[6][7][8] Mama Qucha was more important to people living beside the coastal regions due to nearness and dependence upon the sea.
[4] Inca beliefs in Mama Qucha and other water deities indicate that the people back then understood the basics of the hydrological cycle.
An ancient Inca legend tells that Mama Qucha was the daughter of the Sun and the Moon.
She was also sister of "Inca" (the Son of the Sun) and physically she was described as a pale and beautiful young woman, sent from heaven with her brother to teach people to live and work in peace and love.
The people, upon meeting her, recognized her as their protective mother and under her and Inca's guidance they made houses and roads, temples and fortresses.