Ancestral religion in the Andes

The murmuring of the multitude, the fires and the offered prayers have not been seen or heard for five hundred years, but respect and admiration for the past continue to feed the dreams and illusions of millions of Peruvians.

From the mountain tops we remember the glories of the Inca Empire, because the Incas decided to leave here, between the edge of the earth and the heavens, a treasure which has given us a glimpse of a refined civilisation, captivating traditions and rites which we, the living heirs of that distinguished culture should not continue to ignore.

Like all of the world's major civilisations the Incas believed that man lived on after death; their cosmos was full of deities such as Inti (the sun), lllapa (the weather) and sacred places such as the apus (sacred mountains or hills), huacas (sanctuaries) and pakarinas (sacred places where life originated); but all were subservient to a principal divinity: the creator god Wiracocha.

Ancient Peru believed in three worlds:

Hanan Pacha or the “world above”, the home of the gods.

Kay Pacha or “this world”, populated by animals and men and their spirits.

khu Pacha or the “world below”, inhabited by the dead and the forces of the earth.

These three integrated worlds explained a multitude of natural phenomena and their origins, through a mythology rich in traditions.

This vision of the universe was also used by the Empire to consolidate its dominance over regional cultures or peoples. If a given people paid homage to a certain hill or apu, the Incas would establish something higher or of greater importance, a huaca or sanctuary, to maintain local beliefs under the guardianship of the greater god; some experts say that there could have been 365 ceremonial centres, one for every day of the solar year.

The high mountains permitted a better connection between Hanan Pacha and Ukhu Pacha through the services of man, the principal inhabitant of Kay Pacha.

The highest points were where the worlds appeared to meet and communicate with each other, so man would have to visit them to honour his gods and offer them his most valuable possessions in times of crisis.

Life was a divine gift and, as such, the most valuable gift; the lives of chosen animals was a more common offering. Human lives were also offered.

In contrast to some American cultures in which human sacrifice slaked the thirst of the gods for blood, in the Inca Empire men gave up their lives consciously and voluntarily to the gods, the supreme and ultimate gift.