A Wide Ranging History Blog Including Poetry

Possibly the first emperor and founder of the Inca Civilization, Manco Capac was believed to have a divine origin and was believed to have been chosen by the Gods to rule. He was believed to have been the son of the sun God Inti and the moon goddess Mama Quilla. Born in the 13th century, he founded Cusco, the capital of the Inca Civilization. Cusco, in modern day Peru, would be called “the navel of the world.”

The legacy of Manco Capac is clear in what is left in the capital city and the culture and spirituality of the Andean people. Manco Capac is deeply embedded into the myth and folklore of the region. According to the origin myth, Inti sents his children to share knowledge with human beings and to respect the earth, the waters, and the heavens and Manco Capac would teach men how to till the fields, irrigate crops, and about religion and justice.

There is some difficulty in determining which parts of the story of Manco Capac is myth and what is real. The Incas passed history and stories down orally instead of with writing. Theses stories would be passed down by specially trained people called the ‘keepers of the quipu’. The strongest argument for the real existence of Manco Capac is how frequent he shows up in folklore. The strongest argument against his existence, is the lack of archaeological evidence.

According to the folklore, the highly sophisticated and advanced Inca civilization began with Manco Capac.