Forbidden Love in the Andes: Murúa and Guaman Poma Retell the Myth of Chuquillanto and Acoytapra

161 The following coauthored indigenous tale about two lovers—an Inca ñusta (princess), Chuquillanto, and a humble shepherd, Acoytapra—was recorded around the turn of the seventeenth century in colonial Peru. The story’s meaning is layered, having been written and illustrated by two people of vastly different backgrounds: the drawings by a native Andean man and the writing by a Spanish friar. Although the images complement the text by illuminating events in the written tale, the artist applies his knowledge of the native Andean belief system and Inca visual culture by inserting additional meanings into the illustrations and communicating visually what the Spanish author cannot. Even though both authors eventually arrive at the same conclusion—that Acoytapra and Chuquillanto’s relationship is impossible—each values this outcome for distinct reasons. Their diverging interpretations of the legend help us to see how each author engaged with the story to further his own ideology and mission. Furthermore, the illustrator’s role in the retelling of this myth shows how an indigenous artist and author negotiated his relationship with Spanish authorities and asserted his indigenous knowledge in a colonial context. Below is a summary of the tale Ficción y suçesso de un famosso pastor llamado el gran Acoytapra con la hermossa y discreta Chuquillanto, ñusta, hija del sol (Legend and account of a famous shepherd named the great Acoytapra with the beautiful and discreet Chuquillanto, princess, daughter of the sun).1 ——— One day, as the shepherd Acoytapra was tending his herd, he was unexpectedly approached by two daughters of the sun. The eldest, Chuquillanto, was drawn to the shepherd, who wore on his forehead a canipu (silver pendant) with an image of two aradores (plowers)2 eating a heart. He told Chuquillanto it was called an utusi, which the narrator explains may be slang for the genital member, an old word invented by lovers. She was intrigued by his strange ornament and talked to her sister about the shepherd until arriving back at the palace. That night, Chuquillanto had no appetite and thought incessantly about the shepherd. When she finally fell asleep she dreamt that a nightingale flew to her lap and spoke to her. Chuquillanto explained to the bird that she could only be cured of what ailed her if she pursued her love for the shepherd, but that her father would kill her if she did. Forbidden Love in the Andes: Murúa and Guaman Poma Retell the Myth of Chuquillanto and Acoytapra