Peruvian researcher and author Rafael Aíta is challenging a long-held belief about the evangelization of Peru, arguing that the idea of Catholicism being forcibly imposed on the Incas is a profound misconception. In an interview with EWTN Noticias, Aíta, author of the new book “The Catholic Incas”, contends that the conversion of the Inca nobility was a complex process rooted in dialogue and shared beliefs.
“The biggest mistake, even among Catholics, is thinking our faith was imposed,” Aíta stated, emphasizing that “a small handful of Spaniards could never have convinced thousands or hundreds of thousands of people.” Instead, he points to a historical narrative of convergence and negotiation, rather than coercion.
Aíta highlights that the first converts were Incas themselves, including nobles who voluntarily requested baptism after Atahualpa’s forced baptism. He also brings to light a forgotten fact: the first parish in Cusco, San Cristóbal, was founded by an Inca prince, the son of Huayna Capac, not by a Spaniard or priest.
His research, sparked during his first visit to Machu Picchu, led him to historians like María Rostworowski and José Antonio del Busto. Their writings, which Aíta says are not taught in schools, reveal a rich history of Inca-Catholic integration. A prime example is the Corpus Christi paintings in Cusco, where an Inca standard-bearer is depicted following the Eucharist, with the Inca’s crown placed at the feet of Jesus, symbolized as the “Eucharistic Sun.”
Aíta argues that the Incas, who worshipped the sun, found in Christianity the true Sun, Jesus Christ, making Corpus Christi a fulfillment of their ancient solar festival. This deep-rooted connection explains why Catholicism remains vibrant in Peru today: “Had it been imposed, we would have changed once the Spaniards left. Yet we carried on, perhaps even more Catholic than they were,” he concludes.
