New Archaeological Findings Reaffirm the Important Role of Women 4,000 Years Ago in Peru

Peruvian legends speak of a lonely and hungry woman who unleashed her fury against the sun. The star was moved by her situation, and ‘fertilized’ her with its rays. Four days later, the woman gave birth to a boy whose birth generated a series of events related to the appearance a new coastal civilization. But the boy awoke the wrath of the Inca god Pachacamac, “creator of the earth” who abducted him to kill him and tear him apart. However, seeing the mother’s grief, Pachacamac buried the boy’s remains and made ​​it so that the burial incited the emergence of various fruits and food. Thus, the mother would not go hungry ever again, somewhat easing her pain.

But he was wrong: the woman wanted revenge, and the Sun, coming to her aid, created another demigod with the navel and umbilical cord of her child. This being was Vichama, who decided to travel the world when he grew up. When he returned, he looked for his mother, but he could not find her because Pachacamac had killed her. The god, upon learning of the return of the traveler, decided to dive into the depths of the ocean waters, where a temple now stands, and remained there forever.

The Vichama myth lives on in Peru, specifically in the area of Végueta (Huaura, Lima), where one can find the remains of an ancient agro-fishing town named after the demigod. The town was built during the Late Archaic period (3000 -1800 BC) and its residents maintained a close and fruitful relationship with Caral, the first Andean civilization.