Inca Native American Religions – Deasy Corporation

Names: Inca religion, Andean spirituality.
Scope: Practiced across the Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina) by the Inca and subject peoples.
Nature: Polytheistic, animistic, state-centered; focused on Sun (Inti), Earth Mother (Pachamama), sacred mountains (apus), and ancestors.

Origins: Rooted in earlier Andean civilizations (Chavín, Tiwanaku, Wari).
Inca Empire (c. 1400–1533 CE): Religion used to unify vast multiethnic empire.
Conquest (1530s): Spanish suppressed temples and sacrifices, but many Andean practices persisted under Catholic forms.
Modern: Quechua and Aymara communities maintain Pachamama offerings, mountain pilgrimages, syncretized festivals.

Chroniclers: Cieza de León, Garcilaso de la Vega, Bernabé Cobo.
Archaeology: Coricancha temple, huacas, mummies of rulers, ceremonial sites like Machu Picchu.
Ethnography: Continuities in Andean rituals.

Supreme creator: Viracocha (creator god of sea and sky).
Major deities:
- Inti (Sun), main state god.
- Mama Quilla (Moon).
- Illapa (thunder, weather).
- Pachamama (earth, fertility).
Sacred mountains (Apus): Powerful local deities, protectors of communities.
Ancestors: Mummified rulers treated as divine, consulted for guidance.

Cosmos: Three worlds — Hanan Pacha (upper world, gods), Kay Pacha (earthly world), Ukhu Pacha (underworld, ancestors).
Creation myths: Viracocha creates humanity; sun and moon rise from Lake Titicaca.
Dualism: Complementary pairs (male–female, upper–lower).
Sacred geography: Cusco as cosmic center, ceque system of huacas radiating outward.

Offerings: Food, chicha beer, coca leaves, textiles, llamas.
Capacocha: Child sacrifices on mountain tops to appease apus.
Festivals: Inti Raymi (Sun festival, winter solstice), agricultural and lunar ceremonies.
Divination: Oracles (e.g., Pachacamac shrine), coca-leaf reading.
Daily practice: Libations poured to Pachamama before drinking.

Priests: State priests of Inti, local huaca caretakers.
High Priest (Willaq Umu): Chief religious authority in Cusco.
Amautas: Wise men, ritual specialists, teachers.
Acllas (“Chosen Women”): Women dedicated to weaving, brewing, serving Inti and the Inca.

Mummification: Rulers preserved as divine beings, paraded in festivals, “consulted.”
Afterlife: Souls journeyed to Hanan Pacha (upper) or Ukhu Pacha (lower), depending on life conduct.
Funerary rites: Offerings of food, drink, servants; tombs oriented cosmologically.

Symbols: Chakana (Andean cross, three worlds), sun disk, lightning, condor–puma–serpent triad.
Colors: Gold (sun, divine), silver (moon), black (earth, Ukhu Pacha).
Art: Textiles, ceramics, goldwork depicting deities and cosmology.
Performance: Ritual dances, hymns, dramatic reenactments of myths.

Spanish conquest: Temples destroyed; huacas defiled; Capacocha banned.
Syncretism: Inti and Pachamama merged with Christ and Virgin Mary; huacas with saints.
Colonial suppression: Inquisition punished “idolatry.”
Modern: Pachamama veneration continues in Andean communities; Catholic festivals often double as Indigenous rituals.
Global recognition: Inti Raymi reenacted annually in Cusco; Andean spirituality influential in ecological movements.