Viracocha whom ancient Peruvians believed in as a creator god. 

 Viracocha, according to legend, created the world and peopled it, 

 filled the sea with fish and gave to each animal its attributes. He 

 also created the sun, moon and stars, and caused thunder, lightning, 

 rain and hail. 



Among the earliest inhabitants of South America agriculture 

 was unknown, so Pachacamac must have arisen as a deity at some 

 rather advanced stage of culture. 



When early man wearied of a nomadic hand-to-mouth exist- 

 ence and discovered the comfort, convenience and security of agri- 

 culture he had to devise tools to till the soil. Crops called for 

 storage so he began to make vessels. More or less permanent resi- 

 dence in a given locality called for shelter and he began to erect 

 homes. The practice of agriculture afforded him seasonal leisure 

 which was turned to inventiveness. 



Other nomads watched and copied these developments. Out of 

 farming, community life began. Competition in the improvement 

 of conditions of living evolved. Leadership emerged. Culture arose. 

 Successive peaks and valleys of culture can be interpreted in terms 

 of superiority and inferiority. 



From the golden age of Inca supremacy in South America the 

 sequence of cultures can be traced backward an estimated two 

 thousand years. Authorities differ, but it is generally agreed that 

 man inhabited the New World more than ten thousand years ago, 

 possibly as much as twenty thousand years ago. There are tre- 

 mendous gaps of many centuries in the reconstruction of history. 

 Several of the most advanced civilizations which have been de- 

 ciphered seemingly emerge full-blown, though they must have 

 developed very slowly over vast periods of time. 



Along the coast of Peru the oldest civilizations are supposed to 

 be Early Chimii, Early Nasca and Ancon. The ruins of Pachacamac 

 reflect a little of each of these cultures which places it as of later 

 date. More importantly Pachacamac gives evidence of pronounced 

 Inca influence. Inca civilization emerged at Cuzco and spread by 

 conquest throughout Peru and Ecuador. 



A handful of Spaniards slew the last of the Inca kings and their 

 empire collapsed some four hundred years ago, but traditions of 

 the sun-worshippers live on. 248 



