I think people will be surprised at how much respect women were given during Inca times. Women and men were seen as equal but different with distinct tasks assigned to each of them that were equally valued. Moreover, there were cults dedicated to goddesses that were fully operated by women. These were women-only hierarchies of power. And each queen consort in turn was seen as the leader of all women. In some ways, the emperor and his wife were co-rulers, with her leading worship of the moon goddess and acting as regent whenever he went off to conquer more land etc. Therefore, a lot of the machismo we now see in these Andean countries began with the Spanish Conquest.