Have you ever wondered what legends exist in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, well there are many legends, but the best known ones we will tell you below:
UILLANTO AND THE ACOITAPIA SHEPHERD
This Inca legend arises in the valley of Yucay in the Sacred Valley of the Incas which describes a sad love story that lived the ñusta Chuquillanto a daughter of the sun god with the shepherd named Acoitapia from the valley of Lares, the young shepherd was dedicated to the grazing of animals in the mountains of the Yucay Valley, raising animals was for purposes of sacrifices and religious rites in the Inca era. Both lived a forbidden love for belonging to different social classes, the ñusta was one of the princesses and daughter of the Inca and the shepherd belonged to a lower class where the union was not accepted so it was forbidden in Inca times and the punishment for disobeying the laws were death is so they saw each other in secret and when they were followed by the guards in their flight at night, they heard a voice calling them and when they turned both turned to stone. This legend is represented in the mountain of Pitusiray where the forms of both characters are shown petrified and are located in the province of Calca in the Cusco region.
THE LEGEND OF THE ÑUSTA (PISAQ)
This legend is born in the town center of Pisaq and on the mountain that is in front of this town is a natural geological formation of stone in the shape of a woman known as the hill Ñustayoq. The locals of Pisaq know her as the enchanted princess (ñusta).
The legend tells that Pisaq in Inca times needed a bridge to cross the Vilcanota river, so the Curaca (political and administrative chief) called Huayllapuma offered his beautiful daughter Inkill Chumpi (the princess of the flowery girdle) to marry the prince who would build a stone bridge that would cross the Vilcanota river in one night. Thus, many nobles saw this requirement as something impossible and gave up because they saw it as something impossible for anyone.
One day an Inca prince called Asto Rimac appeared and put his conditions to the curaca since he was determined to build the bridge in one night. Asto Rimac consulted with the priests to see if the gods would favor him and allow this great task and the gods through the priests supported his project with a condition of not turning his eyes towards the river and the bridge because this showed an attitude of impatience and self-confidence, doing so would turn him into stone.
The legend tells that the gods supported his project and these shook and sent stones to build the bridge and with the help of Inca workers and architects began the construction of the foundations and abutments of the bridge and as projected at midnight everything was going well and Inkill Chumpi the future wife was anxious because her happiness depended on it. Very close to dawn Inkill Chumpi anxious and impatient asked Asto Rimac to hurry the construction because it was already dawn and so much was her desperation that she decided to turn around to look at what was happening and instantly she turned into stone and her future husband disappeared dragged by the mighty waters of the river. It is said that the bridge was almost complete and when this happened, it began to collapse. Since then Inkill Chumpi lies in solitude contemplating the Sacred Valley of her ancestors.
WIRACOCHA OR TUNUPA
The Wiracochan or Tunupa is a character endowed with supernatural power with short hair, dressed in the custom of priests, with tunic and four-pointed hood, represented in one of the flanks of the Pinkuylluna hill in Ollantaytambo has a grim gesture and an admonishing look and holding the load of the pilgrims, which is represented in a size of 140 meters high.
The legend tells that Wiracocha after the universal flood decided to populate the earth once again, but this time he did it from an island that was Lake Titicaca and it was there where he raised the firmament, the sun, the moon and the stars. It was at that moment that Wiracocha used his staff where he multiplied lakes, trees, seeds, different languages and decided to give an order of life of peace among us and those who did not comply with this order would be punished. It was so that there were rebels and these were petrified in Tiahuanaco, after that Wiracocha continued his way of pilgrimage arriving to this place and called it Cusco where he announced the arrival of the Incas and it was so continuing his way in the sacred valley was received and left his knowledge engraved on his staff and in the memory of the people, the people in gratitude decided to carve the image in his likeness and finally went to the side of Ecuador getting lost and walking on the sea towards the horizon.
OLLANTAY DRAMA
The drama or legend of the general of Inca armies Ollantay. It tells that he was a warrior of plebeian origin and that thanks to his excellent services he was elevated to the nobility, but his mistake was to fall in love with Cusi Coyllur (Lucero Alegre or Estrella) the daughter of the Inca Pachacutec, a love forbidden by the laws. Ollantay blind of love unites with Cusi Coyllur in secret in spite of the omens given by the high priest. It was so Ollantay decides to ask for the approval of Pachacutec and this one denies him for his humble origin and enraged he withdraws it of his presence, in those moments Pachacutec decides to lock up his daughter in a women’s dungeon so that she can expiate her fault, it is there that Cusi Coyllur gave birth to a girl of the union with Ollantay.
Ollantay when learning that his beloved Cusi Coyllur was not in his palace thinks that she was murdered and decides to leave Cusco together with his confidant and faithful servant, threatening to return and to destroy the city of Cusco, it is this way that settles down in the city of Ollantaytambo, where he entrenches himself and enlists his people to resist with weapons to the army of the Inca.
Pachacutec orders to attack Ollantay through his general and this is ambushed and defeated, after 10 years the Inca Pachacutec dies without having defeated Ollantay and yields his throne to Tupac Yupanqui his son. Cusi Coyllur still imprisoned has the hope of fleeing with his daughter Ima Sumac (beautiful girl), Meanwhile Tupac Yupanqui decides to capture Ollantay for this he uses his bloody general to show the deal of the new Inca and this generates confidence with Ollantay to then open the gates of Ollantaytambo and together with his troops to catch Ollantay and his high officials and take him to Cusco to be but at the last moment Tupac Yupanqui pardons the officers and also Ollantay granting him the title of major general but Ollantay does not know that he would receive the encounter with his beloved Cusi Coyllur and his daughter, This happened when Tupac Yupanqui that through Ollantay’s daughter asks for clemency before the Inca for her mother that remained imprisoned and this forgives her and recognizing in her the sister of him arranging her liberation to then marry her with Ollantay.
