Ethnicity and Lineage. The Incas of Flesh and Blood Today: Cuzco 2024

Abstract

Incas – yes, native Quechuas, Aymaras and Amazonians too, obviously; descendants of Africans, Asians and Europeans, who speak and write Spanish.1 From the start, we perceive the ethnic complexity of our country. Peruvian identity appears in some social behaviors, in presidential elections, in municipal elections, in the passports and other offi cial documents. At the same time other ethnic identity adjectives are used like criollos - Lima natives, serranos - natives from the interior. Before 1970 we, the people from rural areas with cultural characteristics diff erent from the characteristics of dominating group, the occidentals, we were called indios - Indians. We have never been Indians. Th e name comes from a mistake committed by fi rst Europeans who came to America in 1492. It has been used as an expression of dominance and is still used as an insult. In Peru, since 1990, the world indígena – indigenous, native, is used in politics and human rights defense, but it is not used as a name of an identity, which is the case in Ecuador and Bolivia. In 1969 by decree the use of the world indio was abolished and the word campesino – peasant, introduced in its stead. At that time the world had so negative connotation that the comuneros – members of traditional communities, and peasants did not want to hear it. Even today great part of Peruvian population refuses to use the word, which expresses racism and discrimination. General use accepts self-denomination andino – Andean, but it is very ample and ambiguous.

Each region hast its own ethnic names. The people from the center of Peru are Huancas. Th e men from Apurimac are Chancas. Th e inhabitants of Puno, Moquegua and Tacna are Collas, very proud of their name. In the Northern Coast they did not consider themselves Indians. Since the discovery of Señor de Sipán – Th e Lord of Sipán, they call themselves Moches. Th ey recognize their Moche forefather and identify themselves with an archeological culture, powerful and successful. In the case of the Cuzco people, when we called ourselves Qusqu runa quechuas – People of Cuzco Quechuas, we unifi ed the city inhabitants, while the people from the provinces used ancient ethnic names like Chumpivillcas, Canchis, and Quispicanchis. Everybody criticized those of us who acknowledged being Incas’ descendants. The foreigners alleged that all the Incas had died, only the runa – common people stayed, by some not recognized as Incas, but they are Incas as heirs and continuators of this great culture, soby some not recognized as Incas, but they are Incas as heirs and continuators of this great culture, so we, the possessors of Inca names and surnames, we had usurped them without any connection to any Inca ayllu – linage referred to. Common citizens criticized us, because it meant to pretend to be much better. Nowadays we do recognize ourselves as Incas’ descendants and Incas of today. One group of the Incas are inhabitants and members of peasant communities, who have very clear cultural identity, the other one are we, the urban families who conserve our Quechua surnames (and sometimes other surnames) and identify us as Incas.

During centuries, even if the Incas had been defeated, those who made deals with Spanish Crown2 obtained the recognition of their lineages and survived the colonial rule. Once achieved the disputed independence of Peru, in 1825 Bolivar issued a decree abolishing titles of nobility both, native and Spanish. Some Incas changed their original surnames in order to survive in a social system extremely excluding and discriminating the natives. Others have kept their names and traditions and conserve them to the present day, so ayllus and families we have lasted from Inca times until today. Since 1992 when offi cial journalists became interested in interviewing direct descendants of the Incas who have kept their Inca surnames, the local people began to reassess their ethnic origin, their customs, and their own cultural traits. At the beginnings of 21st century there continue to exist ayllus with the names of social groups from Inca times. Also some families reorganize their panacas3. Each period has its particularities. Today the particularity is not to be an Inca descendant, only to be a modern Inca. People both in local peasant communities and in the cities assume Inca identity. Th e identities are not received at birth; they become constructed and reconstructed during one’s lifetime. Identity is continuously redefi ned. Qusqu runa hinam qillqayku, Inqa runa hinam qillqayku. We describe it as Inca man and woman from Cuzco. Identity is continually redefi ned. Th is text is consciously biased.