Chasqui, by Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala

Part of El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, Chasqui is a fine-line image created by Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala as part of a chapter that discusses Incas and their day-to-day activities and social ordering. This image approaches the subject through an economic lens, focusing on a rather peculiar figure from Inca towns: the chasqui.

Chasquis were royal messengers who ran between points to deliver objects and official messages from government officials. According to Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, chasqui means the one who exchanges. The chasquis had a really interesting logistical configuration: every 2.5km (or 1.5mi for our American friends) there would be a relay station where rested, fit individuals would wait to receive a message and take responsibility from there. 

The painting shows a chasqui as its main character. Apart from his figure, our attention is usually drawn by the white feathers on his head, which served both to protect him from the sun and to make him visible from a farther distance to his colleagues, and by his pututu - a seashell instrument used to alert his colleagues of his arrival.

Size conversion table

A4: 8.3" x 11.7" ≈ 21cm x 30cm

A3: 11.7" x 16.5" ≈ 30cm x 40cm

A2: 16.5" x 23.4" ≈ 40cm x 60cm

A1: 23.4" x 33.1" ≈ 60cm x 84cm