"In Andean thought both world and time were divided into four sectors or directions unified under a presiding fifth principle. The Tawantinsuyu - 'the indivisible four quarters' - was unified and presided over by Cusco, the center. Similarly, history was divided into four previous ages, presided over by a fifth, the present.

In his book, Waman Puma organizes the history of both Old and New worlds according to this scheme. The Old Testament and the pre-Inca times are each divided into four equivalent and parallel ages. The 'present' age in Peru begins with the appearance of Manku Qhapaq, the first Inca, a being of supernatural origin. And in the Old World the 'present' starts with the birth of Jesus Christ."