Cura Ocllo
Encyclopedia
Cura Ocllo was the wife and sister of Manco Inca Yupanqui
, puppet
and later remnant
ruler of the Inca Empire
from 1533 until his death in 1544. Her husband was named Sapa Inca in October 1533 after the death of their common brother Túpac Huallpa
, who in his turn had succeeded Atahualpa
upon his execution by the Spaniards three months earlier.
Manco initially worked as a puppet ruler from the Cuzco branch of the Inca royal family of Huayna Capac
, having challenged Atahualpa and the northern tribes from Quito
in the Inca Civil War
. He later turned against his Spanish lords and made rebellion, was captured in a failed escape attempt but later released. Once free, Manco started ingenious to free his land from the Spaniards. Attempting to regain the Inca capital of Cuzco in a ten month siege
in 1536, he failed, however, and had though victory over conquistador Francisco Pizarro
's brother Hernando at Ollantaytambo
in January 1537, had to withdraw.
Cura Ocllo likely followed her husband through these events and bore his son Sayri Tupac
in 1535, during Manco's time in captivity. Guerilla war ensured as soon the Spaniards had solved their internal disputes, capturing Cura Ocllo in 1539. She reportedly faced gruesome torture and was repeatedly raped by her captors before being facing subsequent execution, allegedly being pierced by lances by Spanish Cañari
auxiliaries. Her body was by a legend put in a basket on her request and carried by a river to her brother/husband in the Vilcabamba mountains. Manco followed her in 1544 and became the last symbol and leader of major Inca resistance towards the Spanish conquerors.
Manco Inca Yupanqui
Manco Inca Yupanqui was one of the Incas of Vilcabamba. He was also known as "Manco II" and "Manco Cápac II" . Born in 1516, he was one of the sons of Huayna Cápac and came from a lower class of the nobility.Túpac Huallpa, a puppet ruler crowned by conquistador Francisco Pizarro, died in 1533...
, puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
and later remnant
Remnant
Remnant may refer to:* Remnant , in the Bible** Remnant , remnant concepts within the Seventh-day Adventist Church*The Remnant * Remnant...
ruler of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
from 1533 until his death in 1544. Her husband was named Sapa Inca in October 1533 after the death of their common brother Túpac Huallpa
Tupac Huallpa
Túpac Huallpa , original name Auqui Huallpa Túpac, was a puppet Inca Emperor of the conquistadors in 1533, during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire led by Francisco Pizarro.-Life:...
, who in his turn had succeeded Atahualpa
Atahualpa
Atahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last Sapa Inca or sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire, prior to the Spanish conquest of Peru...
upon his execution by the Spaniards three months earlier.
Manco initially worked as a puppet ruler from the Cuzco branch of the Inca royal family of Huayna Capac
Huayna Capac
Huayna Capac was the eleventh Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire and sixth of the Hanan dynasty. He was the successor to Tupac Inca Yupanqui.-Name:In Quechua, his name is spelled Wayna Qhapaq, and in Southern Quechua, it is Vaina Ghapakh...
, having challenged Atahualpa and the northern tribes from Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
in the Inca Civil War
Inca Civil War
The Inca Civil War, the Inca Dynastic War, the Inca War of Succession, or, sometimes, the War of the Two Brothers was fought between two brothers, Huáscar and Atahualpa, sons of Huayna Capac, over the succession to the Inca throne. The war followed Huayna Capac's death in 1527, although it did not...
. He later turned against his Spanish lords and made rebellion, was captured in a failed escape attempt but later released. Once free, Manco started ingenious to free his land from the Spaniards. Attempting to regain the Inca capital of Cuzco in a ten month siege
Siege of Cuzco
The Siege of Cuzco was the May 6, 1536 – March 1537, ten month siege of the city of Cuzco by the army of Inca Emperor Manco Inca Yupanqui against a garrison of Spanish conquistadors and Indian auxiliaries led by Hernando Pizarro....
in 1536, he failed, however, and had though victory over conquistador Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
's brother Hernando at Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 60 kilometers northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 meters above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region...
in January 1537, had to withdraw.
Cura Ocllo likely followed her husband through these events and bore his son Sayri Tupac
Sayri Tupac
Sayri Túpac was an Inca ruler in Peru. He was a son of siblings Manco Inca Yupanqui and Cura Ocllo. After the murder of his mother in 1539 and his father in 1544, both by the Spaniard conquerors, he became the ruler of the independent Inca state of Vilcabamba...
in 1535, during Manco's time in captivity. Guerilla war ensured as soon the Spaniards had solved their internal disputes, capturing Cura Ocllo in 1539. She reportedly faced gruesome torture and was repeatedly raped by her captors before being facing subsequent execution, allegedly being pierced by lances by Spanish Cañari
Cañaris
The Cañari are an indigenous ethnic group traditionally inhabiting the territory of the modern provinces of Azuay and Cañar in Ecuador; the term also refers to an independent pre-Hispanic tribal confederation of the same name, from which the modern people are descended. They are particularly noted...
auxiliaries. Her body was by a legend put in a basket on her request and carried by a river to her brother/husband in the Vilcabamba mountains. Manco followed her in 1544 and became the last symbol and leader of major Inca resistance towards the Spanish conquerors.