One myth surrounding the moon was to account for the "[[Moon#Impact_craters|dark spots]]"; it was believed that a [[fox]] fell in love with Mama Killa because of her beauty, but when he rose into the sky, she squeezed him against her, producing the patches.<ref name="D'A"/> The Incas would fear [[lunar eclipse]]s as they believed that during the eclipse, an animal (possibly a [[mountain lion]],<ref name="Cobo"/> or serpent<ref name="Cobo"/><ref name="Conway"/> or [[Cougar|puma]]<ref name="Conway"/>) was attacking Mama Killa. Consequently, people would attempt to scare away the animal by throwing weapons, gesturing and making as much noise as possible. They believed that if the animal achieved its aim, then the world would be left in darkness. This tradition continued after the Incas had been converted to [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] by the [[Conquistadors]], which the Spanish used to their advantage. The natives showed the Spanish great respect when they found that they were able to predict when the eclipses would take place.<ref name="Cobo"/> Mama Killa was also believed to cry tears of [[silver]].<ref name="D'A"/>
