Notes on Inca Historical Texts

Abridged edition translated by Harold V. Livermore, edited, with an introduction, by Karen Spalding (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2006).
ISBN 9 780 87220 8438 (paper).

Dual-language edition, translated, with an introduction by Catherine Julien (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2006).
ISBN 0 872 20828 1 (paper).

The expansion of the Inca Empire and its conquest by the Spanish are significant events in early modern history.
The Inca Empire was the largest state in the New World.
The Spanish conquest led to:
- A major political crisis.
- A severe demographic crisis, resulting in millions of deaths.
- The establishment of an empire ruled from Spain.
- The development of a distinct culture.

Considered a crucial historical account of the Incas, the Spanish conquest, and subsequent wars.
Written by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega while living in Spain in the late sixteenth century.
First published in Lisbon in 1609.
Garcilaso was a mestizo, the son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman.
Born in Peru in 1539 and raised among his Inca relatives.
He learned the Quechua language and Inca stories from his relatives.
In 1560, he moved to Spain to claim his father's estate but was unsuccessful.
He remained informed about Peruvian politics through writings and correspondence with individuals of Inca descent.

Based on H. Livermore's 1966 English translation.
Intended for undergraduate students.
Spalding's introduction provides a guide to the author, his context, and the issues addressed in the book.
Offers a concise overview of the Andean region at the time of the Spanish conquest.

The book gives an overview of the political conflict within the Inca Empire at the time of the Spaniards’ arrival.
These conflicts aided the Spanish soldiers under Pizarro's command.
The political crisis in Inca society in 1532 helps to understand the conflicts and wars among Pizarro’s men after Atahualpa's imprisonment and execution.
This context is crucial for understanding Garcilaso's time, concerns, and perspective.
Garcilaso’s biography explains his reasons for writing the Royal Commentaries and the specific viewpoint he presents.

Spalding argues that the Royal Commentaries closely reflects the conditions in Peru after Garcilaso left for Spain in the 1560s.
This approach situates the author and his work within the broader context of Spanish colonization of the Andes.
However, some specialists may disagree with her assessments, such as the Andean indigenous elite’s attitude toward Catholicism.

Abridging Garcilaso's work involves risks and invites criticism.
Spalding's edition shortens the chapters on Inca history while lengthening those on the Spanish conquest and civil wars.
Most chapters about Inca imperial expansion and religion are omitted.
The omission of religious aspects is a significant issue because Garcilaso's views on religion are crucial to his argument.
Spalding should have provided a more detailed explanation for this omission, especially given her emphasis on the importance of religion in Garcilaso's thought.

This is the only account of the Spanish conquest written from an Inca perspective.
Authored by Titu Cusi Yupanqui, who dictated the account to a mestizo scribe.
Yupanqui was in his stronghold in Vilcabamba at the time.
The account was intended for the Spanish king, as part of negotiations regarding the place of Yupanqui and his people in the new order.
Catherine Julien translated and edited this bilingual edition and provides the appropriate context in the introduction.