The “Tao of Right and Wrong” in the Huarochirí Manuscript

This paper explores the moral worldview contained in The Huarochirí manuscript, a Quechua text written in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century that records the beliefs and customs of the ancient people of Huarochirí in the highlands of Lima, Peru. Drawing on Nicolás Beauclair’s interpretation, I first present his view that Huarochirí morality constitutes a compact ethical system whose central principle is reciprocity—the source of the moral rules “do not steal,” “do not lie,” “do not be idle,” and “do not commit adultery.” I then develop my own reading, which, without denying the particularities of this Andean ethics, interprets it as a manifestation of a broader, global morality akin to what C. S. Lewis called the “Tao of Right and Wrong.” In doing so, I analyze the principle of reciprocity, examine the presence of the Golden Rule—the core principle of Lewis’ Tao—in The manuscript, and compare the two.