The Island of the Sun has been a sacred place for Andean peoples for centuries. Over the years it has been a place where many gathered to worship. Eventually it became a place where people believed the Sun God originated.
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| Andean Myths Surrounding the Island of the Sun |
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The Island of the Sun has been a sacred place for Andean peoples for centuries. Over the years it has been a place where many gathered to worship. Eventually it became a place where people believed the Sun God originated. |
The lack of a written record in the Andes has made recreating its people’s past somewhat difficult. However, from the evidence we do have, several things lead us to make conclusions as to how these people lived. In addition to archeological evidence, we also have the (although somewhat questionable) accounts of early Spanish explorers who recorded what they encountered. In the case of the Island of the Sun, the evidence colleted has lead scholars to conclude that this was a site of great importance. There is also knowledge of the island being used by several communities throughout pre-colonial times as a place for worship. As a result, we have a variety of creation myths surrounding the island that have been passed down through Andean peoples. Again, because the Incans and their ancestors had no visible record of writing, most of what has been reconfigured is based off of collected archeological evidence and Spanish records. |
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| Aymara Indian at Island of the Sun |
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Some of the earliest stories we have come from the Collao peoples who inhabited the area even before the Incas. It is important to note that the Inca were very diverse and several versions of this myth are prevalent. The following is a very simply version of one Inca account. Following either a period of darkness or a major flood, the Sun God sent his two children Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo to lake Titicaca. He placed them in such a way that they were seen emerging from behind a great rock. The two children were instructed to travel from the island, with a golden rod, in search of a place to settle. The two were told to travel to a place where the rod could be sunken completely in the ground. At this location, the two were to establish their settlement. However, along the way they were also to teach man how to live in a civilized and productive manner. It was said that before they were living in a barbaric and brutish way. When they reached Cuzco, the rod was consumed by earth. Just as their father had commanded, the two founded the capitol of the Incan empire in that place. |
Ruins at Island of the Sun |
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‘They say that it was at night and that there he [the Creator] made the Sun and Moon and Stars, and that he ordered the Sun and Moon and Stars to go to the Island of Titicaca that is near there, and from there they rose to the sky. And at that time, the Sun who wanted to rise in figure of a very flamboyant man called to the Inka and to Manco Capac, as their superior and said: You and your descendants will be Lords and will subjugate many nations; take me as our father…and at that point he ordered the Sun, Moon, and Stars to rise to the sky and put each one in their place.’ -Bernabe Cobo |
Many Spanish chroniclers wrote similar accounts of Incan myths. Among the most famous of these writers is Bernabe Cobo, Pedro de Cieza de Leon and Cristobal de Molina. |
‘When Manco Capac had seen what had happened to his brothers and had come to the valley where now is the city of Cuzco, the Orejones say that he raised his eyes to heaven and with great humility besought the Sun that he would favour and aid him in forming the new settlement. Then turning his eyes towards the hill of Huanacauri he addressed the same petition to his brother, whom he now held and reverenced as a god. Next he watched the flight of birds, the sign in the stars, and other omens, which filled him with confidence so that he felt certain that the new settlement would flourish and that he would be its founder and the father of all the Incas who would rule there.’ -Pedro de Cieza de Leon |
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| Cieza de Leon's Book Cover |
‘…the people of ancient times tell of being without light from the heavens for many days, and all of the local inhabitants were astonished, confused, and frightened to have total darkness for such a long time. Finally, the people of the Island of Titicaca saw the Sun come up one morning out of that crag with extraordinary radiance. For this reason they believed that the true dwelling place of the Sun was that crag…’ -Cristobal de Molina |
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| Cobo's Book Cover |
Within the Incan history, several adaptations are prevalent. The preceding story is a basic story that doesn’t allow for some of the details that often differentiate and complicate the story. Among some of the most widely know adaptations, are those in which the number of children sent to earth varies. Their purpose of these children on earth seems to remain the same. However, the journey and manner in which this is approached is somewhat different. In these stories, the siblings are systematically narrowed down to a founding two. Again, how this becomes the case is open to each variation, but some of the most common have the siblings deceiving and fighting each other until a smaller number remains. Those who are eliminated are killed for reasoning and explanation of sacred landmarks or to explain natural phenomenon. In each case however, a clear relationship between Cuzco’s founders, the Inca, and the Sun God is established. In this way the Inca were able to present themselves as deities. |
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Other varieties of this story speak of the Sun God’s children as emerging from other important landmarks such as caves or crags. As these stories do not relate to the Island of the Sun please see our references for links which have more detailed accounts of such variations. The story of Incan civilization also has a great resemblance to other Andean creation myths. While the Incan interpretation places Incan rulers as the providers of a civilized lifestyle, many others stories hold a variety of variations. It is believed that the Inca saw that the Island of the Sun as an important religious site and simply adopted others' myths and fitted them to Inca advantage. If this were the case, it would have allowed for some leverage with those already worshiping at the site. See our Inca page for further detail on archeological findings on the island. Our Pre-Inca site also has information regarding a Collao version of the creation myth. |
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