The Inca Army: Warriors of the Andes

Inca Coca: Sacred Leaf That Fuelled an Empire

Long before the Spanish arrived, coca leaves were a cornerstone of Inca society. Lucas and Luna explore how the coca leaf served as a mild stimulant for labourers on the Qhapaq Ñan and in the terraces, a sacred offering to Inti and Pachamama, a form of currency for mit'a workers, and a tool of state control. They discuss the ritual of akulliku (chewing the leaves with llipta ash), the role of coca in capacocha ceremonies, and how the Spanish later repurposed the leaf into a colonial cash crop. The episode touches on archaeological evidence from tombs in the Chillón Valley and accounts from chronicler Pedro Cieza de León. It also examines the social hierarchy of coca distribution: who got it, who didn't, and what it meant. A nuanced look at a plant that powered an empire without wheels. #IncaCoca #CocaLeaf #Tawantinsuyu #Inti #Pachamama #Akulliku #Mita #QhapaqÑan #Capacocha #PedroCiezaDeLeon #ChillonValley #Llipta #Andes #History #FexingoHistory #IncaEmpire #SacredPlants #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Inca Mummies: The Mallqui and Ancestor Worship

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Inca practice of mummifying their emperors and nobility—the mallqui. They discuss how the Sapa Inca's mummies were treated as living rulers, consulted on matters of state, and paraded during festivals. Lucas explains the role of the panaca, the royal ayllu that cared for each mummy, and the ceque system that organized these mummies as sacred huacas around Cusco. They touch on the capacocha sacrifice and how the Spanish, like Polo de Ondegardo, discovered and destroyed many mummies. The conversation also covers the connection between the mallqui and the concept of Pachamama, as well as recent archaeological finds at Puruchuco-Huaquerones. Specific names like Pachacuti, Huayna Cápac, and Tupac Inca Yupanqui are discussed in relation to their mummies' fates. #IncaMummies #Mallqui #AncestorWorship #Panaca #CequeSystem #Pachacuti #HuaynaCápac #TupacIncaYupanqui #PoloDeOndegardo #PuruchucoHuaquerones #Capacocha #Pachamama #Cusco #Andes #History #FexingoHistory #Archaeology #Spain Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Inca Civil War: Huáscar vs Atahualpa's Empire Shattering

This episode dives into the War of the Two Brothers, the brutal Inca civil war that unfolded between Huáscar and Atahualpa after the death of their father, Huayna Cápac, around 1527. We explore the succession crisis sparked by Huayna Cápac's death from what may have been smallpox, the political maneuvering of the Cusco nobility versus Atahualpa's base in Quito, the key battles of Chillopampa and Cotapampa, and how the war's devastation paved the way for Francisco Pizarro's conquest. We also discuss the role of the Chachapoya and Cañari as allies of Huáscar, and the Quito generals Quizquiz and Chalcuchima who fought for Atahualpa. The war ended with Atahualpa's victory in 1532, but the empire he inherited was fractured and demoralized. Listener support via buymeacoffee.com/fexingo keeps this ad-free history coming. #IncaCivilWar #Huáscar #Atahualpa #HuaynaCápac #Tawantinsuyu #WarOfTheTwoBrothers #Cusco #Quito #Chachapoya #Cañari #Quizquiz #Chalcuchima #Smallpox #Pizarro #Andes #History #FexingoHistory #IncaEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Inca Sapa Inca Huayna Cápac: Last Absolute Emperor

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Huayna Cápac, the Sapa Inca who expanded Tawantinsuyu to its greatest extent in the early 16th century. They discuss his campaigns against the Chachapoya and the tribes of modern Ecuador, his construction of a second capital in Quito, his role in integrating mitmaq colonies, and the famine caused by the eruption of Huaynaputina volcano in 1600 that later affected the empire’s memory. They also touch on the mysterious pestilence that killed him around 1527, likely smallpox or measles brought by Europeans, which sparked a civil war between his sons Huáscar and Atahualpa that fatally weakened the Inca just before Pizarro's arrival. The episode examines how Huayna Cápac's centralized rule and ambitious building projects, including expansions at Sacsayhuaman and Coricancha, set the stage for the empire's collapse. #HuaynaCápac #SapaInca #Tawantinsuyu #IncaEmpire #Chachapoya #Quito #Huaynaputina #Smallpox #CivilWar #Atahualpa #Huáscar #Pizarro #Mitmaq #Andes #History #FexingoHistory #16thCentury #Cusco Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Inca Boy Who Became a Cornerstone of Empire

We tell the story of Titu Cusi Yupanqui, the young son of Huayna Cápac who was taken as a hostage by the Spanish in 1542 and spent decades maneuvering between two worlds. Drawing on his own account written to King Philip II, we explore how a prince educated by conquistadors became a guerrilla leader, authorized translations of Catholic doctrine, and ultimately died under mysterious circumstances in Vilcabamba. We also discuss the broader pattern of Inca nobles used as pawns—and how Titu Cusi's narrative offers a rare indigenous perspective on the conquest. #TituCusiYupanqui #Vilcabamba #IncaResistance #SpanishConquest #MestizoChronicle #HuaynaCapac #IncaPrinces #HostageDiplomacy #NewChronicleAndGoodGovernment #FranciscoPizarro #Cusco #AndeanHistory #IndigenousVoices #ColonialPeru #IncaEmpire #History #FexingoHistory #16thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]