Supay

The Lord of the World Below

Domain: Death, Underworld & Mines
Alignment: True Neutral
Element: Darkness
Relics of Power: Veins of Metal

Speak with Supay

The People

People

Inca

Region

Andes mountains

Period

15th – 16th c.

The Inca gods were worshipped along the Andes, from present-day Peru to Chile, from the sacred capital of Cusco. The emperor (Sapa Inca) was held to be the son of the sun Inti, and the people honored the earth-mother Pachamama with offerings. The cult was suppressed after the Spanish conquest, but persists in living Andean traditions.

The Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, gathered the empire in Cusco at the winter solstice — and is re-enacted to this day. The Coricancha temple had walls covered in gold, and offerings to Pachamama remain alive in the Andes, with coca leaves and ritual bundles.

The Sacred Scrolls

Supay is the Inca god of death and lord of the Uku Pacha, the underground world. Ruler of the souls of the dead and the demons of the depths, he is a feared figure, yet one with whom a pact of respect is sought. Unlike the Christian devil, he was seen ambiguously: powerful and dangerous, but also the giver of the riches hidden beneath the earth. As The Lord of the World Below, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the incas pantheon. Their domains over Death, Underworld & Mines reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The caves, the metals, the subterranean fire and the horned masks

Divine Lineage

Lord of the Uku Pacha, the world below; opposite of the celestial deities.

The Legendary Myth

The Andeans divided the cosmos into three planes: the world above (Hanan Pacha), the middle world of the living (Kay Pacha) and the world below (Uku Pacha), realm of Supay.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the incas recounts the journey when Supay intervened directly in the lives of mortals.

Cult & Worship

Historically, the cult of Supay occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity.

Relics of Power

The mineral riches hidden in the bowels of the earth, over which he reigns in the Uku Pacha.

Did You Know?

The figure of Supay survives in the 'Diablada', a ritual dance of Bolivia and Peru in which dancers with horned masks enact the struggle between good and evil at the patron-saint festivals.