Inca Gods

Knowing other cultures helps us understand the differences that exist between some people and others. Discovering other ways of life and beliefs helps to discover the roots of that society and understand its behavior. Surely, some of you who are reading these lines You have heard of Machu Pichu and the Inca gods, but you do not know in depth the origin of the people, their customs and mythology. All this mentioned, is what we are going to deal with in this publication.

As with other civilizations around the world, the Incas through legends explained their origin. There are two legends that narrate the origin of this new civilization, the legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, and the legend of the Ayar brothers.

The Incas, They believed a lot in the force of nature, the mountains, the sun, and so on., believed that all these elements emanated energy. This is why they worshiped them and thanked them for the season of good harvests. The Inca deities were respected in order to obtain protection and help.

Origin of the Incas

The Inca Empire was one of the largest in the American continent. The main seat was Cuzco, Peru, although later they spread to different regions of the southern Andean mountains. The maximum extension of this empire came during the fifteenth century.

As we mentioned at the beginning, There are two legends that narrate the beginning of the Inca Empire, the legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ollo, and the second legend, that of the Ayar brothers.

Legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ollo

This Indian legend narrates how the Sun god, seeing the feeling and state of sadness in which the men who inhabited the earth lived, sent a couple, Manco Cápac and Mama Ollo, his wife.

The couple had mission to civilize the world and found an empire to worship the sun. Both emerged from the waters of Titicaca, accompanied by a gold scepter, which would sink in that place where the empire should be founded.

They split up, he going north and she going south of the valley. Both considered divine beings, they were attracting followers along your way. After traveling many places, the scepter was sunk in Huanacauri, the place where they decided that the origins of the Incas began.

Legend of the Ayar brothers

According to this legend, the Heir God of the World, sent the most powerful sons with the mission to find fertile lands for the cultivation of one of the most precious goods, corn. That mission had the objective of sharing that product with the men who inhabited the earth.

After several dangerous events and losses along the way of his brothers, finally Ayar Manco, along with four women, found fertile land upon arrival in Cuzco, where he sank the stick to point it out. In that same place, the decision was made to found a city to honor the god of the Sun and the god Huiracocha.

Historical origins

Many historical and archaeological data of the time in addition to investigations, are those that point out that the occupation of the city of Cuzco was due to the migration of the Taypicala, due to the strong crisis they were experiencing. In a very short time, they managed to expand and were absorbing other civilizations and creating new alliances.

In the initial phase of this expansion, The Incas were left with the territories of the Chancas thanks to armed conflicts and the influence of religion and the union of neighboring civilizationsAccording to historical data, between 1479 and 1535, the Inca Empire conquered several territories in Argentina, including San Juan, La Rioja, Jujuy, Tucumán, Catamarca, Salta, and northeastern Mendoza.

In the year 1532, in the battle of Cajamarca, the Incas suffered the attack of the Spanish troops. On several unsuccessful occasions, Pizarro had launched attacks against the Inca empire, taking advantage of the war situation that existed between Emperor Atahualpa and his brother. Hand in hand with the Incas, the Emperor Atahualpa was captured in the aforementioned battle and subsequently executed.

Inca society

The Inca society is represented by a pyramid that shows the social structure of this civilization during the development of the Inca Empire. This society presents a hierarchical structure based on a division by estates.

In highest part of the pyramid, the governor is located, called Inca. The next rank would be for his son, the Auqui, and then his relatives. Two levels are associated with the nobility, one of them with the blood nobility and the next with religious figures such as priests.

Below would be the level of the people, of the citizens, followed by the master colonizers of new territories and those responsible for transmitting the culture to the conquered peoples, and in Last but not least would be all citizens in a situation of slavery.

Inca beliefs

The civilization of the Inca peoples was very religious and her beliefs were focused on events that had to do with her daily life. The gods that were worshiped came from both the heavens and the earth. Each one of them had a specific function in the life of the citizens.

Many gods followed by this culture, were inanimate objects or elements belonging to nature such as mountains, rain, of course the sun, plants, etc. Not only this, but gods in the form of animals were also worshipped. To learn more about the Inca religion, you can read the article on the egyptian religion which also covers topics of ancient worldviews.

Not only, in the Inca civilization, legends or myths related to the creation of the world and man were given special importance, but this happened in many ancient civilizations. These stories were passed down generation after generation.

Main Inca deities

In this section, we will mention the main Inca gods and their most characteristic attributes. They have been very relevant to his story so stay tuned.

Viracocha, the God of Creation

According to the Inca legends, this god was one of the most important since he was the creator of the heavens, the earth, the ocean, the moon and the stars, the god of creation. The myths tell that this god emerged from the waters of Titicaca to share his strength and wisdom with the world.

He gave life to the first civilization that inhabited TiticacaIt is said that this god blew over some stones and thus gave rise to this civilization. Brainless men were called that, and the god did not like them, so he put an end to them by sending a flood. From the small stones that remained, he again created a better civilization. To better understand these stories, it is suggested to read about the cosmogonic myths which offer a broader view of these narratives.

this god, disappears into the Pacific Ocean and is never seen again. It does not have an exact representation, but is given an abstract form.

Inti, God of the Sun

Son of the God Viracocha, Inti, was another of the most important gods in his religion. One of the most revered, for helping men to learn techniques of agriculture, religion, social organization and textile elaborations.

to this god, He is represented by an ellipse shape, made of gold and in which rays could appear as a symbol of his power.The moon was shaped like a silver disc. Many sun worship ceremonies were held to give thanks for the light and heat for everyday activities, such as farming. To learn more about the social organization of the Nahuatl, a parallel can be seen in the importance of their deities.

Pacha Mama, Mother Earth

This deity offered protection, abundance and success to the crops.. She was responsible for everything that had life on earth. One of the customs of the Inca civilization was the offering of coca leaves to this goddess to show her gratitude and achieve good production.

Every time incorrect practices were carried out, such as not maintaining order in the crops, it was believed that the goddess caused earthquakes as signs of disrespectful behavior.

Mama Quilla, Goddess of the Moon

Considered as the goddess of the moon and fertility. The mission of this goddess was to counteract the force of the sun, a masculine force. The women of the civilizations, went to this goddess to ask for protection during the development of her lives.

In addition to these protective powers over women, She is also considered the protector of marriage vows. and the power of fertility.

Mama Cocha, Goddess of Water

Goddess of the waters and protector of fishermen and sailors. She was responsible for ensuring the existence of fish in the sea to feed the people. She had the power to prevent storms and calm the waters.

Ilyapa, God of Weather

Responsible for the meteorological phenomena, which the Inca civilizations suffered. It is represented by the figure of a man with a pitcher of water, and a slingshot. These slingshots were thrown into the pitcher, thus controlling the climatic elements, especially storms.

Apu, God of the mountains

For the Inca people, each of the mountains important to them had its own spirit, as well as rocks or caves. To worship them and for these spirits to give them power, the towns offered sacrifices to them.

These gods of the mountains, they had to protect the territories, taking care of the men who inhabited it, their fields and cattle.

All the stories that surround the mythology and the Inca origin are very interesting and from which you can learn a lot. It is a fascinating civilization, not only because of its history but also because of its beliefs and customs.

Without a doubt, Machu Pichu is one of the greatest legacies left by the Inca Empire. This unique construction is due to the emperor Pachacútec, who ordered it to be built as a place of spiritual retreat for the high nobility.