The Virgin and the Inca: An Incaic Procession in the City of Cuzco in 1692

The article analyzes a religious procession held in the city of Cuzco in 1692. It was remarkable for its Incaic symbolism, for the presence of representatives of all the lineage groups of the colonial Inca nobility, and for the insight it provides into the composition of, and tensions within, that nobility. The procession was held under the aegis of Our Lady of Loreto, and the article seeks to explain the significance of this representation of the Virgin for colonial Inca nobles and postconquest Inca culture. It was formed by the “descendants of Gran Tocay Capac Inga,” a composite myth-historical Inca ruler cum culture hero and warrior chieftain, and the analysis seeks to bring this shadowy personage into clearer focus.