The Children of the Sun: An Inca Legend

The birth of human civilization is recounted in this celebrated Incan legend, retold by Peruvian poet Micaela Chirif and award-winning illustrator Juan Palomino.

How was the world’s first city formed? How did people learn to plant crops, cook food, and weave fabric? 

One day, back when the world was new and no one built houses, the Sun saw himself reflected in the waters of Lake Titicaca. He came closer to his own shining face, and a flame fell into the lake, giving birth to a young man and young woman. The Sun gave his son and daughter an important task: to found the very first city, a place where they could teach humans better ways of living. The children of the Sun set out to find the perfect spot, and the people of the earth followed them.

With rich language and striking art, poet Micaela Chirif (Peru) and New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book winner Juan Palomino (Mexico) retell a story from the Incan empire that once ruled western South America. The Children of the Sun invites today’s children to hear an explanatory myth from a pre-Colombian culture—and ponder how it relates to other stories about cities and communities. 

The Children of the Sun is translated from Spanish by award-winning translator Lawrence Schimel and is part of Eerdmans’ Stories from Latin America series. An engaging way to explore fables, myths, and legends as well as South American culture during Indigenous People’s Day and Hispanic Heritage Month.