Analysis of Myths of the Inca Empire

A civilization’s mythology, especially its creation myths, can act as a window into said civilization, and the material conditions that contributed to its existence. This can be seen well in the contents of the Incan creation myth, the story of Manco Cápac.

Like the many creation myths of Latin American peoples, the Incan myth of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo starts with the sun god, Inti. One day, Inti was looking down upon the human inhabitants of Titicaca lake in southern Peru and was disturbed by their savagery. They lacked culture, agriculture, and textiles, which caused them to live short, unhappy lives. To remedy this, Inti sent down his son, Manco Cápac, and his wife, Mama Ocllo. Manco Cápac then taught the lake men how to be civilized and worship the sun god, while Mama Ocllo taught the women how to make textiles and conduct domestic labor. Once the savages were successfully civilized, Inti instructed his son to find fertile land and establish an empire. To do this, he was given a golden scepter that would sink into the land which was the best fit for an empire. Manco Cápac then headed north of lake, and Mama Ocllo south, in search of land worthy of an empire. However, neither of them were successful, so they returned to a mountain north of the lake called Huanacauri, and suddenly, the golden scepter planted itself in the Earth. So, they decided to build a city named Cuzco, which became the birthplace of the Incan Empire.

The myth of Manco Cápac follows in the tradition of many Native American creation myths in that it starts with the Powerful sun god Inti, which suggests the Sun’s importance to the Incan people. However, it is important to notice that while Inti had overlordship over the Incan ancestors (the lake savages) he did not create them he just stumbled upon them, which suggests that while he is powerful, he is not as powerful as say the Christian God which created everything, including humans. One of the most prevalent archetypes in the myth is that of the hero, or in this case, Manco Cápac. It took Manco Cápac’s aid and advice to the lake inhabitants for them to truly become civilized, which implies that the Incan people valued strong, helpful, leadership in their civilization. As well as using the hero archetype, the Myth of Manco Cápac uses the common symbol of a golden scepter. In the context of this story, the scepter is used to determine fertile land for an Empire, which shows how gold served as a representation of power and prosperity for the Incan people. One way that this myth differs from other Latin American myths is that, while it has an expansionary tone (hence the “empire” part of it), it lacks the violence and gore of Aztec and Mayan myths. This, along with the previously stated literary devices, makes the Incan myth of Manco Cápac a story that is historically significant in regards to the Incan civilization.

The Incan people of the 1400s and 1500s saw themselves as descendants of the powerful Sun god, Inti, who was also their most important deity. As such, Incan Emperors were described as “Sons of the Sun'' for they were seen as descendants of both Inti and his son, Manco Cápac: the mythical first Incan Emperor. Following in the footsteps of the hero Manco Cápac, Incan Emperors were expected to be strong, wise, and kind, and as such, were described as, “Lovers of the Poor”, as well as descendants of the Sun god. Incan emperors oversaw a vast Empire, which spanned all across the Andes, from northern Columbia to central Chile. One of the most important resources within this Empire was gold. To the Incas, gold held heavy spiritual significance, for it was viewed as the sweat of the Sun God, and as such, seen as a symbol of life and vitality. While the Incans did preside over one of the largest empires in the world at the time, they did so in a much less violent way than most world powers. Unlike the Aztecs, the Incans sought to control their over 100 different Ethnic groups by incorporating them into Incan Society, as opposed to subjecting and suppressing them. This led the Incan Empire to be much more peaceful than the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, with the only real conflicts arising out of different families competing for the Imperial throne, which did not happen often. 

As seen through the example of the Incan story of Manco Cápac, a Civilization's mythology often reflects the culture and society of said Civilization.

History.com Editors. “Inca.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 Mar. 2015, www.history.com/topics/south-america/inca. 

Jarus, Owen. “The Inca Empire.” LiveScience, Purch, 5 Nov. 2018, www.livescience.com/41346-the-incas-history-of-andean-empire.html.