Titu Cusi
Titu Cusi's father, who is imprisoned twice by the Spaniards in this reading.
Manco Inca
Who were Cortés’s letters written to?
Charles V, king of spain
How was the Inca Empire divided before the Spanish conquest?
It was divided into four regions.
Which source is more focused on the Spanish perspective: Titu Cusi or Cortés’s letters?
Cortes Letters
What was the Inca capital that the Spanish captured in 1533?
Cuzco
This Pizarro brother carried out Manco's first imprisonment and was put in charge of dividing up the treasure.
Hernando Pizarro
What did Diego Velázquez originally order Cortés to do?
Find trade and explore
What disease killed Huayna Capac and his heir?
Smallpox
What is one similarity between Titu Cusi’s account and Cortés’s letters?
Both describe the actions and behavior of the Spanish during the conquest.
What is quipu? How did the Inca use it?
Number system, tracked by knots on ropes. Incas used it to track important information.
Jealous of his brother's riches, this Pizarro brother accused Manco of plotting a night attack and had him chained a second time.
Gonzalo Pizarro
What did Cortés do to prevent his men from returning to Cuba?
He destroyed the ships and forced the expedition to continue inland.
What two Inca leaders fought in the civil war, and what was there relationship.
Huascar and Atahualpa. They were brothers.
While Cortés emphasizes Riches, Christianity, and opportunity for the Spanish, What does Titu Cusi emphasize instead?
Spanish greed, deception, and their harsh treatment of the Inca.
How many miles of roads connected the 4 regions of the Inca Empire?
About 25,000 miles.
As supreme military commander of the land, he scolds Manco for trusting the Spaniards and offers to free him and destroy the "beard-faces."
Who is Vila Oma
Why did Cortés send gold and other valuables back to Spain?
To show Charles V the riches of the land and help gain his support and approval.
How did the civil war help the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire?
The civil war divided the Inca, allowing the Spanish to take advantage of the instability.
Why might Cortés have presented the conquest differently from Titu Cusi? Why is it important to recognize the bias in the source?
Cortés was writing to Charles V and trying to gain the Spanish Crown’s approval, while Titu Cusi was presenting the Inca perspective. It's important to recognize bias because Cortes could've been lying or exaggerating certain things to try to win the crowns approval, meaning that life in the Aztec empire could've been different than described in the letters.
What did Manco Inca do after being put in charge of Cuzco by the Spanish?
He gathered 100,000 troops to rebel against the Spanish. (Ultimately failed)
According to Titu Cusi’s account, what does Manco accuse the Spaniards of, and how does this contrast with the way Cortés presents the Spanish in his letters?
Manco accuses the Spaniards of greed and deception, while Cortés presents the Spanish conquest as being connected to Christian conversion and Spanish interests.
Cortés says the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice and needed to be converted to Christianity. Why would this help him justify the conquest to Charles V?
It made the conquest seem like it was being done for religious reasons, rather than simply to gain land and riches.
What happened to Atahualpa after the Spanish captured him?
He was executed.
What do both Cortés’s letters and Titu Cusi’s writings show about the Spanish relationship with Indigenous leaders?
Both show that the Spanish made agreements and interacted with Indigenous leaders.
After Manco Inca’s rebellion failed, where did he retreat and how long did he continue resisting the Spanish?
Vilcabamba, where resistance continued for more than 35 years.