Inca History

This is an article from our friend Brien Foerster, the author of the book 'A brief History of the Incas'.
The Inca were the largest civilization in pre-Columbian South America, and one of the most famous Native cultures in the world. When one mentions the word Inca, fantasies of gold and noble warriors are perhaps the first things to come to mind. Or, perhaps, the destruction of this magnificent people by a relatively small group of Spanish soldiers of fortune.

Origins of the Inca

The oral traditions of the Inca say that the founders of these people, Manco capac and Mama Occlo, rose from the waters of Lake Titicaca to found a new civilization under orders of their sky father god, Inti, who was personified as the sun.
In truth, as most oral traditions are written in poetic form, the Inca came from Tiwanaku (or Tiahuanaco) in present day Bolivia. Tiwanaku was a cultural center that may date back to as far as 15000 B.C., if the research of Bolivian archaeologist Arhthur Posnansky is to be believed. Hi work conducted over a 50 year period in the 20th century, was scorned by his peers, but was based on solid science.
What is known of Tiwanaku is that a massive and prolonged El Nino weather event occurred during the 10th century A.D., causing severe drought to the region. This, coupled with on-going attacks from tribal Aymara people from the vicinity resulted in the residents of Tiwanaku, highly intelligent priest-kings, to escape to a hopefully brighter future.

The Founding of Cuzco

According to the instruction of Inti, Manco capac and Mama Occlo would find the right place in which to settle when the golden staff given to them sank easily into the ground and disappeared from you. This happened in or around Cuzco, opinions differ as to the location.

Cuzco was at the time of the arrival of these two and a large entourage a place peopled by at least 3 distinct tribal groups. What made the Inca different from these 3 other peoples was a level of sophistication; the Inca, being descended from priest-kings were natural leaders and organizers, and the original inhabitants quickly fell under the spell of organization that the Inca displayed.

Inca Expansion

Manco capac and Mama Occlo are thought to have arrived in Cuzco, or the Sacred Valley just outside of this city, about the year 1200A.D. By 1500, their civilization, called the Tahuantinsuyu (four corners of the world) stretched from Colombia in the north, to Chile and Argentina in the south, west to the Pacific Ocean, and east deep into the Amazon rain forest.
The most famous and industrious of the Sapa (high) Inca were Pachacutec, who ruled from 1438 to 1471, renowned as the builder of Machu Picchu and the man who formed the Tahuatinsuyu, and Huayna capac (1493 to 1527) who spread the influence and power of the Inca, both geographically and culturally, to the apex of existence.

Civil War, the Spanish, and Collapse

Foreign diseases spread into the Inca world beginning in Panama during the reign of Huayna capac. Both he and first born son, Ninan cuyochi became ill fro what is believed to be smallpox. Ninan cuyochi died first, and in doing so, ended the most important of Inca traditions. From the time of the founder, Manco capac, power was always passed from father to first born son. With the death of Ninan cuyochi, Huayna capac had a true problem; who was to be his heir?
His second son of pure Inca blood, Huascar, was given the entire Tahuatinsuyu, excluding what are present day Colombia and Ecuador; these were given to his supposedly favourite son, Atahuallpa, whose mother was of Ecuadorian royal blood.
After Huayna capac died, the 2 brothers lived in relative harmony for 5 years, but then Atahuallpa wished to expand into the domain of Huascar. At this very time Francisco Pizarro, and 160 Spanish soldiers of fortune arrived in Inca country, seeking the mythical land of Eldorado, the place of gold.
A rather complicated series of events occurred, which is fully explained in the book A Brief History of the Incas. Atahuallpa captured his half brother Huascar, afraid that he would strike a deal with the Spanish. Atahuallpa was in turn held under arrest by the Spanish for the murdering of Huascar. After the city of Cajamarca, in which Pizarro and Atahuallpa "met" was plundered of gold and other precious objects, Pizarro then moved on to Cuzco, the Inca capital. At this point, with no ruling Inca alive to coordinate the working of the Tahuatinsuyu, the great civilization collapsed, and never recovered.

For Brien' s E-book on amazon, see here:

Brien Foerster was the invited author of the month on the messageboard of Graham Hancock for the month of September 2010. On that occasion we interchanged ideas about the Inca vestiges, Brien had observed the same type of anomalies as described by Alfredo Gamarra and which are to be seen on our DVD the Cosmogony of the 3 Worlds. We arranged a tour to Sacsayahuaman with Jesus Gamarra, which resulted very interesting for Brien and he is now convinced that 3 different styles do exist, 2 of them most probably from long before the Inca´s. He observed also the vitrified stones. We decided to work together for future productions, and to organize tours to Peru and Cusco to show the people what Alfredo Gamarra discovered.
See his webpage: Hidden Inca Tours