THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF THE SPANISH CHRONICLERS:
Prior to the Spanish conquest, the early Peruvians - including the [G 11 / Inca] - did not have any form of writing and therefore no written records from them exist for historians to study. Our knowledge of the early cultures comes mostly from archaeological evidence at various sites. In addition, textiles and ceramics give us a visual record of their society.
Early Inca history was a mixture of fact and legend. Immediately after the conquest, Spanish chroniclers began compiling histories of the Inca from oral sources preserved by official `memorizers.' Among these Spanish chroniclers, Garcilaso de la Vega was one of the more reliable. He was born in 1539 in Peru, the son of a [G 08 / Conquistador] and an Inca princess.
The chroniclers often gave contradictory information, leading to confusion about early Inca history. Early Inca emperors were credited with great deeds of bravery which led some historians to believe the Inca Empire expanded at a much earlier date than recorded.
In fact, the early Inca were no more than one of many Andean Indian tribes. Until the rule of the fourth emperor, Mayta Capac (in the 14th century), the Inca lived in a small area around Cuzco which gradually expanded as they attacked and looted other neighboring villages. Because of the lack of historical evidence, historians knew few definite facts and do not have any definite dates for the reign of Inca kings until 1438, when Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui became the ninth Inca Emperor.
