The Andean Supay is the lord of the underworld in Inca mythology, and as such, this culture categorizes him as one of the most malevolent beings to have existed. According to Andean myths, he emerged from the essence of chaos. He is rebellious and an instigator by nature and is greatly feared due to his ability to metamorphose. He is described as a figure resembling demons, having long horns, a jaguar's head, very perceptive eyes, sharp teeth, and the body of a puma. It is said that he would rise and appear to the locals as a very well-dressed horseman, his fine black clothes adorned with gold and silver. He also had the ability to take the appearance of a very beautiful woman, as well as that of a very attractive man. But his shape-shifting was not limited to that, as he could take the form of any animal or being he wished. He could also appear as a wind called Huayra Muyoj, which, upon colliding with another current, creates a whirlwind that originates in the middle of the forest and sweeps away everything in its path. For this reason, when the wind blows strongly, fearful people say "cross, cross, cross," asking God that the evil whirlwind changes its course. Sometimes, he would roam the fields dressed as a musician, seeking a worthy opponent to challenge, and although he usually defeats his adversaries and takes their soul as a prize, there have been occasions when he loses the challenge. Despite being very good with the guitar and the art of improvising sonnets, he is not the best. The Inca people were very cautious with Supay, as it was said that those who tried to mock him or who did not show him the slightest respect were in real danger. However, there were characters who respected him and believed so much in him that they worshiped him through prayers, creation of altars, rites, and offerings, in order for him to grant them wishes or favors.

Supay was known to possess all the riches of the world, as he had the mines of uranium, silver, and gold, having the power to transform the emptiest mine into the most valuable and rich of the place. Supay had a foul smell very similar to sulfur. The god had the capacity to cause natural disasters, from floods and tsunamis to awakening volcanoes. Ancient legends told that his essence went beyond the evil he evoked, as he was described as the protector of the path that one would travel upon dying. The Incas believed that after dying, the soul moves to a second plane, which for them meant a new beginning alongside the Inca gods. Behind so much evil, Supay could be good at the end of days for those who awaited their death.

The Incas believed from ancient times that the god Supay, who balanced the scale between good and evil, besides giving a sense that there will always be evil, but not enough. The Incas came to understand the importance of this god, considering him a god that balanced both good and bad. Despite his evil, he was good to those who patiently awaited their death, also accepting that evil will always exist, though not enough, as there will also be goodness, though not enough. Later, when the conquistadors arrived in South America and the Inca culture was lost, it led to the definition of Supay as a god of death being mixed with the Catholic beliefs that the conquerors brought with them, since the priests began to believe that this god was simply the Devil, as known in Catholicism. Therefore, Supay was called in different ways, and many of these legends remain in history.

Supay is a very interesting god and today is considered a character similar to that of Catholicism. However, it is not so; he is an Inca deity that could be taken as good or bad, good with those who faithfully await their death and harmful to those who dare try to mock him. After the conquest of America, Catholic priests used his figure to name the Christian Devil. As a result, the indigenous Supay was configured as a syncretism with elements taken from both South American religions and Catholicism. Unlike the Christian Devil, the indigenous people did not repudiate Supay but rather did not invoke or worship him to avoid harm. During the colonial era, Supay became one of the main characters of the worship of the Virgin of the Socavón, Oruro, exclusively or the Virgin of the miners and of the Diablada of the Oruro carnival, which is mainly practiced in Oruro. He is associated with indigenous miners who worship him and make offerings to gain his sympathy and avoid harm. In the Diablada of Oruro, miners dance dressed as devils to ask the Virgin of the Socavón for forgiveness and understanding for living with Supay. The miners entrusted themselves to Supay, offering tributes to find mineral veins and avoid accidents. The oldest...