Biography of Túpac Amaru, the Last of the Incan Lords

Biography of Tà ºpac Amaru, the Last of the Incan Lords Tà ºpac Amaru (1545–September 24, 1572) was the last of the indigenous rulers of the Inca. He ruled during the time of the Spanish occupation and was executed by the Spanish after the final defeat of the Neo-Inca state. Fast Facts: Tà ºpac Amaru Known For: The last indigenous ruler of the IncaAlso Known As: Tà ºpac Amaru,  Topa Amaru,  Thupa Amaro,  Tupaq Amaru, Thupaq AmaruBorn: 1545 (exact date unknown) in or near CuscoParents: Manco Capac (father); mother unknownDied: September 24, 1572  in CuscoSpouse: UnknownChildren: One sonNotable Quote: Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yawarniy hichascancuta. (Pacha Kamaq, witness how my enemies shed my blood. Early Life Tupac Amaru, a member of the Incan royal family, grew up in the Incan convent Vilcabamba, the religious university of the Incas. As a young adult, he was against the Spanish occupation and rejected Christianity. Indigenous Incan leaders supported him because of that. Background When the Spanish arrived in the Andes in the early 1530s, they found the wealthy Inca Empire in turmoil. Feuding brothers Atahualpa and Huscar ruled over two halves of the mighty Empire. Huscar was killed by Atahuallpa’s agents and Atahualpa himself was captured and executed by the Spanish, effectively ending the time of the Inca. A brother of Atahualpa and Huscar, Manco Inca Yupanqui, managed to escape with some loyal followers and established himself head of a small kingdom, first at Ollantaytambo and later in Vilcabamba. Manco Inca Yupanqui was assassinated by Spanish deserters in 1544. His 5-year-old son Sayri Tà ºpac took over and ruled his small kingdom with the help of regents. The Spanish sent ambassadors and relations between the Spanish in Cusco and the Inca at Vilcabamba warmed. In 1560, Sayri Tà ºpac was eventually persuaded to come to Cusco, renounce his throne, and accept baptism. In exchange, he was given vast lands and a profitable marriage. He died suddenly in 1561, and his half-brother Titu Cusi Yupanqui became the leader of Vilcabamba. Titu Cusi was more cautious than his half-brother had been. He fortified Vilcabamba and refused to come to Cusco for any reason, although he did allow ambassadors to stay. In 1568, however, he finally relented, accepting baptism and, in theory, turning over his kingdom to the Spanish, although he consistently delayed any visit to Cusco. Spanish Viceroy Francisco de Toledo repeatedly attempted to buy off Titu Cusi with presents such as fine cloth and wine. In 1571, Titu Cusi became ill. Most of the Spanish diplomats were not in Vilcabamba at the time, leaving only Friar Diego Ortiz and translator Pedro Pando. Tà ºpac Amaru Ascends the Throne The Inca lords in Vilcabamba asked Friar Ortiz to ask his God to save Titu Cusi. When Titu Cusi died, they held the friar accountable and killed him by tying a rope through his lower jaw and dragging him through town. Pedro Pando was also killed. Next in line was Tà ºpac Amaru, Titu Cusi’s brother, who had been living in semi-seclusion in a temple. About the time Tà ºpac Amaru was made leader, a Spanish diplomat returning to Vilcabamba from Cusco was killed. Although it is unlikely that Tà ºpac Amaru had anything to do with it, he was blamed and the Spanish prepared for war. War with the Spanish Tà ºpac Amaru had only been in charge for a few weeks when the Spanish arrived, led by 23-year-old Martà ­n Garcà ­a Oà ±ez de Loyola, a promising officer of noble blood who would later become governor of Chile. After a couple of skirmishes, the Spanish managed to capture Tà ºpac Amaru and his top generals. They relocated all the men and women who had been living in Vilcabamba and brought Tà ºpac Amaru and the generals back to Cusco. Dates of birth for Tà ºpac Amaru are vague, but he was approximately in his late 20s at the time. They were all sentenced to die for insurrection: the generals by hanging and Tà ºpac Amaru by beheading. Death The generals were thrown in prison and tortured, and Tà ºpac Amaru was sequestered and given intense religious training for several days. He eventually converted and accepted baptism. Some of the generals had been tortured so badly that they died before making it to the gallows- although their bodies were hung anyway. Tà ºpac Amaru was led through the city escorted by 400 Caà ±ari warriors, traditional bitter enemies of the Inca. Several important priests, including the influential Bishop Agustà ­n de la Coruà ±a, pleaded for his life, but Viceroy Francisco de Toledo ordered the sentence to be carried out. The heads of Tà ºpac Amaru and his generals were put on pikes and left at the scaffold. Before long, the locals- many of whom still considered the Inca ruling family to be divine- started worshiping the head of Tà ºpac Amaru, leaving offerings and small sacrifices. When notified of this, Viceroy Toledo ordered the head to be buried with the rest of the body. With the death of Tà ºpac Amaru and the destruction of the last Inca kingdom in Vilcabamba, Spanish domination of the region was complete. Historic Context Tà ºpac Amaru never really had a chance; he came into power at a time when events had already conspired against him. The deaths of the Spanish priest, interpreter, and ambassador were not of his doing, as they took place before he was made the leader of Vilcabamba. As a result of these tragedies, he was forced to fight a war he may not have even wanted. In addition, Viceroy Toledo had already decided to stamp out the last Inca holdout at Vilcabamba. The legality of the conquest of the Inca was being seriously questioned by reformers (primarily in the religious orders) in Spain and in the New World, and Toledo knew that without a ruling family to which the Empire could be returned, questioning the legality of the conquest was moot. Although Viceroy Toledo was reprimanded by the crown for the execution, he did the king a favor by removing the last legitimate legal threat to Spanish rule in the Andes. Legacy Today Tà ºpac Amaru stands as a symbol for the indigenous people of Peru of the horrors of the conquest and Spanish colonial rule. He is considered the first indigenous leader to seriously rebel against the Spanish in an organized way and, as such, he has become the inspiration for many guerrilla groups over the centuries. In 1780, his great-grandson Josà © Gabriel Condorcanqui adopted the name Tà ºpac Amaru and launched a short-lived but serious rebellion against the Spanish in Peru. The Peruvian communist rebel group Movimiento Revolucionario Tà ºpac Amaru (â€Å"Tà ºpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement†) took their name from him, as did the Uruguayan Marxist rebel group the Tupamaros. Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971–1996) was an American rapper who was named after Tà ºpac Amaru II. Sources De Gamboa, Pedro Sarmiento, History of the Incas. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1999. (written in Peru in 1572)MacQuarrie, Kim.  The Last Days of the Incas, Simon Schuster, 2007.

12 Useful Apps for Administrative Assistants

12 Useful Apps for Administrative Assistants If you’re not a personal assistant- or even if you are- you could probably use one for yourself. It’s hard enough to function at your job and in your life without also struggling to keep your resolutions to be super organized this year. But what if you could have help?Did you know you can get a virtual assistant of your very own? Straight to your phone. They’re called SVPAs. You’ll still have to run your own errands, but you can get a little help with the other stuff- and you can yell at this assistant all you want.Here are some of the best.1. Google NowCalled â€Å"the intelligent personal assistant,† Google Now   is available for iOS, Android, and your desktop. It stays with you around the clock and organizes everything into customizable cards- weather, traffic, sports scores, favorite websites, etc. You’ll never see your life the same way again once you see it in all these neat packages.2. 24MeThis one functions kind of like a second bra in. Set yourself reminders for paying bills or other important deadlines and meetings. Sync all your to-do lists, notes, and calendar into one convenient app. It’s free, and currently one of the top 10 productivity apps on the App store.3. QuipThe best endorsement for this one might be that Mark Zuckerberg himself uses it. It’s just like the virtual office Facebook, Quora, and Instagram use, and allows users to collaborate, create, upload, and share documents- even edit them- as a team.4. WunderlistIf you’re a list person, this app is right up your alley. Make all the lists you want, then lump them all together in one sleek package and enjoy. You can even share your lists with family members or pals when you need to plan vacation packing lists or bucket lists.5. SpeaktoitIf you’d rather speak to your SVPA, like you do to Siri, then this app is for you. Speaktoit is like Siri, only its the the CEO version. You can make calls, search the internet for puppy photos, or find the closest dry cleaners. Just give it commands, and the app will remember your preferences for you. It can even answer questions about how best to sort your day.6. HootsuiteThis one is free, too, with paid subscription options available. It’s a desktop/phone tool that helps you update all of your social media platforms from one place. One app, multiple posts. You can even tailor which posts go to which media as you prefer.7. EvernoteAlso free! This app ends up on most people’s favorites lists. Capture, manage, store, and remember everything you need to. Evernote is also good search and sync capabilities.8. Call PleaseHBO producer Gregg Feinberg created this free app to be able to streamline the call log process, making one list for all team members. Never let any calls slip between the cracks again. And your manager will always know exactly what’s going on- and what calls they most urgently need to make.9. IFTTTâ€Å"If This Then That† le ts you make customized recipes based on what you have- and better yet, keeps them simple. Never be stuck without an idea of what to make for dinner again with this free app.10. TinyScanScan any document at any time anywhere and send it to your own email as a PDF. Youll never have to go to Staples again for your document management.11. DropboxOften undersung, this cloud storage program syncs between your computer and your phone. Your documents are securely backed up and accessible no matter where you are. Never be at a loss again in an off-site meeting when asked the location of a specific document.12. LogMeInThis app lets you have full access to your work computer- remotely. Open documents, launch applications basically, do anything you need to do.