Daughter of the Sun God, Inti, and the Moon Goddess, Mama Quilla, Mama Ocllo is the mother of Incan civilization. There are several variations about how all that went down, but the one we heard claimed that Inti sent Mama Ocllo and Manco Capác to earth to save human beings from themselves. Appearing one day from either the waters of Lake Titicaca, or the cave of Pacaritambo, Mama Ocllo and Manco Capác would settle on the Isla del Sol, where they planted a golden staff in honor of their father and proceeded to teach the humans the art of civilization.

And so it was Mama Ocllo who taught Inca women the art of spinning, which persists as a tradition in the Andes today (see Textiles!), and also how to cook and take care of the home. Mama Ocllo’s name in Quechua translates to “mother fertility,” so she’s also the one you want to go to if you’re thinking about starting a family.