At a Glance
- Name
- Cusi Yupanqui, took name Pachacuti (“Cataclysm”).
- Reign
- 1438–1471.
- Victory
- Chanca siege broken; stones became warriors (pururaucas).
- Works
- Cuzco puma-plan, Coricancha gold, Machu Picchu estate, roads.
I. Overview
In 1438 the Chancas besieged Cuzco; old Viracocha Inca fled. Prince Cusi stayed, rallied farmers, and won — legend says field stones rose as soldiers. Crowned Pachacuti, he rebuilt Cuzco with Sacsayhuamán walls and Coricancha gold, and with son Topa conquered the south Andes. Every later Sapa Inca claimed his blood (WHE, Pachacuti).
II. Timeline
Siege 1438
AD 1438
Click to reveal
1438 — Stones Fight
Chancas 40,000 strong surround Cuzco. Cusi prays to Viracocha; pururauca stones rise. Chanca king captured, skull made a cup. Old king abdicates; Cusi becomes Pachacuti — “he who shakes the earth.”
Golden Cuzco
AD 1440–1470
Click to reveal
1440–1470 — Navel Rebuilt
City replanned as a puma; Coricancha sheeted in 700 gold plates; Sacsayhuamán zigzag walls of 100-ton stones fitted without mortar. Mummies of kings kept palaces. Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo raised as royal estates.
III. Gallery
IV. Watch
V. Sources
Sources
- WHE — Pachacuti / Inca.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Pachacuti/ - Britannica — Inca.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Inca
He shook the earth and the poor trembled.— Quechua praise-name