Viracocha, Who Rose from Lake Titicaca
Andean legend says the creator rose out of Lake Titicaca in the darkness, made the Sun, Moon and stars, then walked away across the sea.
What was reported
In Inca and earlier Andean belief, Viracocha was the creator god. In the beginning, the world was dark. Viracocha emerged from Lake Titicaca and, on the Island of the Sun, called the Sun, the Moon and the stars into being.
He shaped people out of stone at Tiwanaku, nearby, and sent them out into the land. Then he travelled across the Andes teaching them, before walking out across the Pacific Ocean and disappearing over the waves.
Explanations offered
The legend was recorded by Spanish chroniclers after the conquest, and some details may have been shaped by them. The Island of the Sun has Inca ruins and is still visited by pilgrims and travellers.
- When
- Told before the Spanish conquest
- Where
- Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
- Witnesses
- Andean tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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