Once upon a time, a long time ago, Inti, the sun god, created the first Incan, and named him Manco Capac. The sun god created a sister for Manco. The sister did not have a name of her own. She was simply called "his sister". The sun god told Manco and his sister to go on a journey. Their job was to search high and low for a special place, a placed called Cuzco. The sun god gave Manco a golden staff.

The sun god said, "You will know that you have found Cuzco when the staff is swallowed by the earth. When you find it, you will build a city and name it Cuzco. In this special city, you will teach other Indians about the power of the sun god."

Because no one argued with the sun god, Manco Capac and his sister immediately traveled into the harsh Andes Mountains (referred to in this myth as "the wilderness".) Things were looking pretty grim. Over and over they tried, but they could not find a place where the golden staff sank into the ground.

One day, they stumbled upon a most beautiful location, the most beautiful location they had ever seen. When Manco tested the ground, his staff sank immediately out of sight, just as the sun god had foretold. Manco Capac and his sister built their city on that spot. They named their city Cuzco.

There were other tribes in the area, but Manco soon took over leadership of all the tribes. Manco became the first ruler of the Incas. That's how Cuzco became the capital of the Incan empire.

Manco went on to have 400 children. When Manco died at a very old age, the Incas built the Temple of the Sun on the spot where he died.

Inca Myth

Incas for Kids