The war

Gradually Huascar's generals began to side with Atahualpa's cause. This fact helps explain the repeated defeats suffered by Huascar's armies, despite their large number of troops. Thus, Atahualpa's generals gained ground until Huascar was left with no choice but to take over command of his troops himself.
On his side, Atahualpa was marching slowly southwards, leaving the strategy of the war to his generals. While he was in Huamachuco, he sent two emissaries to consult the famous huaca Catequil oracle on the outcome of the war. The oracle answered that Atahualpa would come to an unpleasant end. Furious, Atahualpa marched to the oracle with his golden halberd in his hand. He was met by an old priest dressed in a long white tunic decorated with sea shells. Knowing that he was the person who had made the prophecy, Atahualpa smashed his skull with a tremendous blow.

At that time news came of strange-looking white bearded people arriving in wooden houses that floated on the sea. Atahualpa remained unconcerned about those people who were visiting his dominions for the second time. On their first visit they had left before he had had a chance to see them, so this time his curiosity made him ignore his generals' recommendations to ambush them in a pass. Instead of this, the Inca offered them guides and food, and told them to proceed to Cajamarca where he was residing.
Meanwhile, Atahualpa's generals continued to defeat Huascar's troops until the Inca risked battle in a narrow pass without knowing his enemy's position. Huayna Capac's experienced generals, taking advantage of his foolish action, surrounded Huascar with their two armies. Atahualpa's triumphant troops advanced towards Cusco up to cerro Yavira. To this spot flocked the panacas and the nobles of royal lineage, forming up on either side of the huauque (the "double" or brother of the new sovereign), the Hanan Cusco on one side and the Hurin Cusco on the other, and made obeisance and paid homage to him, recognizing him as the new Inca.

After a time, a relative of the new Inca called Cusi Yupanqui arrived in Cusco with orders, according to a consensus among chroniclers, to kill all Huascar's closest kin, including his women and children, and to burn the mummy of Tupac Yupanqui. The destruction of the mummy or corpse of one's ancestor was the greatest punishment deemed possible. This revenge taken against the Capac Ayllu, to which Huascar belonged, shows that the confrontation between the two brothers was really a struggle between rival panacas.

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