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LEGEND OF THE AYAR BROTHERS

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THE LEGEND OF THE AYAR BROTHERS


Similarly, Cieza de León tells of Manco's and his people's arrival in Cusco and adds that town-dwellers made room for the newcomers although the region was already overpopulated.

Myths narrated up to now, referring to the way in which the Incas occupied ancient Cusco, are versions that totally differ from that of Garcilazo. The Ayar Brother Legend, with characters who turn into stone or holy guancas and the Manco group's long pilgrimage are episodes, typical of the Andes region, that are also present in other ethnic groups' myths. The Inca's seasonal migration was not a migration of primitive shepherds and hunters but of essentially farming towns that were extremely worried in case they were not able to find fertile lands for cultivation.

In these narrations, one of Manco Capac's two women played an important role. We have already related the episode when Mama Huaco, in spite of being a woman, showed her strength as a leader among her brothers, by throwing the pole that landed at the point of settlement, symbolizing ownership and the subsequent founding of Cusco.

According to researchers, Mama Huaco took a "haybinto"; i.e. "boleadora" (a local throwing weapon for hobbling running game consisting of two or three stones joined by rope), and whirling it round her head hurt one of the guallas, ancient dwellers of Acamama. After this, she opened his chest, took out his lungs and blew strongly into them. Mama Huaco's ferocity scared the guallas, who left the town, making way for the Incas.

In another research project, we analyzed Mama Huaco's feminine role and its possible significance in the Inca social and political world. She was the prototype of a warlike "amazon", differing completely from Mama Ocllo, Manco Capac's second woman. Cabello de Balboa relates that Mama Huaco was a brave captain who headed armies. The term huaco explains this masculine characteristic in the Aymara language. This term makes reference to a free-spirited "mannish" woman who is not frightened by cold weather or hard work.

According to Sarmiento de Gamboa, the four leaders who headed the Ayllus, on their arrival at Cusco, were Manco Capac, Mama Huaco, Sinchi Roca and Manco Sapaca. It is important to highlight that Mama Huaco was one of the group's leaders.

More than knowing whether the episodes were based on truth or not - it is important to analyze the social structure implied by the legend, highlighting the active role of a woman in the conquest of Cusco, fighting alongside the men and heading an army.

Her example is not unique in Cusco legends. The "curaca" Chañan Curi Coca was the leader of the ayllus of Choco-Cachona in the war against the "chancas". In order to reinforce the magical aspect of the myths, narrators tell that pururaucas helped the soldiers to win the war in this legend of the nobility. Pururaucas were magic stones that transformed into soldiers and fought at a critical moment in the war. What is interesting in the myth is the fact that there were masculine and feminine Pururaucas. That is to say, the army was made up of men and women. In other words, not only men, but also women could and did fight in wars.

These myths about the Inca settlement are fundamental, because they reveal the Incas' view of the World and of social and political structures. Manco Capac and his ayllus lived in Cusco Bajo, and their home was the Indicancha Temple, whereas Auca´s followers settled down in Cusco Alto or Hanan. In context, this two-way split has a gender-related meaning and symbolizes the opposition and compatibility existing between the Hanin and the Hurin groups. Garcilazo de la Vega confirms this criterion by stating that the oldest brothers settled in the high region, whereas the "Queen's" followers, the half brothers, settled in Huran Cusco or Cusco Bajo.

Concordantly with Garzilazo´s mythic narration, we can conclude that Hanan men were masculine/masculine, whereas Hurin men were masculine/feminine. As regards women, those from the low region would be feminine/feminine, whereas those living in the high region were feminine/masculine. These prototypes of women would be the feminine/feminine Mama Ocllo and the feminine/masculine Mama Huaco.






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