If you turn this mountain upside down, a giant Inca face appears.
This is probably Illi Yunqui, the Inca, listening to his bride screaming from the mysterious crystal blue water of the Laguna del Inca in Chile.
Legend tells that the spirit of the Inca, Illi Yunqui, haunts this magical place called Laguna del Inca – a legendary lake situated at 2800 meters (8400ft) in Valparaíso Region, Chile.
Moreover, on full moon nights, strange cries arise from its crystal blue water.
So what’s the mystery behind these lamentations?
Illi Yupanqui and the Princess Kora-Ilé were to marry and they chose Aconagua – the highest peak in the Andes – for their wedding.
Kora-Ilé’s eyes were blue-green. They looked as if the gods had mixed lapis lazuli found in the veins of the mountain rocks with the silver waters of the laguna at the foot of the Aconagua.
For her wedding, she chose to wear white linen, much as brides do today. The cliffs were smooth and slippery and she tragically fell to her death.
Illi Yupanqui could not bear to have her removed from the place where they had experienced the bliss of true love. He wrapped her in his arms and carried her to the edge of the silver lagoon at the foot of the peaks. There he kissed her lips, immersed her into the pure, clear water and watched her sink. The lake was so clear he could see her still as she descended deeper and deeper.
Soon the water turned from crystalline to turquoise, the color of her eyes. It became a smooth cabazon, rounded and opaque like a semi-precious stone set in black metal, just as the Laguna del Inca looks today.
Now, when the moon is full, the village people who trek to the summit can hear the princess’ voice crying in the thin mountain air. And these lamentations are the only remnats of this tale of love and mystery.
Read the entire legend of the laguna del Inca.
Legends and Myths: Discovered Underwater Cities Around the World.
