Apu Ollantay | Page 4

In a few days
Ollantay and his people celebrated the Raymi or great festival of the
sun with much rejoicing and drinking. Rumi-naui pretended to join in
the festivities, but when most of them were wrapped in drunken sleep,
he opened the gates, let in his own men, and made them all prisoners.
[FN#5] A bust, on an earthen vase, was presented to Don Antonio

Maria Alvarez, the political chief of Cuzco, in 1837, by an Indian who
declared that it had been handed down in his family from time
immemorial, as a likeness of the general, Rumi-naui, who plays an
important part in this drama of Ollantay. The person represented must
have been a general, from the ornament on the forehead, called
mascapaycha, and there are wounds cut on the face.--Museo Erudito,
No. B.
There is next another scene in the garden of the convent, in which Yma
Sumac importunes Pitu Salla to tell her the secret of the prisoner. Pitu
Salla at last yields and opens a stone door. Cusi Coyllur is discovered,
fastened to a wall, and in a dying state. She had been imprisoned, by
order of her father, Inca Pachacuti on the birth of Yma Sumac. She is
restored with food and water, and the relationship is discovered when
Cusi Coyllur hears the child's name, for she had given it to her.
Next the Inca Tupac Yupanqui is discovered in the great hall of his
palace, seated on his tiana or throne, with the Uillac Uma in attendance.
To them enters a chasqui, or messenger, who describes the result of
Rumi-naui's treachery in octosyllabic quatrains. Rumi-naui himself
enters and receives the thanks of his sovereign. Then the prisoners are
brought in guarded-Ollantay, Hanco Huayllu, Urco Huaranca, and
Piqui Chaqui. The Inca upbraids them for their treason. He then asks
the Uillac Uma for his judgment. The High Priest recommends mercy.
Rumi-naui advises immediate execution: The Inca seems to concur and
they are ordered off, when suddenly the Inca cries 'Stop.' He causes
them all to be released, appoints Ollantay to the highest post in the
empire next to himself, and Urco Huaranca to a high command. There
are rejoicings, and in the midst of it all Yma Sumac forces her way into
the hall, and throws herself at the Inca's feet, entreating him to save her
mother from death. The Inca hands over the matter to Ollantay, but this
Yma Sumac will not have, and, the Uillac Uma intervening, the Inca
consents to go with the child.
The final scene is in the gardens of the convent. The Inca enters with
Yma Sumac, followed by the whole strength of the company. Mama
Ccacca is ordered to open the stone door and Cusi Coyllur is brought
out. She proves to be the sister of the Inca and the wife of Ollantay.
There are explanations, and all ends happily.
Of the antiquity of the drama of Ollantay there is now no question.

General Mitre wrote an elaborate paper on its authenticity, raising
several points to prove that it was of modern origin. But every point he
raised has been satisfactorily refuted. At the same time there are many
other points, some of them referred to by Zegarra, which establish the
antiquity of the drama beyond any doubt. The antiquity of the name
Ollantay-tampu, applied to the fortress in memory of the drama, is
proved by its use in the narratives of Molina (1560) and of
Salcamayhua.
An able review of the literature connected with the drama of Ollantay
was written by Don E. Larrabure y Unanue, the present Vice-President
of Peru, who considers that Ollantay would make a good acting play
with magnificent scenic effects.

MS. TEXTS.

1. The original text of Valdez. In 1853 the property of Don Narciso
Cuentas of Tinta, heir of Dr. Valdez.
2. The Justiniani text. In 1853 at Laris. Copy of the Valdez text.
3. Markham's copy of the Justiniani text (printed 1871).
4. Rosas copy of the Justiniani text.
5. Copy in the convent of San Domingo at Cuzco (the Dominican text).
6. Von Tschudi's copy of the Dominican text (printed 1853).
7. Text of Zegarra (printed 1878).
8. Second text of von Tschudi.
9. Text of Spilsbury.
10. Text of Sahuaraura penes Dr. Gonzalez de la Rosa.

There is light thrown upon the name Ollantay by the evidence taken
during the journey of the Viceroy Toledo from Jauja to Cuzco, from
November 1570 to March 1571. He wanted information respecting the
origin of the Inca government, and 200 witnesses were examined, the
parentage or lineage of each witness being recorded. Among these we
find six witnesses of the Antasayac ayllu. Sayac means a station or
division, Anta is a small town near Cuzco. The names of the six