Character Catalog

Mama Ocllo is the legendary co-founder of Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire. This founding act, passed down through oral tradition, forms the original story of the entire Tawantinsuyu civilization.

Mama Ocllo is said to have introduced the women of the Andes to the art of weaving, transforming the practice into a cornerstone of Inca economy and culture. Inca textiles rank among the most sophisticated of any pre-colonial civilization.

As the first Coya, Mama Ocllo established the role of queen-goddess in Inca society. This model was followed by every subsequent Inca queen, each of whom claimed descent from her divine lineage.

The story of Mama Ocllo's journey carrying the vara de oro was passed down from generation to generation by the amautas (keepers of oral memory). It stands as one of the foundational mythological texts of the Andes.

The model established by Mama Ocllo — of women dedicated to ceremonial weaving and religious rites — gave rise to the acllahuasis. These institutions trained noblewomen to carry on the arts and rituals founded by the goddess.

Inca Manco Cápac and his sister and wife Mama Ocllo Huaco, children of the Sun and the Moon, emerged from the lake known as Titicaca... She taught women to spin and weave wool and cotton.

Mama Ocllo Coya, first queen of the Inca, was a great lady and mother of the entire Inca nation; she taught women the arts of weaving and household governance.

And so Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo emerged from Lake Titicaca, bearing with them the golden staff; and as they journeyed across the land, in the place where the staff sank into the earth, they founded the city of Cuzco.

Mama Ocllo was revered as a goddess among the Inca, wife and equal in divinity to Manco Cápac; the women of Cuzco venerated her as their mother and patron.

The mythical place of emergence of Mama Ocllo and Manco Cápac according to Inca cosmogony. The lake, situated at 12,507 feet (3,812 m) above sea level, was venerated as the cradle of civilization and a major sanctuary of the Andean world.

The sacred capital of the Inca Empire, founded according to legend by Mama Ocllo and Manco Cápac. The Qorikancha, the main temple, also housed a chapel dedicated to the Moon, associated with Mama Ocllo.

An island dedicated to the lunar goddess, directly linked to the cult of Mama Ocllo. The acllas (priestesses of the sun and moon) lived there and carried on the textile traditions inherited from the founding goddess.

According to one version of the myth, Mama Ocllo and Manco Cápac emerged from the cave of Tambo Toco at Pacariqtambo. This site was venerated as a place of pilgrimage by the Inca.