What god did the Incas believe created the world?

The story behind the answer

The god the Incas believed created the world was Viracocha, also written Wiraqocha or Huiracocha. He was regarded as a creator deity and one of the highest-ranking figures in Andean religion.

In creation stories recorded by Spanish chroniclers, Viracocha emerged from Lake Titicaca or from the region of Paqariq Tampu during a time of darkness. He created the sun, moon, and stars, then fashioned humanity and spread people across the world. Some versions say that he first created giants, destroyed them in a flood, and made a second creation from smaller stones.

Viracocha was associated with the sea and with the creation of order, time, and civilization. The Inca also worshipped Inti, the sun god, who became especially prominent under later rulers. That does not make Inti the creator god in this question: Inti’s principal role was as the sun and a powerful imperial deity.

Pachamama represented earth and fertility, while Illapa was associated with thunder, lightning, and rain. Viracocha’s stories come largely through post-conquest accounts, so details vary between sources.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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