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Article: 'Children of the sun': here's the answer to why the Incas liked gold.
- Article from:
- Dig
- Article date:
- November 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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According to the Incas, the sun god sent his son, Manco Capac, and his daughter, Mama Ocllo, to earth to instruct the people of Peru in the arts of farming, weaving, making pottery, cooking, astronomy, and all the other skills that would help them live a better life. Because Inca rulers believed that their ancestors were the offspring of the sun, they called themselves "children of the sun." These rulers also thought of themselves as the sun god's representatives on earth, and had the people worship them as the sun's direct descendants.
Inca rulers were mummified after they died to preserve their eternal link with their father, the sun god. Their mummies were ...