Manco Capac Research Paper

The Inca civilization was the largest pre-Columbian civilization that we know of today with an estimated population from 4 million to 40 million people. Their land stretched through most of western South America, from modern day north Ecuador through most of Peru, Bolivia, Western Argentina, and southern Chile spanning a distance of well over two thousand miles. Manco Cápac became famous as the founder of the Incan empire from what would later become the capital, Cusco. Manco Cápac and his brothers and sisters emerged from a cave 7 seven leagues from Cusco. The reason they were created and emerged from that cave was in direct relation to Inti, the sun god, making Manco Cápac and his family worshipped greatly. This is the reason that the Inca

At this declination, they are unable to see the northern celestial pole and anything above 77 degrees’ declination because they will always fall below the horizon. Depending on where in the kingdom you are in will change the movement of the stars in the sky relative to the ground. The Incan empire included parts of Ecuador that ran directly across the equator. At this location, the stars will rise directly east and set directly west with each celestial pole on the horizons. In contrast, if you are in the southern part of the Inca civilization, you will be in southern Chile and Argentina where you will no longer be able to see the norther celestial pole and the stars will rise at an angle relative to vertical that is the same as your declination. This could complicate the widespread act of astronomy because of the vastly different sky that people may be viewing in the south as compared to the north. Because of this aspect of Incan astronomy, I will be focusing mainly on the astronomy found in the capital city of Cuzco at a declination of 13 degrees where the emperor, being direct decedents of the sun god Inti, would make their