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Illapa was believed to control the weather. The Incas prayed to Illapa for rain and protection from drought.

 

He was envisioned as a warrior in the sky who held a sling and was dressed in shining garments. The lightning was believed to be the flashing of his clothing, and the thunder was the crack of his sling.

 

His sling stone was the lightning bolt that broke his sister's water jug, causing the rain to fall. In a land of frequent drought, where the people depended on agriculture to sustain them, the god of rain was of paramount importance.

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...who better to control the clouds than a weather god!