Book contents
- Frontmatter
- INTRODUCTION
- Dedication
- PREFACE TO THE READER
- NOTES TOUCHING THE GENERAL LANGUAGE OF THE INDIANS OF PERU
- THE FIRST BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- SECOND BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- CHAPTER I OF THE IDOLATRY OF THE SECOND AGE, AND OF ITS ORIGIN
- CHAPTER II THE YNCAS SOUGHT THE TRUE GOD OUR LORD
- CHAPTER III THE YNCAS KEPT A IN A SACRED PLACE
- CHAPTER IV OF MANY GODS IMPROPERLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE INDIANS BY THE SPANISH HISTORIANS
- CHAPTER V OF MANY OTHER MEANINGS OF THE WORD HUACA
- CHAPTER VI WHAT AN AUTHOR SAYS CONCERNING THEIR GODS
- CHAPTER VII THEY KNEW OF THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, AND OF THE GENERAL RESURRECTION
- CHAPTER VIII OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SACRIFICED TO THE SUN
- CHAPTER IX OF THE PRIESTS, RITES, AND CEREMONIES, AND OF THE LAWS ATTRIBUTED TO THE FIRST YNCA
- CHAPTER X THE AUTHOR COLLATES HIS OWN STATEMENTS WITH THOSE OF THE SPANISH HISTORIANS
- CHAPTER XI THEY DIVIDED THE EMPIRE INTO FOUR DISTRICTS, AND REGISTERED THEIR VASSALS
- CHAPTER XII TWO DUTIES WHICH THE DECURIONS PERFORMED
- CHAPTER XIII CONCERNING CERTAIN LAWS THAT THE YNCAS INSTITUTED IN THEIR GOVERNMENT
- CHAPTER XIV THE DECURIONS GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS
- CHAPTER XV THE INDIANS DENY THAT AN YNCA OF THE BLOOD ROYAL HAS EVER COMMITTED ANY CRIME WHATEVER
- CHAPTER XVI THE LIFE AND ACTS OF SINCHI ROCA THE SECOND KING OF THE YNCA DYNASTY
- CHAPTER XVII LLOQUE YUPANQUI, THIRD KING, AND THE MEANING OF HIS NAME
- CHAPTER XVIII TWO CONQUESTS MADE BY THE YNCA LLOQUE YUPANQUI
- CHAPTER XIX THE CONQUESTS OF HATUN-COLLA, AND THE ORIGIN OF THE COLLAS
- CHAPTER XX THE GREAT PROVINCE OF CHUCUITU IS REDUCED, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER PROVINCES
- CHAPTER XXI THE SCIENCES WHICH THE YNCAS HAD ACQUIRED: AND FIRST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY
- CHAPTER XXII THEY UNDERSTOOD THE MEASUREMENT OF THE YEAR, AND THE SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES
- CHAPTER XXIII THEY OBSERVED THE ECLIPSES OF THE SUN, AND WHAT THEY DID WHEN THOSE OF THE MOON OCCURRED
- CHAPTER XXIV THE MEDICINES THEY USED, AND THEIR MANNER OF EFFECTING CURES
- CHAPTER XXV OF THE MEDICINAL HERBS THEY USED
- CHAPTER XXVI OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE TOUCHING GEOMETRY, ARITHMETIC, AND MUSIC
- CHAPTER XXVII THE POETRY OF THE YNCAS AMAUTAS, WHO ARE PHILOSOPHERS, AND HARAVICUS OR POETS
- CHAPTER XXVIII OF THE FEW INSTRUMENTS WHICH THE INDIANS USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
- THIRD BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- FOURTH BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- INDEX
CHAPTER XXI - THE SCIENCES WHICH THE YNCAS HAD ACQUIRED: AND FIRST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2010
- Frontmatter
- INTRODUCTION
- Dedication
- PREFACE TO THE READER
- NOTES TOUCHING THE GENERAL LANGUAGE OF THE INDIANS OF PERU
- THE FIRST BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- SECOND BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- CHAPTER I OF THE IDOLATRY OF THE SECOND AGE, AND OF ITS ORIGIN
- CHAPTER II THE YNCAS SOUGHT THE TRUE GOD OUR LORD
- CHAPTER III THE YNCAS KEPT A IN A SACRED PLACE
- CHAPTER IV OF MANY GODS IMPROPERLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE INDIANS BY THE SPANISH HISTORIANS
- CHAPTER V OF MANY OTHER MEANINGS OF THE WORD HUACA
- CHAPTER VI WHAT AN AUTHOR SAYS CONCERNING THEIR GODS
- CHAPTER VII THEY KNEW OF THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, AND OF THE GENERAL RESURRECTION
- CHAPTER VIII OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SACRIFICED TO THE SUN
- CHAPTER IX OF THE PRIESTS, RITES, AND CEREMONIES, AND OF THE LAWS ATTRIBUTED TO THE FIRST YNCA
- CHAPTER X THE AUTHOR COLLATES HIS OWN STATEMENTS WITH THOSE OF THE SPANISH HISTORIANS
- CHAPTER XI THEY DIVIDED THE EMPIRE INTO FOUR DISTRICTS, AND REGISTERED THEIR VASSALS
- CHAPTER XII TWO DUTIES WHICH THE DECURIONS PERFORMED
- CHAPTER XIII CONCERNING CERTAIN LAWS THAT THE YNCAS INSTITUTED IN THEIR GOVERNMENT
- CHAPTER XIV THE DECURIONS GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS
- CHAPTER XV THE INDIANS DENY THAT AN YNCA OF THE BLOOD ROYAL HAS EVER COMMITTED ANY CRIME WHATEVER
- CHAPTER XVI THE LIFE AND ACTS OF SINCHI ROCA THE SECOND KING OF THE YNCA DYNASTY
- CHAPTER XVII LLOQUE YUPANQUI, THIRD KING, AND THE MEANING OF HIS NAME
- CHAPTER XVIII TWO CONQUESTS MADE BY THE YNCA LLOQUE YUPANQUI
- CHAPTER XIX THE CONQUESTS OF HATUN-COLLA, AND THE ORIGIN OF THE COLLAS
- CHAPTER XX THE GREAT PROVINCE OF CHUCUITU IS REDUCED, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER PROVINCES
- CHAPTER XXI THE SCIENCES WHICH THE YNCAS HAD ACQUIRED: AND FIRST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY
- CHAPTER XXII THEY UNDERSTOOD THE MEASUREMENT OF THE YEAR, AND THE SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES
- CHAPTER XXIII THEY OBSERVED THE ECLIPSES OF THE SUN, AND WHAT THEY DID WHEN THOSE OF THE MOON OCCURRED
- CHAPTER XXIV THE MEDICINES THEY USED, AND THEIR MANNER OF EFFECTING CURES
- CHAPTER XXV OF THE MEDICINAL HERBS THEY USED
- CHAPTER XXVI OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE TOUCHING GEOMETRY, ARITHMETIC, AND MUSIC
- CHAPTER XXVII THE POETRY OF THE YNCAS AMAUTAS, WHO ARE PHILOSOPHERS, AND HARAVICUS OR POETS
- CHAPTER XXVIII OF THE FEW INSTRUMENTS WHICH THE INDIANS USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
- THIRD BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- FOURTH BOOK OF THE ROYAL COMMENTARIES OF THE YNCAS
- INDEX
Summary
The Yncas had attained very little knowledge in astronomy and natural philosophy, for, not being acquainted with letters, although there were men of considerable talent among them, whom they called Amautas, who conceived philosophical subtleties such as were taught among that people, yet, being unable to write and thus hand down their learning to their successors, their discoveries perished with them, and thus they made little progress in all sciences, and were without any knowledge in some, only possessing general principles drawn from the light of nature, and even these were denoted by gross and unpolished symbols, that the people might see and take note of them. We will give an account of what they knew on each subject. Moral philosophy was well understood, and it was left written in their laws, mode of life, and customs, as we shall see in the course of this history. They were aided in their knowledge by the natural law which they desired to observe, and by the experience they acquired in the practice of good customs, which were cultivated from day to day in their commonwealth.
But they knew little or nothing of natural philosophy; for, leading a simple and natural life, they had no need for making researches, or for snatching the secrets from nature. They passed them by without examination or knowledge, and thus had no necessity for investigating them, nor for studying the qualities of the elements.
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- First Part of the Royal Commentaries of the Yncas , pp. 174 - 176Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010