The son of a noble family of the Indigenous (but non-Inca) Yarowilca dynasty of
Guánuco in the north Peruvian cordillera, he was a direct descendant of the eminent Indigenous conqueror and ruler Huaman-Chava-Ayauca Yarovilca-Huanuco. Guaman Poma was a fluent speaker of several
Quechua and
Aru dialects, and probably learned the
Spanish language as a child or adolescent. He went on to become literate in the language, although he did not achieve a perfect grasp of Spanish grammar. leading many to deduce that he was born in the year 1535, after the 1533 Spanish conquest of
Peru. The figure eighty may have been a metaphor for old age, and many other references in his text indicate a possible birth date of 1550 or shortly thereafter. The information known about Guaman Poma's life comes from a variety of written sources. Most likely, he was born in the
Lucanas province or and spent most of his life in or near
Huamanga, a central Peruvian district. It is believed that the first time he left his hometown was when he served as an
interpreter on the church inspection tour of a Spanish priest named Cristóbal de Albornoz, who was attempting to eliminate
idolatry in the small Quechua towns. In the late 1580s to early 1590s, he was an assistant to Friar
Martín de Murúa, another Spanish cleric. In 1594 he was employed by the Spanish judge of Huamanga who was in charge of land titles. In late 1600, however, all of his property was confiscated and he was banished from Huamanga, an event that led to his travels throughout the country and most likely to the composition of his masterpiece. The Huamán family was wealthy within the
Inca Empire, both before and after the conquest. As used to be common, marriages among the ruling families took place in order for them to maintain political control. At the time, the Huamán ( in Quechua, or in Spanish) were a family of warriors and landowners in several regions of the Inca Empire. They venerated the wild bird (similar to a falcon) that only lives in the highland regions of Peru, above 4,000 meters above sea level. Guaman Poma was related to Inca royalty through three family lines: Tarco Huaman Inca, son of Inca Mayta Capac, cousin of
Cápac Yupanqui, and grandson of
Lloque Yupanqui; Huaman Achachi, brother of
Tupac Inca Yupanqui; and Inca Huaman Taysi, son of
Inca Roca. In 1570, landowner Don Antonio Huaman Cucho, in the city of Huamanga, declared ownership of several cities for the descendants of the Huamán family as an Inca descendant. During the occupation by the conquerors, the Huamán family, being very extensive, were fiercely prosecuted, as the Spaniards feared the overthrow of the colonial government, the impeachment of the Hispanic occupation, and Indigenous land ownership claims. For this reason, most of their wealth in gold and ornaments was hidden and redistributed among their descendants. Most family members moved to different areas in Peru and
Ecuador. The most prominent landowners were located in Pariamarca,
Santiago de Huamán,
Quito, and Huamanga. There is a tradition that says that direct descendants from the line of the ruling Inca Huaman are protected and secretly maintained to be ready to take over the Peruvian Empire and re-impose the supremacy of order over chaos. There are tales among the Andeans that one day the "... Hawk will fly high, where the Sun surrenders ...". See the
Name section for more information. == Chronicle ==