Inés Huaylas Yupanqui - Pre-Columbian Peru

The history of Peru begins before the arrival of Francisco Pizarro. Although there is a debate about how long ago humans started living in Peru, the archaeological evidence dates back to around 8000 BCE. Peru is considered one of the cradles of civilization since its early societies were very civilized. Even though the Inca culture is one of the most renowned, previous cultures were just as important for the development and consolidation of Pre-Columbian Peru.

One of the cultures that preceded and influenced the Inca traditions was the Wari culture, where diverse elites and social stratifications existed, and women played an important role in-class behavior. According to Sofía, a senior professor in the Department of Humanities at the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University and researcher associated with the Larco Museum and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Wari women demonstrated their power through weaving, which served as an offering to the divinities, additionally, raises the following:

"The women who were part of the lineage had power, as shown by Inés Huaylas, daughter of Huayna Cápac, who established an unofficial marriage bond with Francisco Pizarro. When the siege of Lima was given by Manco Inca, because of her kinship with the Pizarros (the conqueror did not marry her), she supported the Spanish, managing to defeat the insurgent Inca. In excavations carried out by Ate, more than two thousand skeletons have been discovered that correspond to soldiers from both sides in which many women also participated." (Crevoisier, 2020)

From the union of Inés and Francisco, Francisca, who would later become the richest woman in Peru, was born. Despite the marital conflicts in which Inés was involved, she was part of the link between two cultures that sought to form alliances, giving rise to a new generation of mestizos.

Crevoisier, L. M. (2020, March 5). Mujeres en el Perú ´Precolombino. El Peruano. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://elperuano.pe/noticia/90715-mujeres-en-el-peru-precolombino

Real Academia de la Historia. (n.d.). Inés Huaylas Yupanqui Quispe Sisa. Diccionario Biográfico Electrónico. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/36794/ines-huaylas-yupanqui-quispe-sisa