Hanan and Hurin – two terms that initially seem unremarkable. Translated, they mean roughly “above” and “below.” But anyone who views them only as geographical designations misses an important key to Inca society. In Cusco, the political and religious center of the Inca Empire, behind Hanan and Hurin lay a system that connected people, families, and power structures. Even the traditional succession of the Sapa Inca is difficult to understand without this duality.
More than above and below
In Quechua, Hanan simply means “above” or “upper part,” and Hurin – also spelled Urin – corresponds to “below” or “lower part.” Yet these terms did not describe mere compass directions, nor city districts in the modern sense. They could denote belonging to social and kinship groups.
In English-language academic literature, the word “moiety” is frequently used for this. It refers to one of two groups that together form a larger social unit. This concept is precisely what is crucial: Hanan and Hurin were distinguished from one another and at the same time related to each other.
In Cusco, the principle was particularly visible. The Inca capital was socially divided into Hanan Cusco and Hurin Cusco. Linked to this order were lineage groups, political relationships, and religious duties. For the people of that time, membership could therefore mean considerably more than the question of which part of the city they lived in.
For modern observers, this is not always easy to comprehend. Our idea of a city is shaped by administrative districts, streets, and borders. In the Inca Cusco, however, spatial, familial, political, and religious orders overlapped. Hanan and Hurin were thus components of a more comprehensive social system.
The first rulers belonged to Hurin Cusco
The traditional succession of the Inca rulers also follows this division. The first five Sapa Inca are usually attributed to Hurin Cusco: Manco Cápac, Sinchi Roca, Lloque Yupanqui, Mayta Cápac, and Cápac Yupanqui.
Manco Cápac stands at the beginning of the transmitted Inca dynasty. However, historians find themselves on difficult terrain precisely with these early rulers. The Inca did not leave behind historical works according to the European model. Much of what is known today about their early rulers is based on oral traditions that were only recorded in writing after the Spanish conquest. Myth, political memory, and historical events therefore cannot always be clearly separated from one another.
Then the power shifted
In the traditional transmission, a new phase begins with Inca Roca. He is considered the first ruler of the Hanan Cusco line. Subsequently, Yahuar Huacac, Viracocha Inca, Pachacútec, Túpac Yupanqui, and Huayna Cápac are counted among this group.
Thus, the history eventually leads to those rulers under whom a regional power around Cusco became a vast empire. Pachacútec, in particular, represents this change. Under him and his successors, the Inca expanded far beyond their original core territory. The Tawantinsuyu eventually stretched over thousands of kilometers along the Andes. The history of two social halves thus also becomes a history of political power.
Was Hanan more powerful than Hurin?
The translation leads to a simple conclusion: above means higher, below means lower – therefore Hanan must have held a higher rank. It is not quite that straightforward. Andean societies frequently organized relationships through opposites that were not mutually exclusive. Two different sides could belong together and form a single unit.
However, this did not automatically mean equality. Rank differences could certainly exist between groups. Hanan and Hurin were therefore neither two completely equal camps nor a simple classification of rulers and the ruled. Their relationship was more complex and could also change with political developments.
Families that did not lose their power
The picture becomes even more complicated through the panacas, the royal lineage groups of the Inca. When a Sapa Inca died, his family by no means disappeared from politics. His descendants could continue to manage assets, fulfill religious duties, and exert considerable social influence. The memory of the deceased ruler also remained part of this system.
Cusco was therefore not simply the seat of a king and his administration. Various powerful family associations existed side by side in the city, whose interests, traditions, and claims were intertwined. The history of the Inca was thus always also family politics.
Why there is sometimes talk of Urin instead of Hurin
Anyone comparing different books or websites will quickly come across different spellings. Alongside Hurin, one often finds Urin. This is not an indication of another social group.
For centuries, Quechua was passed on primarily orally. Spanish chroniclers later tried to record indigenous terms using their own writing system. This resulted in different spellings, some of which are still used today. Similar things can be observed with the name of the former Inca capital: Cusco, Cuzco, and Qosqo refer to the same place.
No special case of the Inca capital
The duality was not a peculiarity that existed exclusively within Cusco. Comparable structures are found in various societies of the Andes. The Inca built their empire in a region where complex political, religious, and social forms of organization had existed long before.
As the empire expanded, these traditions did not simply disappear. Instead, the Inca integrated numerous local structures into their system of rule. The Tawantinsuyu was therefore not a uniform state according to the modern model, but a vast network of regions, communities, kinship ties, and political loyalties. The everyday life of the people in the Inca Empire was also strongly shaped by community, work, and regional conditions.
A key to understanding the Inca
Machu Picchu, massive stone walls, and the road network of the Tawantinsuyu define the image of the Inca today. But an empire cannot be explained by its structures alone. The people and the rules by which their community was organized were also decisive.
Hanan and Hurin provide an insight into this less visible side of Inca society. The terms show how closely space, lineage, Inca religion and world view, and political power could be intertwined. They explain at the same time why historical representations of the Sapa Inca repeatedly mention Hurin Cusco and Hanan Cusco.
Behind the two unremarkable terms lies far more than “above” and “below.” They lead straight into the social and political order of the Inca.
Sources
María Rostworowski: Historia del Tahuantinsuyu
Terence N. D’Altroy: The Incas
John H. Rowe: Research on the history and social organization of the Inca
Brian S. Bauer: Research on Cusco and the political organization of the Inca
Garcilaso de la Vega: Comentarios Reales de los Incas
