Which Inca ruler was the son of Pachacuti and expanded into Ecuador?

The Inca ruler who was Pachacuti’s son and expanded the empire into Ecuador was Topa Inca Yupanqui. He first served as crown prince and military commander under his father, then ruled as the tenth Sapa Inca from about 1471 to 1493.

Topa Inca led major campaigns northward through the Andes, extending Inca authority into regions of present-day Ecuador. He became particularly associated with Quito and the northern imperial frontier. His campaigns also brought the powerful Chimú kingdom on Peru’s northern coast under Inca control, making him one of the empire’s most important conquerors.

He was not the same ruler as Huayna Capac, his son and successor. Huayna Capac continued northern expansion and was closely connected with Quito, which can make the two rulers easy to confuse. Atahualpa, another later ruler, was Huayna Capac’s son and became involved in the civil war that weakened the empire before the Spanish conquest.

Topa Inca also continued major construction projects, including work at Sacsayhuamán, and helped consolidate the administrative structure of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca realm’s name for its “four united regions.”