In Pre-Incan mythology, Kón (Con) was the god of

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

and

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

that came from the North. He is thought to be a deity to the Paracas Civilization, who was later adopted into

Nazca Nazca (; sometimes spelled Nasca; possibly from ) is a city and system of valleys on the southern coast of Peru. The city of Nazca is the largest in the Nazca Province. The name is derived from the Nazca culture, which flourished in the area be ...

and

Incan mythology Inca mythology of the Inca Empire was based on pre-Inca beliefs that can be found in the Huarochirí Manuscript, and in pre-Inca cultures including Chavín culture, Chavín, Paracas culture, Paracas, Moche culture, Moche, and the Nazca culture. T ...

through different names. He was a son of

Inti Inti is the ancient Inca mythology, Inca solar deity, sun god. He is revered as the national Tutelary deity, patron of the Inca state. Although most consider Inti the sun god, he is more appropriately viewed as a cluster of solar aspects, since t ...

(the sun god) and

Mama Killa Mama Quilla ( Quechua "Mother Moon", Hispanicized spelling ''Mama Quilla''), in Inca mythology and religion, was the third power and goddess of the moon. She was the older sister and wife of Inti, daughter of Viracocha and mother of Manco C� ...

("mother moon").

Legend of Kón

According to the legend of Kón, he arrived from the North in the beginning of time. Kón was described as a being in the shape of a human, but had no joints or bones. In some legends, he is said to have flown in with the mask of a bird over his face. He came bearing fruit, feline masks, and a staff. He had large eyes, leading to many calling him the ''"Dios Oculado",'' meaning "eyed god". He is the son of Inti, sometimes referred to as “the son of the sun”. Because of this, as he wandered the earth, he raised mountains and created valleys at his will. He is said to be the creator of humans, to whom he gave plentiful fruit and bread to survive. Whenever he appeared, he brought rains to the land so that their agriculture and the people would prosper. His only request was that they continue to honor him. The local people would dance and tell his story to appease the great creator. Over time, the humans forgot about Kón and their owed debt to him. This angered Kón, so to punish the humans, he receded their waters, turning the lush land into coastal deserts instead. He took away the rain and left them only a few rivers and lakes to survive. After some time, another god arrived from the South to challenge Kón, his name was Pachacámac (

Pacha Kamaq Pachacamac or Pacha Kamaq ( Quechua, "Creator of the World"; also ''Pacharurac'') was the deity worshipped in the city of Pachacamac (modern-day Peru) by the Ichma. Pacha Kamaq was believed to have created the first man and woman, but forgot to ...

) and he was another son of Inti. He and Kón fought, and Pachacámac eventually won, casting Kón away. Kón disappeared into the sky and was never heard from again. Pachacámac turned the people of Kón into monkeys, lizards, foxes and birds to live in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

and he created new humans to populate the earth. They are believed to represent the struggle between the day (Kón) and the night (Pachacámac). The duo can represent a number of struggles between two opposing forces, such as the sun and the moon & the North and the South.

Transition to Nazca and Incan Civilizations

Although the legend of Kón originated within the Paracas civilization (800 BCE - 100 BCE), it was told and retold by the natives of the area in the South-Western area of present-day Perú for centuries. Eventually, when the Paracas civilization fell, the Nazca civilization began (200 BCE - 600 CE). Here, the deity's story was adopted and he was referred to as both "Kón" and "Cuniraya". The Nazca people believed in dancing to appease him. These dances were ceremonial and cultural dances done in repeating patterns. This led to the creation of the Nazca lines to continue to tell the story of the creation. Many believed that the giant

geoglyphs A geoglyph is a large design or motif – generally longer than – produced on the ground by durable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth. A positive geoglyph is formed by the arrangement and alignment ...

were made so that the gods could see the stories from the sky. It was also used to let the gods know where their followers and worshippers lived. By seeing these depictions, the gods would never be angry with the Nazca people or strike them down. Some scholars believe that the Nazca line named "The Astronaut" is a depiction of the god Kón, because he seems to have no bones or joints and his large eyes are a primary feature. The enormous drawing is thought to be an homage to him so that the rains would never cease to come. Other forms of worship included pottery and weavings to tell the story of the creation. By 1483, both the Paracas and Nazca Civilizations had ceased to exist, and the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

ruled over parts of present-day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Incas did not praise the god Kón anymore, but a new god of creation, named

Viracocha Viracocha (also Wiraqocha, Huiracocha; Quechua Wiraqucha) is the creator and supreme deity in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. According to the myth Viracocha had human appearance and was generally consid ...

. The creation myth of the god Viracocha begins differently from that of Kón, but it has some borrowed elements incorporated into it. He was said to come from

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; ; ) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of ...

and created humans by breathing into stones. He is also associated with the rains of the region and is sometimes referred to as "Kon-Tiki", as a nod to the creation myth and the god Kón of the earlier civilizations. This is why Viracocha and Kón are confused at times, although they came from different civilizations.

Other References to Kón

Kon-Tiki Expedition

This 1947 voyage was one led by Norwegian explorer

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and Ethnography, ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expediti ...

from South America to the Polynesian Islands. The expedition was done so on a large raft, which was named Kon-Tiki in honor of the god Viracocha's "old name". It set sail from Trujillo, Peru. The

Kon-Tiki expedition The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, for ...

led to Heyerdahl writing a book titled "Kon-Tiki" followed by his documentary and more recently, a movie adaptation.

Astronomy

There is a crater named after the god Kon on Saturnian moon Rhea. There is also a crater on dwarf planet Ceres named Coniraya.

Notes

{{SouthAm-myth-stub Inca gods Peruvian folklore Nazca culture Rain deities Wind gods