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The resurrection of the Inca: the role of Indian representations in the invention of the Peruvian nation

2004; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/0275720042000257467

1477-2612

Antoinette Molinié,

Latin American history and culture

Abstract In the nineteenth century, after the separation from the Spanish Crown, the invention of the Andean nations required an autochthonous group, the independence of which could be celebrated. At first sight, it might seem that only the American Indians could play this role, but this idea rapidly ran into a fatal contradiction with the contempt for the Indians of the promoters of the new republics. In addition, it was necessary to build a new identity on many disparate elements to set oneself apart from European origins. In this manner, a suitable mythical autochthony has been invented, built on the image of the Imperial Indian, the descendant of the Incas. The indigenista movement of the 1920s has greatly contributed to the making of this national representation of Peru. This article traces the evolution of this tradition and its principal actors, and describes its underlying tenets. It attempts to picture recent neo‐Inca re‐inventions, especially the emergence of a ritual Inca king in the neo‐cult of the Sun, and the enthronement of the President of the Republic by shamans at the sacred site of Machu Picchu. Finally, it points at recent New Age extensions of this tradition. The article tries to show how mythological constructions of the past are instrumentalized to build the historical foundations of a present‐day nation, and how at the same time they are being taken over by a worldwide ideology. Keywords: Mythical autochthonyIndigenista movementIncaismPeruvian NationNeo‐Inca Acknowledgement I warmly thank Geoffrey Bodenhausen for the translation from French. Notes Correspondence to: Antoinette Molinié, Directeur de recherches, CNRS‐Laboratoire d’ethnologie et de sociologie comparative, Maison René Ginouvès, Université de Paris X‐Nanterre, 21 allée de l’Université, F‐92023 Nanterre, Cedex, France. E‐mail: molinie@mae.u‐paris10.fr. This is a free translation of the French expression “autochtonie”. I believe this to be preferable to “autochthonous identity” in the context of this article. “Y las tierras volverán a manos de los indígenas, tal y como fueron nuestras cuando nos fueron despojadas de la toma de Cajamarca en el año 1532.” This is a reference to the capture of Inca Atahualpa in 1532 by the conquistadores. “… the current dominant usage of the term ‘mestizo’: a Spanish and Indian racialized cultural mixture, evolving from ‘primitive’ Indianness into a more ‘civilized’ stage, and eventually incompatible with indigenous ways” (CitationDe la Cadena 2000: 5). For the sociological context of indigenismo, see CitationDe la Cadena 1994, 2000. “un nuevo ser híbrido, no heredó las virtudes ancestrales sino los vicios y las taras. El mestizage de las culturas no produce sino deformidades.” “el Cuzco es la generosa madre en cuyas entrañas se gesta el hombre o la nueva generación que realizará el anhelo contenido, la milagrosa transformación social del Perú que señale nuevos derroteros a la América en el provenir.” “Sinchi! Tayta Inkanchis Pachacuteqpa kamachikusqanta hunt’ay! Qayllanman llaqta taytanchista pusamuy!” “Kuraq wayqe, Qosqo llaqta taytan: taytayku Inkan waqyasunki. Hamuy noqawan, allichu.” “Chaypin p’unchawninchiskunapas kausaywan hukllachakun; chaymi kunan noqapas, pachak pachak watakunaq karunchasqanta p’itamuspa, mosqoykipi hina qanpa qayllaykipi rikhurishani.” A kind of rope with knots used by the Incas for administrative records in lieu of writing. “Sus miradas mantienen la altivez y la fuerza telúrica de sus gloriosos antepasados, los Incas. Hoy, aquellos herederos de los denominados ‘Hijos del Sol’—esta vez sin la ‘Chakana’, símbolo del poder imperial—salen catapultados de las páginas de la historia y exigen al gobierno de Alejandro Toledo Manrique ser reconocidos como legítimos descendientes de la venida a menos aristocracia indígena.” This is a legend: Atahualpa was not beheaded, but strangled by the Spaniards. About the myth of the Inca resurrection that we cannot dwell upon here, see CitationBurga 1988; CitationFlores Galindo 1986; CitationNuñez del Prado 1984, Citation1973; CitationOrtiz Rescaniere 1973; CitationOssio 1973. “Hatun hayway” can be translated as “great gift”. For the evolution of neo‐Incaism, see CitationNieto Degregori 1995. Garcilaso de la Vega claims that qosqo means “navel” in Quechua. In reality, there is no etymological explanation (CitationItier 1997: 152). “Que el nombre original de nuestra ciudad es QOSQO, tal como lo pronuncian en la actualidad los quechua hablantes monolingües y bilingües del cercado y la región sur‐andina; Que la manera de expresar respeto y fidelidad a la tradición lingüística del pueblo hablante, es restituyenco el nombre histórico y original de la ciudad madre del Nuevo Mundo, la más antigua del continente con la vida ininterrumpida desde hace por lo menos 30 siglos.” Corn‐beer of pre‐Hispanic origin. About the Incaist meaning of Corpus Christi processions, see CitationDean 1999; CitationFlores Ochoa 1990. For the New Age dimension of Incaism, see CitationNuñez del Prado 1998. About mystical tourism in Cuzco, see CitationFlores Ochoa 1996. Additional informationNotes on contributorsAntoinette Molinié Footnote Correspondence to: Antoinette Molinié, Directeur de recherches, CNRS‐Laboratoire d’ethnologie et de sociologie comparative, Maison René Ginouvès, Université de Paris X‐Nanterre, 21 allée de l’Université, F‐92023 Nanterre, Cedex, France. E‐mail: molinie@mae.u‐paris10.fr.