Inca and Andean TraditionFounding Ancestress
Mama Ocllo
Mama Uqllu
Also known as Mama Ocllo Huaco, Mama Uqllu
- the founding of Cusco
- spinning and weaving
- the household
The founding ancestress of the Incas, sister and wife of Manco Cápac, who in Garcilaso's account taught the women of Cusco to spin, weave, and keep house while her brother taught the men to farm.
About Mama Ocllo
In Garcilaso
In Garcilaso de la Vega's Royal Commentaries (1609), Mama Ocllo is the Sun's daughter, sent with her brother Manco Cápac from Lake Titicaca to civilize humanity. When their golden rod sinks at Huanacauri, the pair separate to call the people together, he to the north of the valley and she to the south, and while Manco teaches the men agriculture and irrigation, Mama Ocllo teaches the women to spin, weave, and sew clothing. The division reflects the gendered order of Inca society, in which fine cloth was among the most valuable of all goods.
In the Pacaritambo version
In Betanzos and Sarmiento, Mama Ocllo is one of the four sisters who emerge from the cave at Pacaritambo, and she becomes Manco's wife and the mother of the next ruler, Sinchi Roca. Sarmiento gives a more warlike role to another sister, Mama Huaco, who in his hostile account kills one of the valley's earlier inhabitants; this version has been read as reflecting both real conflict over the valley and Toledo's wish to depict the Incas as usurpers.
Legacy
Like Manco, Mama Ocllo is a legendary ancestor rather than a securely historical figure. The Inca queen (coya) inherited her role as the Moon's earthly counterpart.
Origin story
Daughter of the Sun and the Moon in Garcilaso's version; one of the four sisters from the cave at Pacaritambo in Betanzos's and Sarmiento's.
Worship and cult
Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Mama Ocllo
Honored as founding ancestress of the royal lineage; her role as the first coya passed to each Inca queen, who was regarded as the Moon's counterpart on earth.
Family
Mama Ocllo's family at a glance
- Who are Mama Ocllo's parents?
- The atlas's kinship records name one parent of Mama Ocllo: Inti. Ancient accounts do not always agree on divine parentage.
- Who were Mama Ocllo's spouses and consorts?
- Spouses and consorts of Mama Ocllo recorded in the atlas: Manco Cápac.
- Who are Mama Ocllo's siblings?
- Siblings of Mama Ocllo recorded in the atlas: Manco Cápac.
In the atlas
Where Mama Ocllo appears
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios Reales, Part I, Book 1 (paraphrase)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.
Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.
Genealogy
Family tree
Mama Ocllo's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.