﻿Vol.2] 
  COMECHINGON 
  AND 
  NEIGHBORS 
  — 
  APARICIO 
  683 
  

  

  SOCIAL 
  AND 
  POLITICAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  the 
  family 
  except 
  for 
  a 
  sentence 
  by 
  Sotelo 
  

   Narvaez, 
  as 
  follows: 
  "They 
  do 
  not 
  set 
  so 
  much 
  importance 
  on 
  

   children 
  as 
  in 
  Peru." 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  some 
  information 
  on 
  social 
  organization. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  

   that 
  the 
  province 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  small 
  groups 
  under 
  chiefs 
  who 
  did 
  

   not 
  recognize 
  any 
  central 
  authority. 
  In 
  Cabrera's 
  "Kelacion," 
  it 
  

   is 
  said, 
  "Each 
  pueblo 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  parcialidad 
  or 
  kin 
  group 
  and 
  each 
  one 
  

   is 
  by 
  itself." 
  The 
  best 
  confirmation 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  document 
  of 
  

   1587 
  by 
  Tristan 
  de 
  Tejada 
  (in 
  Cabrera, 
  1932). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  notorious 
  that 
  no 
  village 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  cacique 
  is 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  another 
  

   cacique 
  or 
  pueblo. 
  These 
  people 
  are 
  in 
  such 
  anarchy 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  encomiendas 
  

   which 
  exist 
  or 
  are 
  being 
  established 
  each 
  pueblo 
  and 
  cacique 
  is 
  mentioned 
  by 
  itself 
  

   even 
  if 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  two 
  Indians. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  these 
  chieftainships, 
  according 
  to 
  another 
  judicial 
  document 
  

   of 
  1584 
  (Cabrera, 
  1932), 
  were 
  hereditary. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  "Probanza" 
  of 
  Pedro 
  Gonzalez 
  de 
  Prado 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  statement 
  about 
  the 
  relationships 
  of 
  these 
  people 
  with 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   Empire: 
  

  

  The 
  so-called 
  Andes 
  [Aconquija] 
  are 
  mountains 
  which 
  divide 
  these 
  kingdoms 
  

   from 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  de 
  la 
  Plata 
  which 
  we 
  discovered 
  and 
  which 
  Huayna- 
  

   capac, 
  natural 
  lord 
  of 
  these 
  kingdoms, 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  conquer. 
  

  

  A 
  witness, 
  Ant6n 
  Griego, 
  confirms 
  the 
  statement, 
  "He 
  knows 
  that 
  

   Huaynacapac, 
  natural 
  lord 
  of 
  these 
  Kingdoms, 
  could 
  not 
  subjugate 
  

   the 
  people 
  beyond 
  the 
  so-called 
  Andes." 
  Lizarraga 
  says, 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  maintained 
  them 
  [the 
  Huarpe] 
  in 
  subjection 
  and 
  some 
  spoke 
  the 
  Peru- 
  

   vian 
  language, 
  generally 
  used 
  in 
  Tucuman, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  C6rdoba 
  where 
  the 
  power 
  

   of 
  the 
  Inca 
  did 
  not 
  reach. 
  

  

  WARFARE 
  

  

  Information 
  about 
  the 
  wars 
  of 
  the 
  Comechingon 
  with 
  other 
  tribes 
  

   are 
  lacking, 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  data 
  on 
  their 
  resistance 
  against 
  the 
  Spaniards. 
  

   The 
  three 
  chroniclers 
  of 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  expedition 
  praise 
  their 
  

   fierceness 
  and 
  their 
  efficiency 
  at 
  war. 
  El 
  Palentino 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  

   not 
  have 
  poisoned 
  arrows 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  preferred 
  to 
  fight 
  at 
  night, 
  

   "in 
  squadrons," 
  and 
  " 
  carried 
  hidden 
  fire." 
  They 
  were 
  good 
  archers 
  

   and 
  protected 
  their 
  necks 
  with 
  leather 
  collars. 
  "They 
  painted 
  their 
  

   faces 
  half 
  black, 
  half 
  red." 
  

  

  The 
  "Probanza" 
  of 
  Gonzalez 
  de 
  Prado 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  document 
  on 
  

   Comechingon 
  weapons, 
  tactics, 
  and 
  the 
  episodes 
  of 
  warfare 
  with 
  neigh- 
  

   boring 
  tribes. 
  It 
  states 
  that 
  during 
  a 
  20-day 
  period, 
  the 
  Comechingon 
  

   attacked 
  them 
  4 
  times 
  and 
  killed 
  20 
  horses. 
  They 
  attacked 
  at 
  night 
  

   because 
  "they 
  continually 
  fight 
  at 
  night 
  with 
  fire." 
  A 
  native 
  detach- 
  

   ment 
  500 
  men 
  strong 
  attacked 
  them 
  in 
  "close 
  formation 
  and 
  they 
  

  

  