﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  285 
  

  

  Marriage. 
  — 
  As 
  stated 
  (p. 
  257), 
  the 
  Inca 
  recognized 
  only 
  one 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  wife, 
  although 
  nobles 
  and 
  other 
  privileged 
  persons 
  might 
  have 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  secondary 
  wives. 
  Secondary 
  wives 
  were 
  taken 
  without 
  

   special 
  ceremony, 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  regular 
  form 
  of 
  marriage 
  for 
  the 
  

   principal 
  one 
  

  

  Marriages 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  arranged 
  by 
  the 
  young 
  couple 
  with 
  

   the 
  consent 
  of 
  their 
  parents, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  parents. 
  Under 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   Empire, 
  however, 
  the 
  couple 
  were 
  not 
  engaged 
  until 
  the 
  Governor 
  

   assembled 
  the 
  marriageable 
  boys 
  in 
  one 
  row 
  and 
  the 
  girls 
  in 
  another. 
  

   Each 
  boy 
  in 
  turn 
  chose 
  a 
  girl 
  and 
  put 
  her 
  behind 
  him. 
  If 
  two 
  boys 
  

   were 
  rivals 
  for 
  a 
  girl, 
  the 
  second 
  boy 
  made 
  no 
  choice 
  when 
  his 
  turn 
  

   came, 
  and 
  the 
  Governor 
  investigated 
  the 
  dispute 
  and 
  arbitrated. 
  

   The 
  loser 
  then 
  made 
  a 
  second 
  choice. 
  When 
  all 
  the 
  couples 
  had 
  been 
  

   satisfactorily 
  paired 
  off, 
  the 
  Governor 
  ceremonially 
  presented 
  each 
  

   girl 
  to 
  her 
  future 
  husband, 
  giving 
  the 
  Emperor's 
  blessing 
  to 
  the 
  

   marriage. 
  (Morua, 
  1922-25, 
  bk. 
  3, 
  ch. 
  34; 
  RGI, 
  1881-97, 
  1: 
  101; 
  

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

  

  Following 
  the 
  public 
  betrothal, 
  the 
  two 
  families 
  arranged 
  a 
  wedding 
  

   following 
  the 
  ancient 
  tribal 
  custom, 
  which 
  varied 
  locally. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   Inca 
  proper, 
  the 
  groom 
  and 
  his 
  family 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  bride, 
  

   whose 
  family 
  formally 
  presented 
  her 
  to 
  him. 
  As 
  acceptance, 
  the 
  

   groom 
  put 
  a 
  sandal 
  on 
  her 
  right 
  foot, 
  of 
  wool 
  if 
  she 
  was 
  a 
  virgin, 
  

   otherwise 
  of 
  icho 
  grass, 
  and 
  then 
  took 
  her 
  by 
  the 
  hand. 
  Both 
  

   families 
  then 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  groom, 
  where 
  the 
  bride 
  

   presented 
  the 
  groom 
  with 
  a 
  fine 
  wool 
  tunic, 
  a 
  man's 
  head 
  band 
  

   (lyawt'o), 
  and 
  a 
  flat 
  metal 
  ornament 
  which 
  she 
  had 
  brought 
  stowed 
  

   under 
  her 
  sash. 
  The 
  groom 
  put 
  these 
  on, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  couple's 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  lectured 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  married 
  life. 
  Both 
  families 
  made 
  

   them 
  presents, 
  and 
  a 
  feast 
  closed 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  In 
  some 
  provinces, 
  

   the 
  suitor 
  served 
  his 
  prospective 
  parents-in-law 
  for 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  days 
  before 
  

   the 
  wedding, 
  bringing 
  them 
  wood 
  and 
  straw 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  

   ch. 
  7; 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913, 
  p. 
  177). 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  if 
  not 
  all 
  districts 
  a 
  couple 
  lived 
  together 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  a 
  

   kind 
  of 
  trial 
  marriage. 
  ^References 
  to 
  the 
  custom 
  are 
  numerous, 
  but 
  

   so 
  vague 
  that 
  no 
  further 
  details 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  available. 
  (Morua, 
  1922-25, 
  

   bk. 
  3, 
  ch. 
  52; 
  Arriaga, 
  1920, 
  ch. 
  6; 
  and 
  see 
  discussion 
  and 
  references 
  

   in 
  Komero, 
  1923 
  a, 
  and 
  Bandelier, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  147.) 
  

  

  Divorce 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  wife 
  after 
  the 
  Government 
  had 
  sanctioned 
  

   the 
  marriage 
  was 
  theoretically 
  impossible, 
  but 
  secondary 
  wives 
  could 
  

   be 
  divorced 
  easily. 
  Information 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  scanty 
  (Cobo, 
  

   1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  7). 
  

  

  Ordinary 
  citizens 
  became 
  fully 
  mature 
  only 
  at 
  marriage, 
  when 
  they 
  

   set 
  up 
  their 
  own 
  households 
  and 
  became 
  taxpayers 
  (pp. 
  252, 
  265). 
  

   Quite 
  possibly, 
  outside 
  the 
  Inca 
  royal 
  lineages 
  the 
  boys' 
  maturity 
  

  

  