ancestors who centuries before had dwelt in Cuzco, again determined to
make the attempt to reestablish themselves there. An earthquake, which
ruined many buildings in Cuzco, caused rivers to change their courses,
destroyed towns, and was followed by the outbreak of a disastrous
epidemic. The chiefs were obliged to give up their plans, although
in healthy Tampu-tocco there was no pestilence. Their kingdom became
more and more crowded. Every available square yard of arable land was
terraced and cultivated. The men were intelligent, well organized,
and accustomed to discipline, but they could not raise enough food
for their families; so, about 1300 A.D., they were forced to secure
arable land by conquest, under the leadership of the energetic ruler
of the day. His name was Manco Ccapac, generally called the first Inca,
the ruler for whom the Manco of 1536 was named.

There are many stories of the rise of the first Inca. When he had grown
to man's estate, he assembled his people to see how he could secure new
lands for them. After consultation with his brothers, he determined
to set out with them "toward the hill over which the sun rose," as
we are informed by Pachacuti Yamqui Salcamayhua, an Indian who was
a descendant of a long line of Incas, whose great-grandparents lived
in the time of the Spanish Conquest, and who wrote an account of the
antiquities of Peru in 1620. He gives the history of the Incas as it
was handed down to the descendants of the former rulers of Peru. In
it we read that Manco Ccapac and his brothers finally succeeded in
reaching Cuzco and settled there. With the return of the descendants
of the Amautas to Cuzco there ended the glory of Tampu-tocco. Manco
married his own sister in order that he might not lose caste and that
no other family be elevated by this marriage to be on an equality with
his. He made good laws, conquered many provinces, and is regarded
as the founder of the Inca dynasty. The highlanders came under his
sway and brought him rich presents. The Inca, as Manco Ccapac now
came to be known, was recognized as the most powerful chief, the most
valiant fighter, and the most lucky warrior in the Andes. His captains
and soldiers were brave, well disciplined, and well armed. All his
affairs prospered greatly. "Afterward he ordered works to be executed
at the place of his birth, consisting of a masonry wall with three
windows, which were emblems of the house of his fathers whence he
descended.