Inca Garcilaso de la Vega

Hello. My name is Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, but when I was born, my name was Gómez Suárez de Figueroa. I was born on April 12th, 1539, in a city called Cusco. Cusco was once the capital of the great Inca Empire. My life was very special because I came from two different worlds. My father was a brave Spanish captain, and my mother was a beautiful Inca princess. This made me a 'mestizo,' which means I was a part of both the Spanish world and the Inca world. Because of my two families, I grew up learning two languages. I spoke Spanish with my father and the Inca language, called Quechua, with my mother and her family. It was like having a foot in each home, and I loved learning about both of my backgrounds.

When I was 21 years old, in the year 1560, I made a very long journey. I sailed across the big ocean to live in a new country called Spain. It was very different from my home in Peru, and I missed it very much. Most of all, I missed the amazing stories my mother and her relatives used to tell me. They told me all about the brave Inca kings, their wonderful traditions, and their strong cities. I soon realized that the people in my new home in Spain didn't know any of these incredible stories. That's when I had a big idea. I decided that I would be the one to write everything down so I could share the history of my mother's people with everyone.

I spent many years working on my most important book. Finally, in 1609, it was ready for people to read. The book’s name is 'Comentarios Reales de los Incas,' which means 'Royal Commentaries of the Incas' in English. I filled its pages with all the special memories and histories I had learned as a child. I wrote about what life was like for the Inca people, the amazing buildings they created, and all of their important traditions. I wanted my book to be like a bridge that connected my two families—my Spanish family and my Inca family. My biggest hope was to show the whole world how wonderful and important the Inca civilization truly was.

I lived a long and busy life, and I kept writing stories until the very end. I lived to be 77 years old. Today, my books are still very important. They are read by people all over the world who want to learn about the Inca Empire from someone whose family was a part of it. My writing helped keep the memories, history, and culture of my mother's people alive for everyone to learn about. I am remembered as one of the first great writers from the Americas, and my stories continue to build a bridge between the past and the present.