Inca mythology

[5] Inca society was influenced by the local animal populations; both as food, textile, and transport sources, as well as religious and cultural cornerstones.

As the chief deity, Viracocha was the creator god and served as the primary religious icon of the entire Peruvian Andes, particularly during the Early Horizon (900-200 BC) onwards.

This way of keeping time was deployed in order to ensure the cultural transmission of key information, in spite of regime change or social catastrophes.

[citation needed] There is currently a theory put forward by Gary Urton that the quipus could have been a binary system capable of recording phonological or logographic data.

Still, to date, all that is known is based on what was recorded by priests, from the iconography on Inca pottery and architecture, and from the myths and legends that have survived among the indigenous peoples of the Andes.

In another myth, Manco Cápac was sent with Mama Ocllo (others even mention numerous siblings) to Lake Titicaca where they resurfaced and settled on the Isla Del Sol.

According to this legend, Manco Cápac and his siblings were sent up to the earth by the sun god and emerged from the cave of Puma Orco at Paqariq Tampu carrying a golden staff called "tapac-yauri".

During the journey, one of Manco's brothers (Ayar Cachi) was tricked into returning to Puma Urqu and sealed inside or alternatively was turned to ice, because his reckless and cruel behavior angered the tribes that they were attempting to rule.

Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa wrote that there was a hill referred to as Tambotoco, about 33 kilometers from Cuzco, where eight men and women emerged as the original Inca's.

Since this was a later origin myth than that of Pacaritambo it may have been created as a ploy to bring the powerful Aymara tribes into the fold of the Tawantinsuyo.

Accounts vary, but according to some versions of the legend, the young Manco jealously betrayed his older brothers, killed them, and then became Cusco.

This is reflected in myths about the Paxil mountain, from which people were alleged to have been created from corn kernels that were scattered by the gods.

[15] While perhaps not relating to a single physical feature per se, environmental sound was extremely important in Incan mythology.

In the temple concave mirrors would focus the sun's rays to light a fire for the sacrifice of llamas and in certain circumstances, children to please and pay tribute to the gods.

[21] The Hualla subsided by growing coca and chili peppers, which the Incans associated with the peoples of the Amazon and who were perceived to be inferior and wild.

[21] Thus, the myth continues, the Inca came to rule over the entire Cusco Valley, before eventually going on to conquer much of the Andean world.

For example, there are myths among the indigenous people of the former Inca empire that tell the stories of foreigners who come into the Andes and destroy valuable objects.

[23] One such myth is the tale of Atoqhuarco amongst the Quechua, which describes how an indigenous woman is destroyed in an act of rebellion against a lascivious foreigner who in turn is eventually transformed into a predatory fox.

[23] As such, these myths show that Inca mythology was strategically deployed to subvert and rebel against Spanish rule in the former Incan Empire.

[26] While the Inca Empire may have ceased to exist hundreds of years ago, its vibrant mythology continues to influence life throughout Peru today.

Inca society was influenced by the local animal populations; both as food, textile, and transport sources, as well as religious and cultural cornerstones.

[6] Llamas were important to the economy of the vast Incan Empire, they could be used for wool, transportation of goods, and food.

[29] The site of Qenko north of Cusco contains monoliths and astronomically aligned structures, which on certain days create light and shadow effects.

At the June solstice sunrise, light passes through a carefully designed fissure aligned to illuminate first one of the gnomons and then the other, with both casting shadows that create an image.

In addition, the Inca believed that unhappy dead souls could visit people in the form of black dogs.

Additionally, some sources report that women who sleep alone at night were capable of being impregnated by ghosts which would yield a baby with dog feet.

[34] The Andean people believed that bears represented the sexual habits of men and women and the girls were warned of "bear-rape".

This tale could be interpreted as a Native American's plight story against the Hispanic society in which they find them in, which becomes more believable as this folklore become more prominent after the Spanish Conquest.

Ukuku clowns can be seen in the Corpus Christi celebrations of Cuzco where they undergo pilgrimage to a nearby glacier and spend the night on the ice as an initiation of manhood.

[34] The Inca had indigenous names for constellations as well as interstellar clouds (dark nebulae) visible from the Southern hemisphere.