Inca Creation Myth Poem by Richard Burke

Each culture has a tale to tell,
Of how all came to be;
Of who created Earth and sky,
And air and land and sea;
The fish that swim, the birds that fly,
And even you and me.

In the beginning, Viracocha,
The god the Incas knew,
Rose from Titicaca,
Through the thin air of Peru,
To set about creation,
As gods are wont to do.

He made the sun to light the day,
And saw that this was good;
He added stars and planets,
Where empty space had stood;
Then turned to making all mankind,
To serve him, as they should.


Pachamama was the name he gave,
To the moon he took as wife;
Together, ruling all above,
And on Earth creating life;
But man, that he first made from stone,
Plagued Earth with pain and strife.

In the great flood, "Unu Pachakuti, "
"Stone-men" were washed away,
And Viracocha sowed his Earth,
With men now formed from clay;
Molding each to serve their god,
And his three rules obey.

ama quella, ama suwa, ama llulla,
"Do not be lazy, steal or lie; "
In return, I'll calm the waters,
And keep the high lands dry;
Never again need man fear flood,
On this promise, you can rely.

Viracocha and Pachamama,
A son and daughter bore,
And sent them down to Earth,
Their new lands to explore;
Teaching all they chanced to meet,
Their creators to adore.

Manco Capac, the first Inca,
Emperor and warrior,
Taught man to fashion weapons,
And expand the Inca border,
And build great cities stone-on-stone,
Without the use of mortar.

Mama Ocllo shared with women,
The weaving skills she knew;
Shearing silk-soft fleece,
From the rare vicuña ewe;
Then soaking it in cochineal,
To yield god's purple hue.

But on a distant, unknown land,
A different god held sway,
And tho' he preached goodwill to all,
Gold drove harsh men to stray;
Turning from their god's commands,
The devil to obey.

Clubs and stones fare poorly,
When met with steel and gun;
Tho' Incas bravely fought their foe,
The Spanish quickly won,
And stripped the Inca Empire,
Of gold and silver by the ton.

Who were these pitiless villains,
Purveyors of death and sorrow;
Who pillaged every Inca site,
From Cuzco to Ollantaytambo?
Conquistadors from deepest hell,
Three brothers named Pizarro!