A RARE INTERVIEW WITH ATAHUALPA... HOURS BEFORE HIS DEAD.
The INCA ATAHUALPA was without a doubt the most
influential and powerful leader of the INCA empire during the year 1532. As a result of the voyages of Pizarro in early 1532, the Inca knew of their whereabouts and arrival in Tumbes(northern most region in Peru)through people from the Area.
In the 100 years of real hegemony Pachacutec consolidated a real expansion by 1434, after subjugating the neighboring CHANCAS. Both brothers HUASCAR and ATAHUALPA got involved in a civil war soon after they found out their father HUAYNA CAPAC died of a rare sickness in 1525. HUAYNA CAPAC wanted to divide the empire between these two young leaders, but neither of them accepted. We know now that Atahualpa's father got expose to a rare sickness in those days. The new deseases were brought by the newcomers and most likely He was not immune to them. Both stubbornly thought to be the legitimate Heir to the throne.
This interview deals with the last moments in the mind of the Inca ATAHUALPA, according with our scholars and all chronicles gathered through all these centuries.
CAXAMALLCA, JULY 26, 1533(1:30 AM)
Q:Ayinyachu(How are you doing)your Majesty!!. Are you aware of what's going to happen this morning?
ATAHUALPA:Yes, certainly. I'm gonna die at the stake and...As a warrior I'm ready... As an emperor to eleven million people, of course I'm ready. They do not know that our God is made of the most powerful fire ever... so I will be embraced by my father and my ancestors when I die.
Q:You really transmit a strong message, perhaps you have so many things to say. Your brother HUASCAR, He died misteriously a few months ago on his way to caxamallca, huh, to be more precise at the end of may of 1533.
Do you know anything about this incident?
ATAHUALPA:Well, now that last night Pizarro sentenced me to death, I'm going to be honest with you: YES!, ARI!. I gave the order to my commander in chief CALCUCHIMAC, through an unimportant servant that came to clean my cell; how can I say it clearly... literally I got rid of my brother; because I found out through my own intelligence that He was going to make some kind of an alliance with the Wiracochas as soon as he sets foot on this city; so I had to do it in order to save my honor .
Q:This statement is really sad. How old are you?
ATAHUALPA: I can tell you that my life has seen 31 harvests since I was born, thanks to my mother's help in telling me of my beginnings.
Q:HOW DID YOUR EMPIRE BUILD THE FORTRESS OF SACSAYHUAMAN IN CUZCO?. WE ARE AMAZED BY THE SIZE OF THE STONES USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION!!
Well, look I was born from the Quittan tribe and that's about a thousand of your miles northwest from Cuzco.My father Huayna Capac,told me of our ancestors that came from the south after the great DELUGE; they civilized our great Grandparents that used to lived like animals by hunting and fishing. They tamed our Llamas to become our beasts of burden. They taught our Parents how to cut big stones by using Sacred engineering; mixing water,roots and wedged weapons. Some sacred Energy was passed on to Us. Hard to explain but they used energy from our God INTI. Our ancestors taught us by experience, that no matter what, we will have to always harvest in the highlands. They knew that the great deluge was cyclical and your culture will see it again in ten of thousand of your years.That's why mi great granfather PACHACUTEC improved the Inca highway that starts in Cuzco and ran through the core of the andes and finished in the valley of my ancestors(QUITO,ECUADOR). Through mixing our harvest, our ancestors created the POTATOE, CORN, OCA, QUINUA and different medicinal plants that your culture lost in time. MANCO CAPAC taught my parents how to work the metals, make weapons and sow the PACHAMAMA(sacred land). MAMA OCLLO taught women how to cook , how to make beautiful textiles and how to raise the children...So many things to tell you my friend...
Q:How did you...I mean, you in command of an army of 10,000 soldiers or warriors, lost the battle to a merily 180 spanish "Conquistadores"?
ATAHUALPA:MANAN..!(No!). Let me tell you my true: My warriors were not used to those animals called Horses, they for me are just... a better breed of my Llamas, and their weaponry was totally new to us. We never saw an Archebus, besides their so called armors were almost like invencible shields to our, let's say, slingshots or to our maces. I miscalculated my strategies. Pizarro got us ambushed in the afternoon of november 16 of last year. He killed unmisericordly 5,000 of my close servants and lieutenants by causing a sudden attack on my men. As soon as we got in the middle of the PLAZA MAYOR of Caxamallca. First, the only person that I saw was father VALVERDE, who through a translator called "felipillo", was preaching to me this Jesus who died in the Cross and telling me to repent and renounce to my GOD.He handed me a group of sheets binded together called BIBLE...and I was trying to get hold of it and said.. what does this thing represent?... and I threw it to the floor. "Is your GOD inside this thing?", I managed to exclaim. That's when father VALVERDE called me blasfemous, and then he ran toward the back of the barracks shouting "SANTIAGO", then their cavalry and their cannons blasted ummercily. Most of my main servants ran terrified, so terrified that they torn down a wall thicker than half of your yards. I fell captive inmediatly. I remember Pizarro saving my life because one of his soldiers was coming to behead me or crush me to death, but Don Francisco got wounded trying to stop him.
Q:We know that the night before your capture you received 3 of Pizarros emmisaries in your royal tent inviting you to meet him the next morning in caxamallca. Why didn't you hold them hostage and attack the rest of the enemies overnight?
ATAHUALPA:I told you, I miscalculated my intentions. First of all, I was going to kill most of them and keep 3 or 4 alive..you know why?... to teach me how to ride and tame those beautiful horses..they caused me awe and admiration!. The llamas were gonna keep their task a beast of burden. But as usual, as in war time, I was gonna get them castrated.
Q:Is it true that Hernando De Soto became one of your best friends?
ATAHUALPA:Ari. He taught me how to play Chess. I really got to like it so good that I began to defeat all of them, even his seconds in command. So many wise decisions in a combat were taking on that board. Check mate!!. If He were here, Francisco Pizarro wouldn't have had enough power to carry on with this sentence. Sometimes I think that's why they sent him away; and avoid his judgement toward the sentence. Yes, I cried when they announced it. I cried for my Children and Wives. Pizarro told me that He was going to take care of my kids. I asked him to send my remains to QUITO, but he denied fearing my martirization. He told me that my remains would stay in the local church, that they were going to build.
Q:Your majesty, we're going to reveal something to you. We shouldn't, because we cannot alter history, but, anyway, you are going to accept their Religion at the last minute and they're going to baptize you with a new name...
Q:They're going to commute your sentence. You are not going to die at the stake. You're going to be garroted by repenting all of your sins to GOD.
ATAHUALPA: Well what can I tell you, I will commend to my TAITA INTI and to my ancestors that rest in the KORICANCHA.
Q:What happened with the Gold for your rescue?
ATAHUALPA:Well, according to one of my servants that they let live to take care of my royal needs, they melted all the gold from the whole empire that was coming from:Koricancha in Cuzco, Moche, Paracas, Nazca, Chavin of Huantar, Pachacamac, from our local lordships like Sipan, Tucume..and the list continues..
If you can remember I offered these aliens a room full of gold to the highest reach of the tip of my fingers above my shoulder and two other rooms of equal capacity full of silver as ransom for my freedom.
Q:Your majesty, I was asking about the Gold, that never made it
ATAHUALPA:What it was, it will be. That's all I can say. The love of Gold, will cause so many deaths. Early in my captivity, I found out that these foreigners loved gold, I saw it in their eyes. Yesterday I was sentenced to die for poligamist, for worshiping my GOD Inti, for plannig my brother's death and for treason!!..treason?..yeah for attempting to cause upheaval, insubordination and revolt among my people..
Q:Couldn't felipillo help you to scape?
ATAHUALPA:That "SOPAIPAWOOAGUA"(Son of the demon). He raped one of my Mamaconas(concubines)...(rage and spitting) and He knows that I know by now that... He is dead. If I ever catch him in another life...(QUECHUA) . He was spreading the rumor that I was planning my own scape. Now I understand his hatred, besides he is from one of the Tumbes communities that my father and I conquered some time ago.
Anything that you regret?
ATAHUALPA:I regret not listening to my Generals QUISHQUIS and CHALCUCHIMAC. These white wiracochas were easy prey when they were crossing the HUAYLAS path. My Army spies told me that their horses were exhausted by being forced to pull all the cannons and weaponry into our sacred highlands. Because the HUAYLAS path is above the upmost point where our Condor can fly(6,000 feet above sea level). My generals told me that they were ready to stone them to death, by dropping enourmous rocks from the higher cliffs, and the Spaniards were already running out of breath, but I decided to play cat and mouse. I feel in despair and my eyes are reddish, out of impotence.Oh only GOD;my GOD,your GOD...knows why these things happen the way they happen. Feel over this chest and my heart that I'm "running out of time... my friend"(sits on the floor)
Q:You are a great General your Majesty. Stoically accepting your dire destiny. Is really amazing, how you respond to your destiny.
ATAHUALPA:Thanks, and I have to go now...pajarincamah!!(see you tomorrow)
.
It has been a pleasure... SENOR!(bows)
caxamallca,July 26,1533 4:45a.m.
ATAHUALPA is taken from his cell, hurriedly and almost painlessly waits for his sentence..all of a suddden father fray VINCENT OF VALVERDE asks him to accept Christ as his only saviour and repent of all of his sins. "In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit..Amen". And Atahualpa with taciturn look is put to death by axfixiation,but minutes before a little indian was allowed to give him a drink called CHICHA(juice from corn), so He wouldn't be thirsty in his "other life". When the local indians found out, it was too late, the day of his burial many of his cocubines killed themselves. ...others wanted to rest next to the INCA by inflicting themselves mortal wounds. It was the end of the Inca empire AS WE KNOW IT. .
THE DAY PIZARRO CAPTURED AN EMPIRE AND HIS MONARCH.
