Encyclopedia of the Incas

new lord once the Inca army had moved on to another part of the Andes. The
suppression of rebellions typically brought the implementation of direct rule,
including the establishment of the imperial administrative hierarchy and the
introduction of key state institutions, such as the Sun cult and the acllahuasi,
house of the chosen women (see Acllacuna).
Direct and indirect rule represented two distinct sources of power held by Inca
rulers. As founding ancestors of a royal house, the Inca ruler and his principal
wife wielded the power of a lord and lady of vassals—and they could hold
dominion over other rulers and leaders who submitted to their authority and law.
This sort of power was not absolute or unchallenged. The male ruler (Sapa Inca
[sole or unique Inca]) delegated some of his power to close relatives who acted
as his lieutenants, but he also had to address attempts by noble Inca factions and
provincial rulers to stymie his wishes. There are also accounts of the Sapa Coya
(sole or unique queen) fulfilling administrative functions, in one case intervening
to bring a resistant female ruler into line. Many Inca client rulers were also
marriage allies, bringing them into generations-long relationships with the Incas,
and adding complexity to the political factions at the capital. At a conceptual
level, the Inca capital functioned as the house of the Inca and his wife, and the
Inca ruler oversaw civic ceremonies, provided households with food and gifts,
and dispensed legal and moral justice to the inhabitants of the city. Over time,
the power of ruling households extended to include resources beyond the Cuzco
region, and rulers reassigned some individuals in rebellious provinces to
permanent service as yanacuna, or retainers (see Labor Service). Royal lineages
dominated the resources and populations of the capital region, and they also
occupied the highest administrative positions in provincial regions.
Direct rule combined elements of the kin-based power of the Inca ruler and a
more regular and bureaucratic administrative hierarchy called decimal
administration (see Administration, Decimal). This form of rule relied on an
office, called curaca, or local lord, who oversaw administrative units that ideally
ranged from units of 10 households to province-level units of 10,000
households. Decimal units could be joined together under a single curaca, and
the larger ones often combined households from different kin groups,
communities, and ethnic identities. Inca nobles maintained the administrative
link between the Sapa Inca and the highest curaca offices. Uncles or brothers of
the ruler served as provincial governors, who established administrative units,
monitored population change, presided over ceremonial activities, and ensured
that tribute demands were fulfilled annually. These officials, often referred to as