Na Hyeon

Jan.19,2010                          Inca Mythology

Soc.st

The Inca civilization started at the Andes mountains in the 1300s. As the Incas empire expended, the myths and legends of the cultures of the areas that they conquered were absorbed. The Incas changed the myth because they wanted to make the foreign myths to be more Inca. However, they didn’t record the myths in writing but they passed on the myth by storytelling. Machu Picchu was the holy city of the Incas and it was located in Peru. There are temples in Machu Picchu where they worshipped their god. The Incans worshiped the sun because they strongly believed that the sun was an ancestor father of the Incas.

The Incas believed in many gods and goddesses. Inti was the sun god and known to be the ancestral father. He was honored with lots of gold artworks. Viracocha was the creator god believed to have a special bond with the Inca king Pachacuti. Pachacuti dreamt that the creator God helped his people in the war. At the end of the war, Pachacuti built a temple for Viracocha. Mama Kilya is Inti’s wife and she is the mother to the Incas and is known as the moon goddess. Illapu, the god of weather who brings rain, was important to the Incas as they depended on agriculture. Other gods and goddesses include Cuichu, the rainbow; Paca Mama, the earth mother; and Mama Qoca, the sea mother.

The Inca myth tells about how the Incas were meant to be leaders and about the creation of the world and the incident of the great flood. The Incas myth of creation tells that Viracochas first creation was disobedient so, he destroyed them. He then made his second race which is people he made from clay. He equipped these people with living skills. The myth on the Inca civilization states that a long time ago, people were ignorant and evil. The God, Inti, felt sad and sent his son and daughter to teach the people. Because of this, the Incas believe that it was the sun god himself who brought the Incas to glory. Just as the other people, the Incas also have a story about the great flood which was said to wipe out greedy and cruel people. It was only in the highlands where the people were not evil. Two brothers saw their llamas behaving strangely and the animals told them that a flood would hit them soon. The brothers took their families and herds to the highlands as the world below them drowned. It is said that Inti’s smile dried the flood and the two brother’s families repopulated the earth.

Until now, the Incas still continue to give offerings to their gods at the holy places. It shows that the myths from the old days play an important role in their beliefs. 

   -Inti 

-Viracocha

 Resources:

Inca Gods. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2010. <http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/

     incan-mythology.php>.

Inca Myth. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/

     Ho-Iv/Inca-Mythology.html>.

Pictures:

Inti. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

     <http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com/images/

     inti-copia.jpg>.

Viracocha. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.

     <http://destinationterre2.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/viracocha1.jpg

     >.