The Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca
The Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, known in Spanish as Isla del Sol, was the largest island in the lake and the legendary birthplace of the sun in the Inca creation myth. Located in the southern part of the lake, about 30 kilometers from the site of Tiwanaku in present-day Bolivia, the island contains extensive Inca ruins, including the famous Temple of the Sun with the carved stone known as the Rock of the Origin, the Sacred Rock of the Puma, and the large ceremonial complex called Pilko Kaina. According to the Inca tradition, the sun was created here by the command of Viracocha, and the first Sapa Inca, Manco Cápac, was sent forth from the island to found the dynasty in Cusco. The island was an important pilgrimage destination in the Inca state, and it remains a place of pilgrimage and a major tourist attraction in the modern period.
The historical evidence for the Inca cult on the Island of the Sun comes from the Spanish chroniclers, particularly Garcilaso de la Vega (1609) and Bernabé Cobo (1653), and from the archaeological investigations of the late twentieth century, which have yielded a wealth of information about Inca ritual practice on the island.
The Inca Ruins of the Island of the Sun
The Island of the Sun contains the most extensive set of Inca ruins in the Lake Titicaca basin. The principal site, the Temple of the Sun (Templo del Sol), is located on the northern part of the island and includes a sacred rock known as the Rock of the Origin (Piedra del Origen), which is associated in Inca tradition with the place where the sun was first created. The rock is carved with a series of steps and a small platform, and the chroniclers report that the first Sapa Inca, Manco Cápac, was said to have emerged from a cave near the rock at the beginning of the Inca dynasty.
A second important site is the Pilko Kaina (also spelled Pilcocaina), a large ceremonial complex located on the southern part of the island. The site, which was excavated in the 1970s and 1980s by Bolivian and international teams, includes a series of stone buildings arranged around a central courtyard, a small sacred rock, and a complex of storage and residential buildings. The excavations yielded a rich assemblage of ritual materials, including the remains of llama sacrifices, gold and silver figurines, finely woven textiles, and conopas (small ritual figurines). The site is interpreted as a residence of the Inca governors of the island and as a major ceremonial center for the cult of the sun.
A third important site is the Sacred Rock of the Puma (Piedra del Puma), a large carved stone in the form of a puma, located on the eastern coast of the island. The rock is associated in Inca tradition with the founding legend of the dynasty, and the chroniclers report that the puma was the symbol of the Inca state. The site is one of the most visited places on the island and remains a focus of ritual activity in the modern period.
The Tradition of Viracocha’s Creation
According to the Inca tradition recorded by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa in 1572, the creator god Viracocha emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca at the beginning of the present world and brought forth the sun, the moon, and the stars. The place of the emergence is variously reported to be the Island of the Sun itself, the site of Tiwanaku on the mainland, or a cave or spring in the vicinity. The chroniclers are not consistent on this point, but the Island of the Sun is the most commonly cited location, and the tradition that Manco Cápac was sent forth from the island to found the Inca dynasty is closely tied to the cult of the sun on the island.
The tradition of the sun’s origin on the island is part of the larger Inca creation myth, which describes a series of cosmic destructions and renewals, ultimately culminating in the emergence of the present world. The sun’s origin on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca is one of the central elements of the myth, and it provided a theological justification for the Inca cult of the sun, which was the dominant cult of the imperial state. The cult of the sun on the island was supported by the Inca state, and the island was the destination of a regular pilgrimage from Cusco and from the surrounding regions.
The tradition of the island as the place of the sun’s origin has older Andean roots. The site of Tiwanaku, on the mainland near the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, was a major ceremonial center from approximately 500 to 1000 CE, and the iconography of the Staff God at Tiwanaku has been linked to later Inca depictions of Viracocha. The cult of the sun and the tradition of the sun’s origin in the Lake Titicaca basin may thus have a history that extends back more than a thousand years before the rise of the Inca state.
Pilgrimage and the Inca State Cult
The Island of the Sun was an important destination for pilgrimage in the Inca state, and the Inca government maintained a substantial presence on the island. The site of Pilko Kaina is interpreted as the residence of the Inca governor of the island, and the buildings include a large ceremonial courtyard, a series of residential and storage structures, and a complex of ritual spaces. The chroniclers report that the island was staffed by a small group of priests and attendants who maintained the sacred fire and received the pilgrims who came to consult the oracle or to make offerings.
The pilgrimage to the Island of the Sun was part of a larger system of religious pilgrimage that connected the major shrines of the empire. The principal pilgrimage destinations in the Inca state included the Coricancha in Cusco, the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, the oracle of Pachacamac on the central coast of Peru, and the mountaintop sanctuary of Vilcacunca above the Sacred Valley. These destinations were linked by the Inca road system, the great network of royal highways called the Capac Ñan, which extended more than 40,000 kilometers in total and was maintained by the state for use by armies, messengers, and porters carrying tribute, as well as by pilgrims.
The pilgrimage to the Island of the Sun involved travel by boat across the lake, and the chroniclers report that the pilgrims were received with great ceremony at the landing stage on the northern coast of the island. The principal ritual on the island involved the making of offerings to the sun, including the sacrifice of llamas, the burning of llama fat, and the offering of chicha and coca leaves. The pilgrims also visited the Rock of the Origin, where they made offerings and prayed for the favor of the sun.
The Persistence of the Cult in the Modern Period
The cult of the sun on the Island of the Sun declined after the Spanish conquest in 1532, and the colonial authorities made some effort to suppress the practice. The island was largely depopulated in the colonial period, and many of the Inca buildings fell into ruin. The cult of the sun, however, was not entirely abandoned, and the island continued to be visited by pilgrims from the surrounding regions. In the modern period, the island has become a major tourist destination, with thousands of visitors arriving each year to see the Inca ruins, the Rock of the Origin, and the Sacred Rock of the Puma.
The persistence of ritual practice on the island has been documented by modern ethnographers. The Quechua and Aymara peoples of the Lake Titicaca basin continue to make offerings at the principal shrines, and the Willkakuti, the Aymara New Year ceremony held on the June solstice, is still celebrated on the island and at the nearby ruins of Tiwanaku. The persistence of the cult of the sun on the Island of the Sun suggests that the religious traditions of the central Andes have proven remarkably durable in the face of conquest, evangelization, and modernization.
The Island of the Sun is administered by the Bolivian government and is part of the department of La Paz. The island is reached by boat from the town of Copacabana, on the southern shore of the lake, and the principal archaeological sites are accessible by foot. The site is one of the most important Inca sites in the Lake Titicaca basin, and the island as a whole remains a place of pilgrimage for people from across the Andes.