Mitos y Leyendas: The Inca Yupanqui

• Genny de Bernardo shares with you the legend of the Inca Yupanqui.
• Their main capital was Cusco, considered the navel of the world.
• For the Incas, the sun was a key celestial body for their civilization.

The Inca civilization, also known as the Inca Empire or Tahuantinsuyu, was one of the largest and most advanced civilizations in pre-Columbian America.

It dominated the Andean region of South America from the 15th century until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

The Incas worshipped a variety of gods, with the Sun God, Inti, being the most important. They performed sacrifices and religious rituals to ensure the fertility of the land and success in war.

This culture has a wide variety of legends of all kinds, but today’s story is about Yupanqui and his encounter with a celestial being.

The Legend of Yupanqui

It is said that before ascending to the throne, the Inca Yupanqui visited his father, the Inca Viracocha. During his journey, he arrived at a spring called Susurpugaio, where he discovered a piece of crystal in the water.

In this crystal, he saw the image of an Indian with three bright rays emanating from the back of his head, wearing bangs on his forehead, and serpents coiled around his arms and shoulders.

The Indian had earrings, dressed like the Incas, and had a lion’s head on his legs and another lion on his shoulders.

This strange figure frightened Inca Yupanqui, and he was about to flee when a voice called him by his name and told him not to be afraid, as he was looking at his father, the Sun.

The Message of the Sun

The Sun assured him that he would conquer many nations but reminded him to pay homage to his father in his sacrifices and offer him significant tributes as a show of worship.

Then, the figure disappeared, but the crystal remained in the hands of the Inca, who would later use it to see whatever he wished.

When Yupanqui became king, he erected a statue in honor of the Sun, trying to remember the figure he had seen in the crystal as much as possible.

Moreover, he ordered all the tribes he conquered to build magnificent temples to worship this new deity, instead of the original creator. Mitos y Leyendas bids you farewell for now and hopes you enjoyed this story. See you next time!