Capac Cuna Inca o Genealogía de los Incas

Room 6, Vitrine 62

Oil on canvas
Cusco School
18th century
Private collection

This canvas illustrates the “Inca family tree”. The Spanish monarchy of the time sought to legitimize its absolute power over the conquered territories. To this end, the Spanish were obliged to demonstrate that the conquest of Peru did not spell the end of the Inca dynasty, and that the kings of Spain were their only legitimate heirs. In this painting, Carlos V appears as the successor to Atahualpa, and Carlos IV – the last king represented – figures as the 25th Inca emperor of Peru.