1000089343

;

~Nas

hereditary, by right of prin1ogeniture , but

there 'vere instances in which the peop1:e chose

their monarchs, and this not always according

to prirn-ogeniture, as in the case· of .Huairaco–

cha and Inca Yupanqui. Even so, the monarchs

elected

to be of royal blood, and these cases ·

of ·election were exceptional.

The Inca was held to be the son _of the Sun.

In every official act of bis life, as with the Phar–

aohs of Egypt, he was rendered ceremon ious

hornage. He usually went about upon a throne or

seat of gold, over roads covered with flowers

scattered by the rnultitude. His official wife, aside

frorn his concubines, was bis Iawful sister, whose

son, according to the qistorians, had to lle heir to

the throne.

There

we~e

lilree distipct sooi·al el sses:

(a)

; r

e nea family, which comprised all

the kindred of the sovereign, as wel1 as the reign–

ing tribes o which each Inca belonged, in such

a 1rnanner that the dynastif1s carne from the tribes

considered to be of royal blood. This class \\

ormed not on'Iy by families, but by tribes. The

hig-hest priests carne fro-m the Inc.a farnily, the

Pontiff or Huilca-Urna, being a brother of the

Inca.

(b) The noble, or privileged class, which

was

orrned of certain tribes related to the royal

family, as well as the great chiefs of tribes,

set~

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