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An aymara yatiri man
Chavin lanzon stela 2 cyark
The Decapitator Moche
Nazca Lines Hummingbird
Aymara ceremony in Copacabana
1. Identity & Scope
Quechua: Descendants of Inca/Andean peoples across Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina.Aymara: Peoples of Lake Titicaca region (Bolivia, Peru, Chile).Moche (100–800 CE): North coastal Peru, warrior-priest society.Chavín (900–200 BCE): Early highland Peruvian religion at Chavín de Huántar.Nazca (100 BCE–800 CE): South coast Peru, famous for geoglyphs.
2. Historical Context
Chavín: Pan-Andean cult, unifying highlands with jaguar-feline deities.Moche: Regional state with monumental temples (Huaca del Sol, Huaca de la Luna).Nazca: Coastal society, irrigation and fertility cults.Quechua & Aymara: Inherited Inca cosmology, adapted to colonial syncretism; traditions persist today in Pachamama and mountain cults.
3. Sources of Evidence
Archaeology: Chavín carvings, Nazca lines, Moche murals, Andean mummies.
Chroniclers: Spanish accounts (Cieza de León, Arriaga).
Ethnography: Quechua and Aymara rituals (20th–21st c.).
Living practice: Offerings to Pachamama, coca divination, mountain pilgrimages.
4. Pantheon & Supernatural Beings
Quechua/Aymara: Pachamama (Earth Mother), Inti (Sun), Mama Quilla (Moon), Illapa (Thunder), Apus (sacred mountains), ancestors.Chavín: Jaguar, caiman, serpent deities as transformative beings.Moche: Ai Apaec (“decapitator” god), spider/feline deities, warrior-priest figures.Nazca: Deities of water, fertility, often depicted as anthropomorphic animals (killer whale, condor, monkey).
5. Cosmology & Myth
Tripartite cosmos: Hanan Pacha (upper world), Kay Pacha (earth), Ukhu Pacha (underworld).Quechua: Balance through reciprocity (ayni ).Aymara: Cyclical time, strong link to Lake Titicaca origins.Moche/Chavín/Nazca: Transformation myths (human–animal hybrids), fertility/death cycles.
6. Ritual & Practice
Quechua/Aymara: Offerings of coca, chicha, llama to Pachamama and Apus; pilgrimages (Qoyllur Rit’i).Chavín: Trance rituals, use of hallucinogens (San Pedro cactus) in temples.Moche: Human sacrifices, warrior rituals, elaborate burials (Lord of Sipán).Nazca: Ritual processions on lines/geoglyphs; water/fertility ceremonies.
7. Sacred Space & Material Culture
Quechua/Aymara: Huacas (sacred places), mountains, springs, Coricancha in Cusco.Chavín: Temple of Chavín de Huántar (stone galleries, Lanzón deity).Moche: Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna pyramids.Nazca: Nazca Lines (geoglyphs of animals, symbols for ritual processions).
8. Religious Specialists & Institutions
Quechua/Aymara: Altomisayoc (shamans), yatiris (healers/diviners).Chavín: Priests controlling cult centers.Moche: Warrior-priests performed sacrifices.Nazca: Priesthood coordinated geoglyph rituals and irrigation ceremonies.
9. Social Function & Law
Religion structured communal labor (minka , ayni ).
Priests legitimized rulers as semi-divine.
Rituals ensured fertility of crops, stability of society.
Festivals reinforced clan and regional unity.
10. Death & Afterlife
Quechua/Aymara: Ancestors mummified, housed in chullpas (towers); souls continue aiding descendants.Chavín/Moche/Nazca: Elite burials with rich offerings, sacrificial attendants; underworld central in iconography.Belief: Death not end but transformation; ancestors interceded in daily life.
11. Symbolism & Cultural Expression
Quechua/Aymara: Chakana (Andean cross), condor–puma–serpent triad.Chavín: Feline-jaguar motifs, serpents, strombus shells as symbols of power.Moche: Murals of sacrifice, warrior rituals, gods with fanged faces.Nazca: Geoglyphs of hummingbird, spider, monkey; colors in ceramics.
12. Contact & Transformation
Colonial: Spanish suppressed rituals, burned idols, imposed Catholicism.Syncretism: Pachamama identified with Virgin Mary, Apus with saints.Modern: Quechua/Aymara rituals (despachos to Pachamama, pilgrimages) survive and thrive.Legacy: Chavín seen as first pan-Andean religion; Moche/Nazca art still iconic; Andean spirituality globally influential in ecological and indigenous movements.