Inca

Founded high in the Andes Mountains, the Incan Empire, at its peak, nearly stretched from the northernmost to southernmost tips of South America. Its exact origins are cloudy, but Manco Capac is generally attributed with the establishment of the empire at some point between the 10th and 12th Century. Child of the sun god Inti and moon god Mama Quilla, he was sent to Earth, emerging from Lake Titicaca, and given a golden staff. This staff quickly sank into the ground, and, as instructed, Manco built the Temple of the Sun upon that spot. Soon after he and his siblings united nearby villages to form the core of the empire.

Manco Capac ruled alongside his wife and sister, Mama Ocllo, for roughly forty years at the city of Cuzco, which formed around the temple he had built to establish the empire. This period was relatively stable, despite attacks from the Supay, a group of demons who lived just beneath the surface of the Earth in the realm of Ukhu Pacha. However, as time went on, the leader of the Supay, also named Supay, would form an uneasy relationship with the burgeoning nation

As more and more tribes were absorbed into the empire, their patron gods and leaders became absorbed into the Incan fold, forming a massive pantheon of deities. The combined traits of these beings; Illapa the weather god, Pariacaca the water god, Pacha Camac the Earthmaker, and many others, aided in the construction of the empire, constructing cities high in the mountains alongside humans. Over time these important places, both natural and artificial, would grow lives of their own and become huacas, in particular, mountains such as Parascotopetl and Mount Analogue. The same process, akin to deification, was true of deceased Incan heroes. Some of these individuals, however, were of dubious power - Tecumotzin, thought to be a deity of flight, was actually the Eternal Ajak, who acted as a divine being for many groups around the world.

After integrating with society, many deities interbred with select families, adding divine blood to Incan civilization. Others, the apu, remained in nearby mountains, watching over the rising civilization. It is perhaps this divine blood that helped the Inca prosper; there is little of interest after this early period, as the empire continued to expand at a steady pace. With a powerful army, headed by the Quecha warriors, they faced little opposition from neighboring tribes.

This prosperity, however, could often lead to lethargic and spoiled rulers, such as Kuzco of Cuzco, whose selfish lifestyle helped lead the empire into a quick decline. His chief advisor, Yzma, attempted to assassinate and reclaim the empire, she was foiled in her attempt, yet surprisingly, Kuzco reformed and became among the greatest emperors in the empire's history.

Despite this, the peasantry continued to be oppressed, and in the early 1500s, after a brief civil war between Kuzco's children, Atahualpa and Huascar, a Spanish force led by Francisco Pizarro arrived. Using the same tactics as Hernan Cortes and uniting conquered tribes against the empire, he embarked on a quick conquest of the region. Along with vast riches, he and his men discovered highly advanced technology, seemingly linked to Atlantis, though exactly how and why is unclear. Centuries later, the explorer Henry "Indiana" Jones would find links to extraterrestrial interference in nearby regions. These lost artifacts, hidden deep within the empire, leads some scholars to believe the meteoric rise of the Inca was not entirely isolated, as had been assumed for most of history.

Atahualpa, after hiding many of his people in an Andean temple (where they remained for centuries), lost the Battle of Cajamarca and was taken captive. The emperor was imprisoned and later killed; after being cut into pieces, Atahualpa's body was spread across the empire, and many believe he will return to life and reclaim the empire. While most major cities were ruthlessly crushed, some Inca were able to escape, joining with other natives escaping the Spanish rule and founding what would be called "The Country of the Blind." For a short period after this, the Inca resisted their new rulers, and the huacas aided them in their battles, however, even these spirits were unable to overturn the Spanish empire.

The Incan Empire, with its mysterious cities and vast wealth, continued to act as magnet for explorers for centuries after their fall to Pizarro, with active booby traps remaining even into the 1930s, and ancient mummified Mallki being found (and occasionally revived) in modern times. Their technological and spiritual advances, under particularly difficult conditions, leads many to consider it among the greatest civilizations in human history, and modern South American leaders continue look to the Inca for inspiration