The ‘principals’: an elusive nominalizer. An analysis of the Inca/Andean categories of authority based on the work of Francisco Falcón and Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala; [Os ‘principais’: um nominalizador elusivo. Uma análise das categorias de autoridade inca/andina a partir da obra de Francisco Falcón e Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala]

Fossa L. · Revista Historia Social y de las Mentalidades (2026) · DOI: 10.35588/h56n6v61

Resumen

Most Spanish authors of the 16th century and later used the term «principales» when referring to indigenous Andean lords, but they neither specified nor detailed the designation. We are left without knowing exactly who the «principales» were, what their positions were in Inka administration, and the responsibilities they had. In these narratives, all ranks are standardized, and the native organization that included religious and feminine ranks, disappears. I will use two authors, Licenciado Francisco Falcón (1567?) and Don Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (1615-1617), as sources. After comparing their statements regarding Inka social organization, a clearer rank and social position occupied by the individuals referred to as “principales” will appear, as that of those who were silenced. This approach to socio-political pre-Hispanic stratification will allow us to better characterize the members of inka society which has remained opaque to us until now. © (2026), (Universidad de Santiago de Chile). All rights reserved.