Inca religion
Encyclopedia
In the heterogeneous Inca Empire
several polytheistic religions were practiced by its different people. Most religions had common traits such as the existence of a Pachamama
and Viracocha
. The incas controlled religion to give the empire cohesion by having conquered peoples add the Inca deities to their pantheon.
The most important deities of Hanan Pacha were Inti
, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon goddess. Inti Raymi
was the festival of the sun god, the largest and most important Inca festival. The lightning deity also resided in Hanan Pacha.
Uku Pacha was the domain of Pachamama
, the Earth mother, who is universal to Andean mythologies. Kanopa was the God of Pregnancy.
Con-Tici Viracocha Pachayachachic
, The first god, creator of the three realms and their inhabitants, was also the father of Inti.
The earliest ancestors of the Inca were known as Ayar, the first of which was Manco Cápac or Ayar Manco. Inca mythology tells of his travels, in which he and the Ayar shaped and marked the land and introduced the cultivation of maize.
(upper world), puma (outer earth) and snake
(inner earth).
s (sacred sites or things), were widespread around the Inca Empire. Huacas were deific entities that resided in natural objects such as mountains, boulders, streams, battle fields, other meeting places, and any type of place that was connected with past Incan rulers. Huacas could also be inanimate objects such as pottery that were believed to be vessels carrying deities. Spiritual leaders in a community would use prayer
and offerings
to communicate with a huaca
for advice or assistance. Human sacrifice was a part of Incan rituals in which they usually sacrificed a child or a slave. The Incan people thought it was an honor to die for an offering.
There is archaeological discoveries supporting the presence of sacrifice within Inca society according to Reinhard and Ceruti: "Archaeological evidence found on distant mountain summits has established that the burial of offerings was a common practice among the Incas and that human sacrifice took place at several of the sites. The excellent preservation of the bodies and other material in the cold and dry environment of the high Andes provides revealing details about the rituals that were performed at these ceremonial complexes."
. They used it to inform people in the city of social events, predict battle outcomes, and ask for metaphysical intervention.
Divination was an important part of Inca religion, as reflected in the following quote:
(Von Hagen, p. 93)
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
several polytheistic religions were practiced by its different people. Most religions had common traits such as the existence of a Pachamama
Pachamama
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
and Viracocha
Viracocha
Viracocha is the great creator god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. Full name and some spelling alternatives are Apu Qun Tiqsi Wiraqutra and Con-Tici Viracocha...
. The incas controlled religion to give the empire cohesion by having conquered peoples add the Inca deities to their pantheon.
Deities
Inca deities occupied the three realms:- Hanan PachaHanan PachaIn Inca mythology, Hanan Pacha was the Heavenly underworld. Only righteous people could enter it , crossing a bridge made of hair....
, the celestial realm in the sky. - Uku PachaUku PachaIn Incan mythology, Ukhu Pacha was the underworld located beneath the Earth's surface. Its symbol was the snake, which was thought to die when digging into the earth and reborn after coming out of it....
, the inner earth. - Cay Pacha, the outer earth where humans live.
The most important deities of Hanan Pacha were Inti
Inti
According to the Inca mythology, Inti is the sun god, as well a patron deity of the Inca Empire. His exact origin is not known. The most common story says he is the son of Viracocha, the god of civilization.- Worship :...
, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon goddess. Inti Raymi
Inti Raymi
During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated in Cusco, as related by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The celebration took place in the Haukaypata or the main plaza in the city....
was the festival of the sun god, the largest and most important Inca festival. The lightning deity also resided in Hanan Pacha.
Uku Pacha was the domain of Pachamama
Pachamama
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
, the Earth mother, who is universal to Andean mythologies. Kanopa was the God of Pregnancy.
Con-Tici Viracocha Pachayachachic
Viracocha
Viracocha is the great creator god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. Full name and some spelling alternatives are Apu Qun Tiqsi Wiraqutra and Con-Tici Viracocha...
, The first god, creator of the three realms and their inhabitants, was also the father of Inti.
Origin
Many ancient Andean peoples traced their origins to ancestral deities. Multiple ayllus could share similar ancestral origins. The Inca claimed descent from the Sun and the Moon, their Father and Mother. Many ayllus claimed descent from early proto-humans that they emerged from local sites in nature called pacarinas.The earliest ancestors of the Inca were known as Ayar, the first of which was Manco Cápac or Ayar Manco. Inca mythology tells of his travels, in which he and the Ayar shaped and marked the land and introduced the cultivation of maize.
Religious expansion
Religious traditions in the Andes tended to vary among different ayllus. While the Inca generally allowed or even incorporated local deities and heroes of the ayllus they conquered, they did bring their gods to those peoples by incorporating them in law such as required sacrifice. The Inca attempted to combine their deities with conquered ones in ways that raised the status of their own. One example of this is Pachamama, the goddess of earth, who was worshipped long before the rise of the Inca. In the Inca mythology Pachamama having been integrated was placed below the Moon who the Inca held ruled over all female gods.Duality
A prominent theme in Inca mythology is the duality of the Cosmos. The realms were separated into the upper and lower realms, the Hanan Pacha and the Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha. Hanan Pacha, the upper world, consisted of the deities of the sun, moon, stars, rainbow, and lightning while Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha were the realms of Pachamama, the earth mother, and the ancestors and heroes of the Inca or other ayllus. Kay Pacha, the realm of the outer earth, where humans resided was viewed as an intermediary realm between Hanan Pacha and Ukhu Pacha. The realms were represented by the condorCondor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
(upper world), puma (outer earth) and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
(inner earth).
Sacred sites
HuacaHuaca
In Quechua, a Native American language of South America, a huaca or waqa is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term huaca can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been associated with veneration and ritual...
s (sacred sites or things), were widespread around the Inca Empire. Huacas were deific entities that resided in natural objects such as mountains, boulders, streams, battle fields, other meeting places, and any type of place that was connected with past Incan rulers. Huacas could also be inanimate objects such as pottery that were believed to be vessels carrying deities. Spiritual leaders in a community would use prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and offerings
Offerings
Offerings may refer to:* Offerings , a slasher film* Offerings , the second album by VAS* Offerings: A Worship Album, a worship album by Christian band Third Day...
to communicate with a huaca
Huaca
In Quechua, a Native American language of South America, a huaca or waqa is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term huaca can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been associated with veneration and ritual...
for advice or assistance. Human sacrifice was a part of Incan rituals in which they usually sacrificed a child or a slave. The Incan people thought it was an honor to die for an offering.
There is archaeological discoveries supporting the presence of sacrifice within Inca society according to Reinhard and Ceruti: "Archaeological evidence found on distant mountain summits has established that the burial of offerings was a common practice among the Incas and that human sacrifice took place at several of the sites. The excellent preservation of the bodies and other material in the cold and dry environment of the high Andes provides revealing details about the rituals that were performed at these ceremonial complexes."
Divination
The Incas also used divinationDivination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
. They used it to inform people in the city of social events, predict battle outcomes, and ask for metaphysical intervention.
Divination was an important part of Inca religion, as reflected in the following quote:
- "The native elements are more obvious in the case of the sunrise divination. Apachetas, coca and the sun were major elements in pre-Conquest religion, and divination, the worship of sacred mountains and the bringing retribution against enemies were important ritual practices."
Festivals
The Inca calendar had 12 months of 30 days, with each month having its own festival, and a five day feast at the end, before the new year began. The Incan year started in December, and began with Capac Raymi, the magnificent festival.| Gregorian month | Inca month | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| January | Camay quilla | Fastening and Penitence |
| February | Hatun-pucuy | Great Ripening |
| March | Pacha-puchuy | Earth Ripening |
| April | Ayrihua or Camay Inca Raymi | Festival of the Inca |
| May | Aymoray quilla or Hatun Cuzqui | Great Cultivation |
| June | Inti Raymi Inti Raymi During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated in Cusco, as related by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The celebration took place in the Haukaypata or the main plaza in the city.... |
Feast of the Sun |
| July | Chahua-huarquiz, Chacra Ricuichi or Chacra Cona | Ploughing Month |
| August | Yapaquis, Chacra Ayaqui or Capac Siquis | Sowing month |
| September | Coya Raymi and Citua | Festival of the Moon |
| October | K'antaray or Uma Raymi | Month of crop watching |
| November | Ayamarca | Festival of the dead Festival of the Dead Festival of the Dead is held by many cultures throughout the world in honor or recognition of deceased members of the community, generally occurring after the harvest in August, September, October, or November. In Japanese Buddhist custom the festival honoring the departed spirits of one's... |
| December | Capac Raymi | Magnificent festival |