Guaman Poma

1
Guaman Poma

• And the Four Ages of the World

2
Don Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala

• Don honorific/title
• Felipe Christian name
• Guaman native surname hawk
• Poma native surname puma
• de Ayala - added to family name by GPs father to
  honor conquistador whose life he saved

3
Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno (New Chronicle and
Good Government)

• Completed roughly A.D. 1615
• Over 1100 pages long
• Meant to explain to King of Spain that Andean
  peoples just as civilized as the Spanish, and
  therefore they should be treated better

4
Three parts

• A history and description of the Andean peoples,
  including the Incas
• A discussion of the Spanish occupation and abuses
  of the people by administrators and priests
• Questions and answers the king asks imaginary
  questions, and Guaman Poma answers them

5
The Spanish King and Guaman Poma
6
The five ages in the history of the Spanish world

• Four ages precede the birth of Christ
• The fifth age is the civilized present

7
The First Age Adam and Eve
8
The Second Age Noahs Ark
9
The Third Age Abraham
10
The Fourth Age King David
11
The Fifth Age Birth of Christ
12
The five ages in the history of the Andean peoples

• Four ages precede the Incas
• The fifth age is the civilized present

13
Wari Viracocha Runa(Ancestor Creator People)

• lasted 830 years
• descended from survivors of Noahs ark
• although ignorant savages, believed in the true
  God

14
Wari Viracocha Runa(Ancestor Creator People)

• didnt know how to do anything no clothes (wore
  leaves), no houses
• wandered around, hunted animals
• peaceful, got married, learned to plow and sow

15
Wari Viracocha Runa(Ancestor Creator People)

• gave rise to two castes of people lords and
  bastards (common people) who multiplied greatly
• strange events foreshadowed the end of this age
  catastrophes, plagues, tools rebelled against
  their owners

16
2. Wari Runa(Ancestor People)

• 1320 years long
• began to work, make fields, terraces, irrigation
  canals
• no houses, but small dwellings like ovens
  (pucullo)
• made clothes from animal skins
• still worshiped the one god

17
2. Wari Runa(Ancestor People)

• lived in peace, mostly eating and sleeping
• sun got tired of its journeying
• for 20 hours refused to light man great
  sacrifices were made, but a great fire consumed
  mankind

18
3. Purun Runa(Savage People)

• 1132 years long
• the people multiplied like grains of sand
• learned how to weave cloth, mine metals
• houses made of stone (no adobes yet)
• peace, order, and justice reigned

19
3. Purun Runa(Savage People)

• since they could not read, came to believe that
  the came from caves, lakes, river lost the
  road to glory but did not yet worship idols
• loose morals avoided by keeping women away from
  spicy food and alcohol
• girls were virgins until they married - ca. age
  30

20
3. Purun Runa(Savage People)

• people got greedy over land, pastures, water,
  etc. lots of petty warfare
• great plague 6 months condors feasted on
  bodies
• mountainous terrain was created
• different tribes, each with its own language,
  clothing
• age ended with a great flood

21
4. Auca Runa(Warrior People)

• 2100 years long
• people moved to mountain tops and built
  fortresses
• major warfare major lords in each region
• world divided into 4 quarters
• severe punishments usually death
• there were teachers, judges, philosophers, poets,
  astronomers

22
4. Auca Runa(Warrior People)

• varied diet with all the major Andean crops
• leaders were carried in litters
• roads, bridges, message carriers
• kept to the true faith
• buried their dead in chullpas

23
4. Auca Runa(Warrior People)

• watched the sun to know when to plant, etc.
  divided the years into months (30 days) and weeks
  (10 days)
• redeemed by founding of Inca dynasty 5th sun

24
Analysis

• GP was trying to draw parallels between Andean
  and Spanish worlds
• cultural evolution -- hunters to farmers
• religion many Catholic elements, monotheism
  civilized society
• technological developments houses, weaving,
  agricultural features
• more detail toward end (more historic fact)
• some elements substantiated by the archaeological
  record