The son of Sebastian Garcilaso de la Vega y Vargas (d. 1559), a Spanish conquistador and Palla Chimpu Ocllo (1523-1571), a daughter of Sapa Inca Tupac Huallpa, the Peruvian historian Inca Garcilaso de la Vega wrote various histories of Peru and the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. Also known as ‘El Inca’, de la Vega was educated by his mother and spoke Quechua as his first language but also learned Spanish. On receiving an inheritance on his father’s death in 1559, he travelled to Spain, leaving Peru in 1560.
On arriving in Europe in 1561, he met his uncle who provided him with an informal education. He then travelled to Madrid to seek official acknowledgement as his father’s son. This enabled him to integrate into Spanish society and de la Vega remained in Spain for the remainder of his life. As a chronicler, de la Vega’s writings reflected his Inca and Spanish heritage.
He is most famous for his 1609 history Comentarios Reales de los Incas. Based mostly on stories and the oral histories of his Inca relatives, the book provided accurate descriptions of Inca history, daily-life, the political system and use of labour.
This English translation, The Royal Commentaries of Peru by Sir Paul Rycaut was first published in 1685.