Having risen from the waters of Lake Titicaca, Viracocha, whose name translates to “sea foam,” is the creator of the universe and everything in it. Exceptionally inventive, Viracocha made time by commanding the sun to move over the sky, and human beings, by breathing into stones (apparently his first go-round with the stones created a race of mindless giants, who he wiped out with a flood and started afresh, this time getting somewhat better results).

After his many feats—he only created the stars, the sun the moon, the planets, etc.—Viracocha, like all heroes, rode off into the sunset, walking across the Pacific Ocean never to return—at least not in his divine form. Instead, it’s said he wandered the earth disguised as a beggar, teaching his creations how to behave righteously, which turned out to be a pretty tough job and explains why The Great Creator is often depicted with tears falling from his eyes. There’s also this whole thing about the wandering Viracocha being a white man with a beard and a staff, but this image comes from the Spanish chronicles and isn’t mentioned in the native legends, so we’re going to say it’s probably bunkum.