Much of the intrigue of Secret of the Andes comes from the convincing way in which Clark has fit myth, history, and legend into the life of a contemporary hero. The mythic content of the story reveals the Incan belief that the Sun God, Inti, appeared from the waters of Lake Titicaca and then journeyed to the site of Cuzco. Subsequently, each reigning Inca was considered a direct descendant of Inti.

The reigning Incan dynasty came to an end during the early sixteenth century, when the Spanish murdered the line's last legitimate emperor, Atahaulpa, despite the payment of a ransom of gold and llamas. The disappearance and subsequent care of the gold and the llamas constitute the legend that supports Cusi's presence in the mountains; the myth of Inti provides the reason for the boy's tribal quest; and the search for self-identity compels his quest on...