Manco Capac legend placed at Cuzco

1230

Inca oral tradition, later recorded by Spanish chroniclers, remembered this generation as the age of the first Sapa Inca Manco Capac, who planted his golden staff into fertile soil at Cuzco and founded the dynasty. Historical reality remains murky, but a kingdom was taking shape. The sacred valley of the Vilcanota, with its terraced slopes and reliable water, provided the agricultural base for an expansive highland polity.