History of Huchuy Qosqo
In his second chronicle, “Señorío de los Incas”, Pedro de Cieza de León states that the palaces of Huchuy Qosqo were built by Wiracocha, the eighth Inca ruler, who decided to leave Cusco and seek refuge in the area during the Chanca invasion, while his son Inca Yupanqui (Pachacútec) led the Inca resistance.
The Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos asserted that, ten years after handing power to Pachacútec, or Inca Yupanqui, Wiracocha spent his last days in the Qaqyaqawana Valley, dying at the age of eighty. For her part, María Rostworowski, in her work “Historia del Tahuantinsuyo”, adds that Wiracocha chose his son Inca Urco as his successor, who, spurred on by power and vice, proved to be completely out of control.
Displeased with this choice, the Inca nobility conspired to overthrow Wiracocha’s second son and place Prince Cusi Yupanqui on the throne. Social unrest and tension grew day by day and, to make matters worse, the darkest night fell upon Cusco: the Chancas arrived at the gates of the capital, ready to destroy it.
In the year 1438, Wiracocha left the city and, accompanied by his son Inca Urco, sought refuge in his palaces in the Urubamba Valley, where Huchuy Qosqo stood.
