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The Spaniards conquered Peru over
the course of several decades in an atmosphere of civil war and chaos. The Incas had just concluded a war between
two brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar when the Spanish arrived on the scene. Atahualpa had just captured Huascar and was
heading south to enter his capital, Cuzco, when he himself was made hostage by
the Spanish. Atahualpa then had Huascar
murdered. After extorting the proverbial
king's ransom, the Spanish, in turn, murdered Atahualpa. The Spanish next marched on Cuzco, the
capital and Holy City of the Inca Empire, installing a puppet emperor. Throughout the period the Incas scurried
about trying to hide the most sacred religious items from defilement.
Gold and silver had no monetary significance to the
Incas. They were considered sacred,
with gold regarded as the sweat of the sun and silver as the tears of the
moon. Religious items were made of gold
and silver, but they had no worth, other than artistic, to the common man.
Huascar's Chain: On the occasion of Huascar's weaning
ceremony, his father decreed that a gold chain be cast for the dancers to carry
as they went through their ritual dance.
The chain later disappeared, never falling into the hands of the
Spaniards, and in all probability guarded somewhere in the remote
mountains. The chain is described as
being seven hundred feet long, twice the width and length of the great Square
of Joy in Cuzco. The two hundred dancers
were scarcely able to raise it.
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