To begin with, between incas there was no abstract concept of “god” that we can have. the multiples gods that were the object of worship had their own names, and many of them were associated with specific functions.
Furthermore, since Andean society was basically agrarian, often the actions of the divinities it was related to forces of nature and climatic factors, which conditioned the life of the Andean inhabitants.
Thus, the incas they had like gods to celestial bodies, geographical features, atmospheric phenomena and even their own ancestors.
All deities were associated with the term huaca, Quechua word that indicates everything sacred. The Inca was recognized by the Andean people as huaca living being, who had the power to communicate with the sacred universe and was in charge of, through rituals, maintaining the balance between men and gods.
In the same way as other Andean societies, the incas they had a peculiar vision of time and space. Time was conceived in a sacred and cyclical way. Thus, it was thought that there were cycles of destruction and renewal of the world, as in the Mayan calendar.
The universe was divided into three parts:
- hanan pachathe abode of the gods and heavenly objects,
- kai pachathe present and tangible world,
- ucu pachathe world below or things that have not yet germinated.
Apparently, in the ucu pacha were the dead who had returned to their pacarina, or place of origin. Between hanan pacha and the ucu pacha there were ties of complementarity, being the kai pacha the meeting point where both planes of the universe met.
within the deitiesthe most popular was god intithe Sunalso know as Punchao. He was considered the father of incas and the tutelary divinity of Tahuantinsuyo. The chronicles indicate that the Inti or the Sun It was represented by a small statuette carved in gold that was kept in the Coricancha, or temple of the Sun, in the city of Cuzcothe capital of the empire.
Other important gods of the inca religion were:
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- Huiracocha: his cult was distributed throughout the southern Andes, and had a religious background from the Huari and Tuahuanaco cultures.
- Illapa: god of lightning also called Chuquilla, Catuilla or Libiac. He was able to make it rain, hail and thunder with the simple act of whipping his slingshot.
- Pachacamac: main divinity of the central coast, when the many pre-Inca people who worshiped her were dominated by the Incas, her cult was maintained and strengthened under the empire.
- Keel: the Moon, and the couple of the Sun, his cult was related to the dead and fertility. The Moon was linked to silver, and in its temples there were objects of that metal.
Sources: Universal History: Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. Bs. As., AGEA, 2005 / López Austin, A., Religion, magic and worldview, in Ancient History of Mexico, Vol. IV, Mexico, INAH-UNAM-Porrúa, 2001. / Gimeno, D., Aztecs, Mayas and Incas, Universal History, Editorial Sol 90, Barcelona, 2004.