Introduction

Once a mighty empire stretched over the central highlands of the Andes, way down South past Mexico. Ranging from Chile to Peru where the capital city of Cuzco prevailed.

After 400 years and much personal sacrifice to keep the sun shining and the Gods contented, there was not a lot they could not do. Mighty buildings without the aid of cement mixers, casting metals, weaving, pottery, paved roads, suspension bridges, amazing art and sculpture, some quite abstract, and a thriving music scene. Agriculture thrived although there were no horses.

With all these skills they didn’t bother with things like wheels, and reading and writing — all their records were done with knotted string.

To a large extent a good time was had by all but naturally it couldn’t last. The Spaniards came and under Pizzaro used all the cunning, treachery, greed and cruelty at their disposal to seize power. After the Inca ruler Huayna Capac died there was a state of indecision as to who should be the next divine ruler. Unfortunately the gods fled and it wasn’t long before all the Inc ran out.

But just when you thought it was all over, the Inca had one secret city, Machu Picchu, hidden high in the mountains which the Spaniards never found. Or anyone else until 1911 when Hiram Bingham of Yale University stumbled across it, by which time it was deserted but still magnificent in its desolation. Adventurers have been searching for other secret cities and El Dorado ever since.

Incidentally, despite a trillion elderly books and websites claiming otherwise, the correct spelling is not INCAN Mythology but INCA Mythology. We have this confirmed in writing by the Incan Gods themselves. And there is no higher authority – apart from Merriam Websters and the Oxford Dictionary.

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Options

Introduction to Inca Mythology.

Use our Godbrowser™ to explore the Gods of Inca Mythology.

View the Inca pantheon. Family trees coming soon!

Consult Godchecker’s complete alphabetical list of Inca god and goddess names.

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