THE 25 MOST POPULAR PERUVIAN LEGENDS AND MYTHS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The legends and myths Peruvians are captivating stories that seek to explain the origin of the Earth, its elements and human behavior. Among them are the cow of fire, lupuna, pachamama, pachacamac, among others.

These stories have been handed down from generation to generation and belong to the oral tradition of Peru. These stories collect the cultural aspects of the peoples that have passed through the country and are a true sample of Peruvian folklore.

Normally, these stories end with a moral or teaching, which is intended to indoctrinate the listener. Below, you can learn more about some of the most popular.

List of the best known Peruvian legends

1- The Tunchi

The Tunchi is one of the spirits that protect the Amazon rainforest. According to some more specific versions of the legend, this is the spirit of the people who died in the forest.

The Tunchi whistles a certain tune and waits for the humans to respond with the same song. If they respond, the Tunchi will appear and terrify the person who whistled the response. However, if this person has respected nature throughout his life, the spirit will not be especially evil.

2- The legend of the evil bird

Long ago, the inhabitants of Peru believed in the existence of an evil bird that announced the death of a person.

This bird was fearsome in appearance, with black feathers and piercing eyes that saw fear. According to legend, if the bird perched on the roof of a house and sang, the person who lived there would soon die.

3- The appearance of human beings on Earth

This legend is set in the Jauja Valley, Peru. This area was once a large lake with a rock in the middle, on which a monster named Amaru rested.

Tulunmaya, the rainbow god, created another monster to keep Amaru company. However, these monsters did not like each other's presence, so they constantly fought.

The god Tikse got tired of the fights between the monsters and killed them. These fell into the lake and their large bodies caused the water to overflow and drain, giving rise to the valley that exists today.

After the monsters died, the first human beings came out of hiding, since they no longer felt threatened by Amaru's presence. In this way, humans came to earth.

4- The fire cow

This is a legend from La Calzada, department of San Martín, Peru. According to locals, a long time ago, in the hills of La Calzada, a beast similar to a cow with horns appeared, spitting fire. This was named Vaca-Huillca, which means "sacred cow."

When the inhabitants of the place realized that the cow could destroy the entire village, they decided to call a magician to expel it. Indeed, the magician managed to drive the beast away from the town and it is believed that the cow now lives in the Cochaconga lagoon.

5- The lupuna

The lupuna is a typical tree of the Amazon. This is an imposing tree, whose trunk can measure up to ten meters wide. The Peruvian natives consider that this tree harbors a protective spirit of the forest.

6-The Chullanchaqui

The Chullanchaqui is a small creature that, like the lupuna tree, is in charge of protecting the forests. This creature has a unique appearance: it is very small, its left foot is minimal, and its right leg is a peg leg.

It is said that this being calls out to people who roam the forest, so that they follow it and then get lost in the labyrinth of trees.

7- Lake Titicaca

According to some Peruvian legends, all living things originated from Lake Titicaca. The inhabitants of Collao know it as Mamacota, mother-water, because it provides them with food.

8- The flame warning

One day, a man led his llama to graze in the best position. However, the llama refused to eat.

When the man questioned her about her behavior, the flame replied that she was sad because, in five days, the sea would rise and destroy living beings. Alarmed, the man asked if there was nothing they could do. In response, the llama ordered him to collect food for five days and to go to Villa-Coto Mountain.

When they reached the top, they saw that there were animals of all species. After five days, the sea rose destroying human beings, except the man who listened to its flame.

9- the sirens

During the 20th century, it was common practice for men to work in the forests, felling trees or searching for gold. During this time, men had no contact with any woman and longed for female contact.

This is why many imagined seeing beautiful women on the banks of the rivers, but in reality they were pink dolphins. Many men drowned trying to catch these "mermaids".

10- Pachamama

"Pacha" is a term that loosely means "things." This aboriginal word was used to refer to the "world"; In this sense, Pachamama means "Mother-Earth", the mother of mountains, rocks and plains, which was the object of adoration of the Peruvian natives.

11- Pachacamac

Pachamacac refers to the great spirit of the Earth and not to the Earth itself. Pachacamac is the spirit that gives life to all beings, plants, animals and humans.

12- The vision of Yupanqui

Before taking his father's position as sovereign, the Inca Yupanqui went to visit him. On the way, he came to a fountain and saw a piece of glass fall into it. In the glass, he saw reflected a man dressed as the chief of the Incas, from whose head three rays of the sun came out.

Frightened, Yupanqui tried to flee, however, a voice told him not to fear, because the vision that had been presented to him was the Sun. The voice told Yupanqui that he would conquer many territories and that he should always remember his father, the Sun, and make sacrifices in his honor.

When Yupanqui became King, he had a statue of the Sun built as it had been presented to him in that fountain and built temples to worship him.

13- Coniyara Viracocha

One day, Coniyara, the spirit of nature, met a beautiful woman named Cavillaca with whom he had a son through a fruit from the lucma tree.

When the boy grew up, Cavillaca had the huacas and the gods meet to determine who the boy's father was and Coniyara attended the meeting dressed as a vagabond. Knowing that the boy would recognize his father, Cavillaca set him free to approach his father.

However, when the boy stopped in front of Coniyara, Cavillaca did not want to accept that such a despicable creature was the father of his son, so he fled with the boy towards the sea and was transformed into stone.

Coniyara pursued her and questioned the animals she encountered on the whereabouts of Cavillaca.

The condor told him that he had seen Cavillaca nearby, for which he was blessed. To the fox who claimed to have never seen the woman, Coniyara cursed him, telling him that he would be detested by everyone and that he could not go out until night. The macaws that gave him bad news were condemned to scream very loudly, making themselves visible to their enemies.

Finally, Coniyara reached the sea where Cavillaca was and saw that she and her son were now made of stone.

14- Huacachina

Currently, in Ica there is a lagoon called Huacachina, according to legend, in this region lived a prince and a princess. One day, the prince died and the princess cried and cried, so much that her tears created the Huacachina lagoon.

15- Pishtaco

Pishtaco is a killer who attacks people who wander at night and extracts their fat. He is described as a pale man with a hat and a jacket in which he carries a powder to paralyze his victims.

16- Layqa

Layqa is a sorceress who enchants people with food. Cast spells to create chaos among members of a family.

17- Condemned

The damned are the spirits of people who have suffered a tragic death after leading a life of sin. Once deceased, the souls were condemned by the gods to wander in the Andes Mountains.

18- Machukuna

Machukuna is an anthropomorphic being composed solely of a skeleton. This creature wanders the mountains in search of its meat and works in the fields as punishment for sins committed in life.

19- Suq'a

This creature resembles the Machukuna because it has also lost its human form. However, she differs from this because she does not want to recover her humanity or make amends for the mistakes of the past but instead seeks human victims.

20- The condor

In a village in the Andes lived a shepherd with his beautiful daughter. The young woman caught the attention of a man who began to visit her every day.

In one of their encounters, the man transformed into a condor and took the girl back to his nest. Quickly, they fell in love and had a child. However, the girl missed her father. So, she told a bird to go find her to be released.

The next day her father came to rescue her and they set off together. When the condor returned, he found the nest empty. Since then, the condor has been flying over the Andes in search of the young woman it lost.

21- Narihualá, the town that was buried alive

Narihualá was a town that housed different tribes that were dedicated to livestock and agriculture. They had many riches and an imposing temple dedicated to the Sun god.

Upon learning that the Spanish settlers were near their lands, they decided to bury themselves alive with all their riches, which can only be found when they appear in indigenous with a lamp and a bell that resounds with great force.

22- Muqui, the goblin of the mines

There is a legend that says that in the mines of the Peruvian highlands there is a very mischievous goblin who is dedicated to giving the miners problems. Make sinister sounds to scare them, make tools disappear, or steal the minerals they have found.

It is said that whoever manages to capture the little, blond and white goblin will be able to have him at his mercy and benefit from his abilities to find a huge amount of gold.

23- The nurse in the blue cape

A nurse got engaged to a doctor at the same hospital. They were both very much in love and only thought of a happy future. However, after suffering an accident, the doctor entered the hospital to die at the hands of his wife. She, who could not bear the pain of not being able to save her husband, committed suicide by throwing herself into the void from the roof of the hospital.

Since then, it is said that a nurse in a blue cape who is dedicated to caring for and healing the sick has haunted the corridors of Peruvian hospitals. She acts when the other nurses do not go round or are resting and, according to what they say, the one who puts herself in her hands leaves the hospital completely healthy.

24- The huge Yacumama snake

With more than 30 meters long, through the Amazon and lagoons like Yarinacocha inhabits a bestial snake that is capable of moving through water and land at dizzying speeds.

He goes deep into the jungle, felling trees and capturing all kinds of prey, including humans. It is said that, in addition to his speed and strength, he has the ability to hypnotize you if your gaze meets his. There are many inhabitants of the jungle who assure that it is not a myth.

25- Pishtacos, the fat-suckers of the Andes

Also known as kharisiri, it is a malefic being with the ability to transform into men, children or animals in order to murder and dismember their prey.

They are very skilled with knives, which they use to attack people who are walking alone and thus extract their fat. It is not very clear what the purpose is, but some legends claim that they are sent by powerful lords or even government institutions.

Themes of interest

Venezuelan legends.

Mexican legends.

Legends of Guatemala.

Colombian legends.

Argentine legends.

Ecuadorian legends.

References

1. Van der Heijden, Elise. Myths and legends guarded by Peru's Amazon Rainforest. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from journalperu.com.
2. From Peruvian Myths, Legends, and Stories. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from thewildmag.wordpress.com.
3. Cusco - The Sacred City. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from adventure-life.com.
4. Magleby, Kirk. Four Peruvian Versions of the White God Legend. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from lds.org.
5. Chapter VII: The Mythology of Peru. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from sacred-texts.com.
6. The Legends of Peru: Ica and Huacachina. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from kakikuy.org.
7. Peruvian Folk Tales. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from latinfolktales.wordpress.com.
8. The Myth of the Condor (2016). Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from atinfolktales.wordpress.com.
9. Spooky folklore monsters and myths of Highland on Peru. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from fertur-travel.com.