The Creation of the World

This post's story is an exciting one for me.  Like the narrative in the Bible, it merges the story of primordial giants with the story of the worldwide Flood.  Since both of these subjects are near and dear to my heart, I find this myth utterly fascinating.


The great god Viracocha, desiring to bring forth mankind, first set about creating the earth and sky.  Once these were complete, he carved out great stone giants, which he then brought to life.  Things were good on earth, but the shiftless giants began to fight, and Viracocha did not know what to do.  So he turned some of the giants back into stone, but this did not stop the rest of them from being violent.  Then Viracocha sent a flood, which destroyed the earth and all of life.  After the flood, Viracocha emerged from Lake Titicaca, on whose shores he built the great city of Tiahuanaco.  From this city he repopulated the earth with men and women.

-Incan Myth, Paraphrased From Fr. Jose de Acosta's Natural and Moral History of the Indies


Father de Acosta was absolutely astonished at the parallels between the Incan and Biblical accounts.  And well he should be, for there are few explanations as to why two distinct cultures separated by tens of thousands of miles and several millennia would tell two very similar stories.  I'm curious to know what you all think?  Any explanations for the similarities? 

The Mayan Creation of the Earth

This tells of how calm, silence, and suspension held all.  The expanse of the sky was empty, and all was motionless.

This is the first story, when neither man nor beast, neither birds nor fish, and no crabs, trees, caves, rocks, valleys or mountains existed.  There was only the sky.

The ground had not yet appeared; only the sky and sea were there.

Things which were made, things which may move, tremble, or shake the sky did not yet exist.  There was no noise.

Nothing stood.  Only the tranquil ocean existed.

There was only silence, darkness, and immobility in the night.  The creator, Tepeu, and the Forefathers, resided in the water.  They were sages, wise, and thinkers, clever, and they surrounded themselves with light; they concealed themselves under feathers of blue and green, and this is why they are called Gucumatz.  Thus the sky, which is called the Heart of Heaven, existed, and it was the name of God.

Next came the spoken word.  Tepeu and Gucumatz spoke together in the darkness.  Their words were in agreement, and they united them together into a thought, and that thought was Man.  Their next thought was of life and plants, and the Heart of Heaven, which is called Huracán, became three.  The first part is called

Caculhá Huracán, the second part is called Chipi-Caculhá, and the third part is called Raxa-Caculhá.

These three are the Heart of Heaven.

Tepeu and Gucamatz determined to fill the earth, and so it was.  The water receded and the earth appeared.  Light filled the sky, and there was dawn.  They spoke, and the mountains came from the waters.  They spoke, and the Earth was made. 

Through the magic of their word the trees and groves came forth, and they praised Huracán.  "How marvelous is your coming, Heart of Heaven!"

The Heart of Heaven spoke:  "It is done, and the creation has been finished."

So, now, the earth was formed, and then the mountains and valleys.  The rivers were divided, and ran through the hills.  The oceans were divided one from the other.  So the Heart of Heaven made the earth fruitful, and the sky expanded above it.  The work that they did was perfect, and it came about by their thoughts. 

-Taken from the Popul Vuh