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Viracocha is the Incan creator deity. Alternate names for Viracocha include Wiracocha, Apu Qun Tisqsi Wiraqutra, Con-Tici, and Kon-Tiki. He was one of the most important gods in the Incan pantheon, and was often considered to be the patron deity of the Incan people. His name was hardly said aloud because it was so sacred. Instead, it was saved for major ritual and worship. In day-to-day life, Viracocha was often referred to as Ilya (light), Wiraqocha Pacayacaciq (instructor), or Ticci (beginning). He is very similar to gods in other religions, including the Christian God and Shiva in the Hindu religion in the way her created the existence of the world from nothing.

In Incan myth, it is said that Viracocha emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca, an extremely spiritually important lake to the early South American peoples. In this way, Viracocha is very much connected to water and worshipped as a water deity. When he emerged from the deep, he created two races of living beings: the giants and the humans. The giants were his first venture into creating living beings, but they proved to be inadequate. So, Viracocha sent a great flood to rid the earth of these giants. Only the humans survived after Viracocha destroyed the giants due to their evil natures. After he was satisfied with the human race he had created, Viracocha set out to teach his new creations of all his wisdom. He taught them language, arts, agriculture, and any other essential tool to civilization. It is interesting to note that the Incans did not have a written language. All the stories of Viracocha remain from a rich tradition of oral history passed down through generations. After teaching the humans all he knew, he walked across the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, telling the Incan people he would return one day.

Viracocha’s worship was widespread throughout Peru, even before the Incans came to be. Historians believe that he was taken from earlier religions and incorporated into the Incan religion. The Incan leaders were said to be blessed by Viracocha, and the first Incan King was said to have been gifted a headdress and a battle axe with the promise that the Incan people would conquer all adversaries. He was generally a God of the nobility and not the people, worshipped mostly by royalty when the kingdom was in crisis. Offerings to Viracocha were often bloody, and included human sacrifices as well as animal sacrifices.

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