they rejected the offer. A bloody battle was fought in Yawarpampa ("field of blood"), providentially won by CuscoCusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
by the timely arrival of friendly forces.
This difficult victory became a legend in the story collected by the Indian chronicler, Joan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti Yampa Salcamaygua (1613) He states that the battle would have been lost if the stone soldiers ("pururaucas") had not been brought miraculously to life, stones dressed as soldiers to cheat Chancas. According to the victors, 22,000 chancas and 8,000 cusqueños(natives of Cusco) died at Yawarpampa. Anccu Hualloc was injured and captured. The Hanan chancas were chased as far as Antahualla (Apurímac).
The leader of the defense of Cusco took up sovereign power and founded a new dynasty. According to the Commentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega, the inca fugitive was the old Yawar Huácac and the prince that took up the defence of Cusco, his son, Hatun Topa, afterwards called Viracocha Inca. According to Juan de Betanzos
Juan de Betanzos
Juan de Betanzos wrote one of the most important sources on the conquest of the Incan civilization, Narrative of the Incas. He based this account of the Incas on the testimony of his wife, who had been previously married to Incan King Atahualpa as well as conducting interviews of Incans who had...
(1551), the fugitive was the old Wiracocha and not only him but his successor (and brother of Cusi Yupanqui), Inca Urco, fleeing from his responsibilities and being the saviour, (??) the prince, Cusi Yupanqui, later called Pachacútec.
According to the victors, Comentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega, the Inca was the elder fugitive Yawer Huácac
Yahuar Huacac
Yáhuar Huácac was the seventh Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco and the second of the Hanan dynasty. His wife's name was Mama Chikya o;'r Chu-Ya...
and the prince who assumed the defense of Cuzco, his son Topa Hatun, named after Viracocha Inca. This is the most accepted version, which coincides with the chronicle of Miguel Cabello de Balboa
Miguel Cabello de Balboa
Miguel Cabello de Balboa was a Spanish secular priest and writer. In 1566 he emigrated to Peru in South America; from here he went to Quito, Ecuador, where he began to write the Miscelánea Antárctica, finishing it at Lima in 1586...
(1583) and the most refined chronologies.
Other chroniclers, among them Bernabé Cobo
Bernabé Cobo
Bernabé Cobo was a Spanish Jesuit missionary and writer. He played a part in the early history of quinine by his description of cinchona bark; he brought some to Europe on a visit in 1632....
(1653), mention a second attack by the chancas shortly after, also headed by Anccu Huayco against Pachacútec. The imprisoned leader not only managed to escape, but gathered 8000 chanca fighters in Challcumarca and in Suramarca and resumed the war, this time to regain the lost territories. Being inferior in force, he chose to escape to the jungle "to a region of large ponds or lakes", following the course of the Urubamba river.
Organization
Chanka Andahuaylas were close relatives of the other tribes that inhabited the province of Ayacucho, and as a nation were strengthened after the decline of the WariWari Empire
The Wari Empire was a political formation that emerged around AD 600 in the central highlands of Peru and lasted for about 500 years, to 1100 AD. It operated about the same time as the Tiwanaku culture and at one time was thought to have been derived from it. In 2008 archeologists found a...
expansion. According to Sarmiento de Gamboa, the Chanca territory was divided into three groups, known as Hanan chanca (Parkos, Ayllus del Ancoyaco), urin Chanka (Uranmarca, Adahuaylas) and villca or Rukanas (Vilcas). The Chanka nation was composed of tribes Ancoyaco, Andahuaylas, and rucanas and soras.
Regarding the geographic relationship of the native indians, the rucanas were divided into three groups Hanan rucana, Hurin rucana and Andamarca rucana. For the anthropologist Victor Navarro del Águila, rucana comes from rukak or lukak, i.e. shippers, mule drivers, the title was given to this province during the times of the Inca empire, precisely because they were carriers for the royalty, wearing a distinctive white and red on the head. The third important province of the Chancas was that of the soras whose ancient language was aimara. The soras were divided into three groups; Hanan soras, hurin soras and Chalco, although still subjugated by Chancas with whom they held constant wars. They worshipped a snowy mountain called Carhuarazo.
Economy
The economy of the Uran Chancas was based primarily on agricultural crops and animals.They grew various Andean cultivated plants, in different ecological zones, and what amounted to the raising and shepherding of llamas, vicuna, alpacas and guanacos, in herds of appreciable size, which were administered from towns with special provisions to control them and feed them while they provided wool and meat.
Culture and Ceramics
Generally it is flat with a rough surface and sometimes with a red diluted slipSlip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
. The decoration is in relief, with the application of buttons or clay figurines, supplemented with incisions or circular stamps. The shapes are very open dishes and jugs with narrow necks, that sometimes show rustic faces.
The land where the Chanka culture was located was a strategic place from where they dominated the territory and could easily develop defensive actions. The location was related to nearby water sources, and they could take advantage of the resources offered by the land, and the presence of several ecological zones on which they could rely to cultivate plants and rear animals.
Damian de la Bandera said: "All of them are living between the highest and the lowest points in ground cooler than hot, in high places and valleys caused by the rains, where they enjoy both extremes, of the colder land, to graze the domestic cattle, those that have them, and (those that don't)hunt the wild ones, and of the hotter land, to sow seeds, at their time. The villages are no bigger than the water and land will allow and in many of them no more than ten more indians could live for lack of water and ground."
The same Damián tells us that among these people there were three major trades: - the potters, - the silversmiths or metal workers, and - the carpenters. These trades endured until colonial times.
The remains
Their most impressive remains are "Inca Raqay" studied by Martha Anders, on the banks of the River MantaroMantaro Valley
The Mantaro Valley, with its main city of Huancayo, lies east of the capital of Peru, Lima. It is a fertile valley containing fields of corn, artichokes, carrots and potatoes, alongside which flows the Mantaro River. The Mantaro Valley is also renowned as an area containing many sites of...
north of Huanta where the Uran Chancas built the outstanding Sondor fort, the metalworking centre of Curamba and the Inti Huatana in Uranmarca, strategically located in the most beautiful parts of the province of Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas is a Peruvian city, capital of the Andahuaylas Province. It is known as the pradera de los celajes, the prairie of colored clouds. It's approximate population of 34,000 inhabitants makes it the second largest city in the region after the region's capital Abancay.-Location:Andahuyalas is...
.
In every district there is also a large variety of remains which demonstrate the legacy of the Wari Pacor, Chanka and Inka cultures.
Although there is information about their military history and warlords, the archaeological remains identified as Chancas do not allow an exact profile of the life and customs of these people.
Huamancarpa (near Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas
Andahuaylas is a Peruvian city, capital of the Andahuaylas Province. It is known as the pradera de los celajes, the prairie of colored clouds. It's approximate population of 34,000 inhabitants makes it the second largest city in the region after the region's capital Abancay.-Location:Andahuyalas is...
), as well as Carahuasi and Rumihuasi (near Abancay
Abancay
Abancay is a city in southern-central Peru. It is the most important city in the Apurímac Region, and is the capital of the Abancay Province.-Location:...
), still require further investigation.
External links
- http://www.andahuaylasperu.com/html/historia.html Province de Andahuaylas, Perú (Spanish)