Inca Imagery

1784 Words4 Pages

From the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century, the cooperation between the Spanish and indigenous nobles of the Andes allowed for a unique colonial culture. The execution of the last Inca king, Tupac Amaru I by the Spanish, in 1572, signified the end of the Inca rule over the Andes. However, once in control, the Spanish government consisted of only a few administrators and officials to cover their newly acquired, vast territory, and mass citizenry. The Spanish began to depend on native elites, or kuraka, to run its empire. Perhaps, the dependence of the Spanish on the indigenous people allowed for greater tolerance of cultural continuities. For example, the uncu, or Inca tunic, have been shown to undergo elemental transformations from …show more content…

The colonial uncu of interest includes two examples of how the Inca repurposed European elements in order to represent some level of power in more universal terms. First, the use of the opposing lions, which most likely represented the King of Spain’s House of Habsburg coat of arms, illustrates how the Inca attempted to have their power interpreted through an element that was a part of European culture rather than their own. In the early colonial period, weavers and commissioners selected designs such as heraldic felines, which was elitist imagery understood by both the Inca as well as Europeans (Pillsbury 144). In some occasions, the Inca introduced elements universal to both the Inca and the Spanish as a way of communicating power that transcended cultural and linguistic barriers, thus helping to redefine power within the colony. In addition, some of the most distinctive of changes included the colors used by weavers in the colonial period. Pre-colonial examples were mainly made up of “a limited palette including yellows, ochers, browns, reds, and blacks.” Whereas, colonial period uncu were woven with greater amounts of “blue, pink, red, and purple” (Pillsbury 145). The colonial uncu of interest is purple, confirming its time stamp. The color purple was reserved for European royal families, which is implicit as to why the Inca were fond of its adoption. By including the royal color of purple on their uncu, the Inca were claiming power for themselves via a European element. The adoption of European heraldic figures such as the lion and the use of the colors associated with European power was the Inca way of redefining their power so as to establish it within the colonial society. This was a significant strategic decision which allowed the Inca to maintain some level of power even while experiencing the Spanish efforts to dominate

Open Document