He succeeded his father, Huayna Capac and his brother Ninan Cuyochi, both of whom died of smallpox during the same year while campaigning near Quito.

One story is that Huáscar was named after a huge gold chain that was made to mark the occasion of his birth.

Thus, although Huayna Capac named the infant Ninan Cuyochi as his first heir, sources differ as to whether the boy died first, was unacceptable because of an unfavorable divination or even if Huayna simply forgot that he had named him when asked to confirm the nomination.

[6] The Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos who provided information pertaining to the Huáscar-Atahualpa civil war, outlines Huáscar's tyranny.

It is, however, a very biased account, as Betanzos' wife, on whose testimony much of his chronicle is based, was previously married to Atahualpa.

Atahualpa's punishment of the Cañaris saw him rip the hearts of their tribal chiefs and force their followers to eat them.