llautu that resembled a sling and was composed of a braided headband twisted
around the head several times. Nobles wore a metal plaque attached to the llautu,
along with a feather ornament. Instead of a metal plaque attached to the llautu,
the ruler’s badge of office was the mascaypacha, which consisted of a red fringe
hanging down the center of his forehead to which were attached hollow gold
tubes. Warriors sported feather headdresses (see Feathers).
Like women, men wore sandals and moccasins, and appear to have kept their
hair short, although hair styles too appear to have served as ethnic markers, as
Cieza noted in his description of the braids worn by the Huancas. Ear spools,
known as paku, ranged from wood and tufts of wool to precious metals. The
Spaniards referred to men wearing large ear ornaments as “orejones,” or big
ears. Nobles also wore gold or silver bracelets. Both men and women carried
coca leaves in small woven bags; these were also common diplomatic gifts and
could be quite elaborately woven or covered in feathers.
Further Reading
Cobo, Bernabé. Inca Religion and Customs. Translated and edited by Roland Hamilton. Austin: University
of Texas Press, 1990 [1653].
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Felipe. The First New Chronicle and Good Government: On the History of the
World and the Incas up to 1615. Translated by Roland Hamilton. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009
[1615].
Murra, John V. “Cloth and Its Function in the Inca State.” American Anthropologist 64, no. 4: 710–28,
1962.
Rowe, Ann Pollard. “Inca Weaving and Costume.” Textile Museum Journal 34–35:4–53, 1995–1996.
■ADRIANA VON HAGENCRIME AND PUNISHMENT
In general, the Incas applied codes of conduct and customs that would have been
easily recognized by most Andean peoples. “These Indians,” noted the
chronicler Bernabé Cobo, “had many . . . laws which were very beneficial for
governing their republic well” (Cobo 1979 [1653]). The Incas, however,
introduced new regulations that were aimed at protecting state assets, the ruling
class, and religious officials. People could be judged by someone of higher rank
(but not the reverse), and the nobility enjoyed free rein in most matters; however,
if they committed an especially heinous act they were punished, but not as
severely as non-nobles. The punishments for crimes thus differed according to
the social status of the transgressor.