Yatoʼ Caresa is the ancestral warrior divinity who defended the Yanesha homeland against invasion. He stationed guards along the frontiers to keep out the cannibal Muellepen, who came upriver along the Palcazu to raid the settlements of the Cacazu valley. His vigilance held for a time, but in a final onslaught the Muellepen broke through, defeating Caresa and killing many Yanesha warriors. His story maps the geography of ancient conflict onto the rivers and rocks of the region.