Origins & Early Life

Huayna Capac ( WY-nə KAP-ak; Cusco Quechua: Wayna Qhapaq [ˈwajna ˈqʰapaχ] – lit. 'the young generous one'; Spanish: [ˈwajna ˈkapak]; before 1493 – 1527) was the eleventh Sapa Inca of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire. He was the son of and successor to Túpac Inca Yupanqui, the sixth Sapa Inca of the Hanan dynasty, and eleventh of the Inca civilization. He was born in Tumipampa and tutored to become Sapa Inca from a young age.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Tawantinsuyu reached its greatest extent under Huayna Capac, as he expanded the empire's borders south along the Chilean coast, and north through what is now Ecuador and southern Colombia. According to the priest Juan de Velasco he absorbed the Quito Confederation into his empire by marrying Queen Paccha Duchicela, halting a long protracted war. Huayna Capac founded the city Atuntaqui and developed the city Cochabamba as an agriculture and administrative center. The Sapa Inca greatly expanded the Inca road system and had many qullqa (storehouses) built. Huayna Capac died in 1527, possibly from a European disease introduced to the Americas by the Spaniards.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The death of him and his eldest son Ninan Cuyochi sparked the Inca Civil War, in which his sons Huáscar and Atahualpa...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Cosimo de' Medici — Contemporary (Died in 1464) (1464): Banker and patron who established the Medici family's rule over Renaissance Florence.
• Emperor Yingzong of Ming — Contemporary (Died in 1464) (1464): Sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ruling during periods of great power and crisis.
• Nicholas of Cusa — Contemporary (Died in 1464) (1464): German cardinal and philosopher, key proponent of Renaissance humanism.
• Giuseppe Arcimboldo — Contemporary (Born in 1527) (1527): Mannerist painter famed for composite portraits made of fruits, vegetables, and objects.
• Philip II of Spain — Contemporary (Born in 1527) (1527): Catholic monarch who ruled a vast empire, defining the Spanish Golden Age.
• Zhu Yunming — Contemporary (Died in 1527) (1527): Ming Dynasty scholar, poet, and master calligrapher, celebrated for his iconoclasm.
• Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor — Historical peer (Died in 1493) (1493): Holy Roman Emperor and fourth King of the Romans from the House of Habsburg.
• Martín Alonso Pinzón — Historical peer (Died in 1493) (1493): Spanish mariner and explorer, pivotal figure in the voyages to the New World.
• 1464 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1464
• 1527 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1527