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Huayna Capac (Quechua Wayna Qhapaq "splendid youth") was the eleventh Sapa Inca (1493 - 1527) of the Inca Empire, and sixth of the Hanan dynasty. He was the successor to Tupac Inca Yupanqui. He was the father of Ninan Cuyochi, Huáscar, Atahualpa, Tupac Huallpa, Manco Inca Yupanqui and Pawllu Inca -- all of whom could be said to be his successors.

Huayna Capac extended the Inca empire (Tahuantinsuyu) significantly to the south, into present-day Chile and Argentina. For many years he and his armies fought to annex territories north of his empire in what is now Ecuador (and a small region of Colombia) to the northernmost province, Chinchaysuyo. The capital city of the empire was far to the south in Cuzco, and Huayna Capac hoped to establish a northern stronghold in the city of Quito.

Around 1527, when Huayna Capac was in present-day Colombia, he and his troops fell ill, and thousands died of what was almost certainly smallpox. Both Huayna Capac and his heir Ninan Cuyochi died. Huáscar was already working to overthrow the leadership of his brother Ninan when he learned of his death. Huáscar quickly secured power in Cusco and had his brother Atahualpa arrested. But Atahualpa escaped from his imprisonment with the help of his wife and began securing support from Huayna Capac's best generals, who happened to be near Quito, the nearest major city. Atahualpa won the ensuing civil war, but it was at this time that Spanish conquistadors began arriving in South America. The conquistadors used deceit to capture Atahualpa on his way back to Cuzco, copying an earlier exploit in Mesoamerica. A series of missteps by Atahualpa's generals following his capture led to the quick downfall of the empire.

• Huayna Capac is a civilization leader in the 2005 PC computer game Civilization IV. In the game, Huayna Capac is the lone leader of the Inca Empire and has the leader traits "Financial" and "Aggressive". These traits have been changed to "Financial" and "Industrious" in the Warlords expansion for Civilization IV, because a new leader, Ragnar, has been given the financial/aggressive combination.