One of the earliest illustrated chronicles of Inca and early colonial history is the Historia general del Piru, written before 1616 by the Mercedarian friar Martín de Muruá. While readers of this blog may recall Guaman Poma de Ayala’s imaginative attribution of arms to the Incan Empire—explored in a previous post—de Muruá went a step further: he assigned individual coats of arms to the Incan emperors themselves, the Sapa Inca. These heraldic inventions offer a fascinating glimpse into how European traditions were projected onto the legacy of a powerful indigenous dynasty.

From left to right: Maco Capac (1200–1230), Sinchi Roca (1230–1260), Lloque Yupanqui (1260–1290), Mayta Capac (1290–1320), Capac Yupanqui (1320–1350) and Inca Roca (1350–1380).

Interestingly, all shields are parted per fess (divided horizontally).

Historia General del Piru has been digitalized and is available through Google Books.