It can be difficult to separate out the true myths of any particular culture from stories told by explorers who came after. Perhaps those become part of the mythology as well, but we want to do our best to get as close to the root mythology as possible. This is doubly difficult in South America where all we have of some of the cultures that called that land their home are ancient sites and strange monuments. Many of the civilizations overlapped and others were contemporaries.
Somewhat sadly the typical modus operandi of many of our games follow along the tragic path of the explorers who plundered these ancient lands for their wealth. Still it is not impossible to incorporate the myths of these lands into our play in such a way that it does not continue exploiting them. For instance, the root of the El Dorado myth is actually quite interesting all by itself. It was not a city but a Golden Man that was covered in golden dust and rowed to the middle of Lake Guatavita. There is some debate over what exactly he did once there, but the actions of the Golden Man were necessary to appease the gods. This ceremony was performed by the Muisca (Chibcha) people who lived in what is now Colombia.
Southwest of the Muisca lay the Inca civilization. The Inca Empire controlled a fair amount of territory on the western coast of South America and the Andes mountains. As an empire their reach and power was quite impressive. Their history and mythology was passed down orally until the arrival of the Spanish who managed to write much of the information down.
It is said that the first Inca man was created by Inti the sun god. The man was named Manco Capac and with his wife (or sister) he took a special staff of gold to find a good place to build a city. Together they journeyed and found the place where the city of Cuzco would rise. This is just one of the many Inca myths that would reward a good campaign.
Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the Nazca Lines. Although there are many theories by modern researchers on what the lines are, there is little concrete proof as to why the Nazca built them, if indeed they did build them. What we do know is that there are a series of biomorphs and geoglyphs that number in the hundreds stretching through the plain between the Inca and Nazca valleys. What is their purpose? Discovering that could be a campaign unto itself.
How would I use them? I would use them very carefully to be honest. The cultures of South America had a history all their own before the arrival of Europeans. There is no reason you cannot have an entire campaign set in South America or an analogue of that continent that never touches traditional fantasy tropes. In a Traveller or (any version) Star Trek campaign, these cultures could inhabit an entire world, which may be primitive from a technological point of view but is still highly advanced and well educated. I highly recommend delving into these cultures and their mythology for inspiration for your games.
contributed by Sean Hillman
Somewhat sadly the typical modus operandi of many of our games follow along the tragic path of the explorers who plundered these ancient lands for their wealth. Still it is not impossible to incorporate the myths of these lands into our play in such a way that it does not continue exploiting them. For instance, the root of the El Dorado myth is actually quite interesting all by itself. It was not a city but a Golden Man that was covered in golden dust and rowed to the middle of Lake Guatavita. There is some debate over what exactly he did once there, but the actions of the Golden Man were necessary to appease the gods. This ceremony was performed by the Muisca (Chibcha) people who lived in what is now Colombia.
Southwest of the Muisca lay the Inca civilization. The Inca Empire controlled a fair amount of territory on the western coast of South America and the Andes mountains. As an empire their reach and power was quite impressive. Their history and mythology was passed down orally until the arrival of the Spanish who managed to write much of the information down.
It is said that the first Inca man was created by Inti the sun god. The man was named Manco Capac and with his wife (or sister) he took a special staff of gold to find a good place to build a city. Together they journeyed and found the place where the city of Cuzco would rise. This is just one of the many Inca myths that would reward a good campaign.
Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the Nazca Lines. Although there are many theories by modern researchers on what the lines are, there is little concrete proof as to why the Nazca built them, if indeed they did build them. What we do know is that there are a series of biomorphs and geoglyphs that number in the hundreds stretching through the plain between the Inca and Nazca valleys. What is their purpose? Discovering that could be a campaign unto itself.
How would I use them? I would use them very carefully to be honest. The cultures of South America had a history all their own before the arrival of Europeans. There is no reason you cannot have an entire campaign set in South America or an analogue of that continent that never touches traditional fantasy tropes. In a Traveller or (any version) Star Trek campaign, these cultures could inhabit an entire world, which may be primitive from a technological point of view but is still highly advanced and well educated. I highly recommend delving into these cultures and their mythology for inspiration for your games.
contributed by Sean Hillman
