A
ACLLACUNA
No group of women received more attention in the written accounts of the Inca
Empire than the acllacuna (-cuna is the plural suffix in Quechua), the Inca’s
“chosen women” (from Quechua, to choose). Chroniclers were fascinated by the
aclla, likening them to Rome’s “vestal virgins,” to nuns of the Catholic Church,
and even to the many wives in a sultan’s harem. Reports describe how the aclla
were selected and allocated, their internal organization, and their duties. Most
agree that aclla were “chosen” by male representatives of the Inca Empire
during periodic visits to conquered territories. Ranked according to beauty,
family standing, and provenance, these young girls and adolescents were sent to
the acllahuasi (aclla house or center) in Cuzco and the empire’s provincial
capitals. There, aclla were taught “female tasks”—spinning, weaving, and the
preparation of special foods and beverages, such as chicha (maize beer), integral
to Andean religious traditions. Aclla held positions of honor in Inca ceremonies
and their weavings were treasured as ritual objects and as imperial gifts.
Chroniclers were intrigued by their life trajectories: some remained in their
provincial capitals, others were sent to far-flung Inca centers, while still others
became prized secondary wives of Cuzco noblemen or of the ayllu elite. The
most esteemed—often daughters of high-ranking, provincial families—entered
the royal entourage itself, as wives of the Inca or wives of the Sun. Some would
be ritually sacrificed in formal ceremonies and consecrated to Inca rule (see
Capac Hucha).
Aclla emerged in the context of the “conquest hierarchy” (see Women), a
symbolic, classificatory structure, transformed by imperial dictates into an
institution of cultural politics. According to this cultural frame, non-Inca
populations were classed as “conquered women”; and the Inca, as the conqueror
and spouse of them all, had the right to determine their placement as secondary
wives, religious officiants, or sacred beings. No longer regarded as members of
their natal ayllus, the aclla lived as crown subjects, embodiments of the Inca
state and directly under the Inca’s domain.
The aclla institution was both a symbol and a manifestation of Cuzco’s
dominance. Responses to Inca demands for “chosen, conquered” women were