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The Inca

The Inca was the most important person in the empire. He was revered as the empire’s ruler, but people also believed that he was a living god – descended from the Sun. This meant that the Inca was worshipped by his people, and controlled religious ceremonies as well as running his empire.

As befitting his high rank, the Inca was dressed in the finest clothes interwoven with gold, and lived in a huge palace. He had many servants, concubines chosen from the empire’s most beautiful women, and a personal guard of over 100 relatives of royal blood. Everywhere he went, he was treated like a god:

Each day he wore new and specially made clothes (the old ones being ceremonially burned); and he was carried everywhere in a golden litter; he ate and drank from golden tableware, and those to who he granted an audience were required to have burdens strapped to their backs to emphasise their subservience. Deification was extended to both his personal habits and important affairs of state. If he wished to spit, he didn’t do it on the ground, but a woman held out her hand and he spat into it; if hair fell on his clothing, a woman removed it and ate it.

(From Kingdom of the Sun God)

Like the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, the only person considered to be worthy of marriage to the Inca was his own sister. This guaranteed the integrity of the royal line.

Wherever the Inca travelled within the empire, he was accompanied by huge crowds of loyal followers and servants. They carried him on a golden litter lined with brightly coloured macaw feathers, preceded by a procession of women and children in colourful costumes who swept the ground before him, threw flowers, and played music. The Inca’s face was hidden behind a very fine fabric because it was thought that his appearance was too powerful to be seen by the human eye.

Those related to the Inca were very fortunate. The Inca made sure that his relatives were granted titles, wealth and important positions responsible for the running of the empire.