Transcendent Inca

Abstract Philip II died in 1598, around the time the last living witnesses of the Inca world passed away. This chapter looks at the Andes in the early 1600s, describing the Christian zeal of the Inca nobles living in Cuzco, as well as the lingering influence of Inca women. The chapter traces how the most prominent Incas blended into the Spanish nobility and moved to Spain. It also describes the spiritual coming of age of Lima as a capital where multiple future saints ministered to a diverse population. Catholic officials in Lima fought against the heretical practices of the city’s lower classes, as well as the persistence of traditional Andean religion in the surrounding highlands. After there were no more Inca rulers or witnesses to their empire, the Inca story was taken up in a broad range of European literary genres. In the Andes, the Inca became a symbol of organized resistance to Spanish colonial rule, one that inspired native rebellions, as well as Peru’s independence movement.