For the Incas, the valley of the Urubamba river is the entry point to the jungle, the Antisuyo, the amazon, the land of the chunchos. The river's ancient name was Willka Mayu or Sun River, and the snowy peak which was its source was called Willkan Uta or "the house of the sun". This valley was inextricably linked to the worship of the sun, since willka is the quechua term for the sun god, a word which was formerly preferred to the now popular inti.

Before the founding of the Tahuantinsuyo in the fifteenth century, the Urubamba river valley was inhabited by small curacazgos or tribal groupings in regions under the authority of a curaca or chieftain. The higher part was occupied by the Kanchis, who often made war against the Collas (or coyas) of the altiplano (high Andean plateau). Further down lived the Ayarmacas, whose curacas termed themselves Tocay Capac. Near the road to Cusco, in the present province of Canchis, Pinau Capac had under his command part of the Cusco valley.

In the legend on how the world was originally distributed, the beneficiaries are named as Manco Capac, Colla Capac, Tocay Capac and Pinau Capac. This is an indication that in epochs preceding Tahuantinsuyo, these were the commanders of the valley of the Urubamba or Tampu river, as it was known in those days

The quechua word tampu has two meanings: that of "inn", and that of a home outside the city. The more frequent meaning is the first one, and this word has survived in local "Castilian" Spanish as tambo (dairy establishment). It is found in many compound toponyms such as Limatambo (Lima Inn), Tambomachay (Cave of the Tampus), and Pacaritambo (Pakarejtampu = where the Tampus appeared).

The meaning of Tampu as the name of a people is used for the curacazgo that inhabited that valley before the Incas. As mentioned in the legends, this was one of the founding nations of Cusco (Qosqo), together with the Maska, the Mara and the Quillke. The legend claiming that Cusco was founded by the four Ayar brothers is based on the these four nations.
Thus, according to this legend, the Masca would be represented by Manco Capac (the founder-hero), the Tampu by Ayar Uchu, the Mara by Ayar Kachi and the Quillke by Ayar Auca. Uchu means "garlic", a plant that is widely grown in the Cusco valley due to its suitable altitude and climate.