﻿252 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  that 
  the 
  cult 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  grandfather 
  would 
  be 
  

   strengthened 
  thereby. 
  The 
  nobles 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  marry 
  their 
  half- 
  

   sisters. 
  This 
  exception 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  rule 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  explain. 
  

   The 
  chroniclers 
  link 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  later 
  emperors' 
  custom 
  of 
  making 
  one 
  

   of 
  their 
  full 
  sisters 
  their 
  principal 
  wife, 
  and 
  assume 
  that 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  

   Emperor 
  was 
  set 
  above 
  all 
  human 
  law, 
  so 
  his 
  nobles 
  were 
  distinguished 
  

   somewhat 
  from 
  their 
  fellow 
  men. 
  This 
  explanation 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  cor- 
  

   rect 
  one. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  7; 
  Acosta, 
  1940, 
  bk. 
  6, 
  ch. 
  18; 
  

   Poma, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  190.) 
  

  

  The 
  social 
  group 
  which 
  restricted 
  marriage 
  on 
  a 
  broader 
  basis 
  was 
  

   the 
  ayllu 
  (aylyo), 
  a 
  kinship 
  group 
  discussed 
  below. 
  Garcilaso 
  says 
  

   specifically 
  that 
  marriage 
  outside 
  the 
  ayllu 
  (parentela) 
  was 
  forbidden 
  

   (1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  4, 
  ch. 
  8), 
  and 
  Cobo 
  lists 
  a 
  law 
  which 
  permits 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  

   elope 
  with 
  a 
  girl 
  without 
  her 
  father's 
  consent, 
  and 
  suffer 
  no 
  penalty 
  

   provided 
  the 
  girl 
  went 
  willingly 
  and 
  both 
  parties 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   village 
  (1890-95, 
  bk. 
  12, 
  ch. 
  26). 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Inca 
  Empire, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  a 
  man's 
  wives 
  was 
  an 
  index 
  of 
  

   his 
  wealth 
  and 
  prestige, 
  and, 
  because 
  the 
  women 
  shared 
  the 
  agricul- 
  

   tural 
  work, 
  extra 
  wives 
  also 
  made 
  life 
  easier 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  family. 
  The 
  

   ordinary 
  taxpayer, 
  however, 
  was 
  monogamous 
  from 
  necessity. 
  The 
  

   first 
  wife 
  became 
  the 
  principal 
  one, 
  with 
  precedence 
  over 
  all 
  subsequent 
  

   ones; 
  if 
  she 
  died, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  secondary 
  wives 
  could 
  take 
  her 
  place, 
  

   although 
  the 
  husband 
  was 
  free 
  to 
  marry 
  another 
  principal 
  wife. 
  The 
  

   Inca 
  explained 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  preventing 
  intrigue 
  among 
  the 
  sec- 
  

   ondary 
  wives. 
  A 
  widow 
  could 
  not 
  remarry 
  unless 
  she 
  were 
  inherited 
  

   by 
  her 
  husband's 
  brother 
  (the 
  levirate) 
  . 
  A 
  son 
  inherited 
  his 
  father's 
  

   secondary 
  wives 
  who 
  had 
  not 
  borne 
  children. 
  A 
  man 
  might 
  also 
  

   receive 
  wives 
  by 
  gift 
  from 
  the 
  Emperor 
  or 
  by 
  capturing 
  them 
  in 
  war. 
  

   A 
  man's 
  foster-mother 
  became 
  his 
  secondary 
  wife 
  when 
  he 
  married 
  

   and 
  remained 
  so 
  until 
  he 
  had 
  paid 
  off 
  his 
  obligation 
  to 
  her 
  for 
  rearing 
  

   him 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  7). 
  

  

  With 
  marriage, 
  a 
  man 
  acquired 
  the 
  status 
  of 
  a 
  full 
  adult 
  and 
  moved 
  

   into 
  his 
  own 
  house. 
  The 
  ties 
  of 
  ancestor 
  worship 
  kept 
  married 
  sons 
  

   near 
  their 
  father, 
  however, 
  forming 
  small 
  extended 
  family 
  groups 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  Aymara. 
  The 
  nobility 
  worshiped 
  

   several 
  generations 
  of 
  dead 
  ancestors, 
  but 
  the 
  common 
  people 
  usually 
  

   did 
  not 
  remember 
  generations 
  more 
  remote 
  than 
  the 
  dead 
  grand- 
  

   father, 
  whom 
  they 
  worshiped 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  10). 
  The 
  

   possession 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  and 
  wrapped 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  worshiped 
  ancestor 
  

   was 
  the 
  important 
  link; 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  if 
  an 
  unfriendly 
  neighbor 
  got 
  

   possession 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  the 
  descendants 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  obey 
  his 
  orders 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  their 
  worship 
  (Anonymous 
  Letter 
  of 
  1571 
  (1848), 
  

   p. 
  448). 
  Extended 
  families 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  lived 
  by 
  preference 
  in 
  a 
  

   common 
  enclosure 
  (kanca) 
  containing 
  three 
  to 
  six 
  houses, 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  

  

  