Pachacútec

Who is Pachacútec?

Pachacútec Inca Yupanqui, whose name is often translated as 'he who overturns the world' or 'earth-shaker', was the ninth Sapa Inca and the ruler most credited with transforming the small Kingdom of Cusco into the vast Inca Empire, Tawantinsuyu. According to Spanish chroniclers who recorded Inca oral history, he rose to power around 1438 after defending Cusco against an invasion by the rival Chanca people. He then embarked on sweeping military campaigns and political reforms, reorganizing the state, establishing administrative and religious institutions, and expanding imperial control across the Andes. He is traditionally associated with the rebuilding of Cusco in the shape of a puma and with the construction of major monumental sites, including the royal estate of Machu Picchu. His reign laid the foundations for the empire's later rapid expansion under his successors. He is remembered as one of the greatest statesmen and builders of the pre-Columbian Americas.

Sources: María Rostworowski, 'History of the Inca Realm' (1999) · Garcilaso de la Vega, 'Comentarios Reales de los Incas' (1609)