The expoloitation of the Indians in Peru's colonical past gave rise to the legend of the Nak'aq. They are believed to be men with green eyes, red hair, and long knives who prowl the countryside intent on murdering unwary Indians and selling their fat to merchants in town.

The oral narratives constituting the folklore of a people consist of myths, legends, and tales. Despite their differences, each of these genres reflects, in one way or another, the culture of the community of which it forms part. Moreover, each embodies in vivid, often cryptic, images those deeply flowing currents of emotion that transcend any single cultural experience.

One part of the world where a strong oral tradition remains intact is the Andes of southern Peru. This is a region of mountain valleys and frigid, high-altitude steppelands where Indian peasants and pastoralists still live much as their people have for hundreds of years. They are the direct descendants of the Indians who inhabited the country long before the Incas marched out from their capital in Cuzco to forge a vast empire throughout the Andes.

In fact the Indians of southern Peru still practice an ancient form of agriculture, and they continue to worship spirits of the hills and earth whose origins far predate the coming of the Inca conquerors.