Religion
Gods/Deities
Festivals
The Three Levels of Existence
Religious Expansion
Offerings - Animals and sometimes human sacrifices
Agricultural - At the beginning of each growing season
Viracocha - Creator God
Gods of Earth and Sea
Gods of Sky
All the Gods were thought to help increase crops and animal herds
Moon Goddess (Quilla)
Sun God (Inti)
Festival of the Sun God
God of Stars
Sapa Inca (Emperor) was the descendant of the Sun
Coya (Emperors Wife) was connected with the female god, the Moon
Each God was connected to with some aspect of Nature or Natural Force
September Festival - dedicated to female Goddess and was celebrated under the protection of the Moon and the Sun Gods
Incas celebrated different religious festivities every month
Sacred Sites (Huacas)
Places of Worship
Stone of Intihuatana (Machu Picchu) - Worked as a solar clock and allowed people to calculate the Winter Solstice
Landscapes
Waters
Mountains (Apas)
Pathways (Ceque)
Caves
Springs
Stones or Boulders
Man-made objects such as pillars
Royal and elite mausoleums
Quenco (North of Cuzco) - resembles a seated puma, one of the Inca's sacred huacas
Apacheta - special type of huaca which was stone cairns on mountain passes were thought to hold local deities' spirits
All rivers and lakes were held sacred because as water was universally recognized as the source of life
Seen as parents who gave birth to their local community
Mountains regarded as the dwelling places of the Gods or even as the Gods themselves
God of Earthquakes: Pachacamac
God of Thunder and Lightning: Llibiac
Each path linked numerous huacas along its length
There were 41 such paths uniting 328 huacas within and around Cuzco
Specialist craftspeople to produce goods solely for burial and royal tombs
Priests, royal historians and record keepers were employed to continue and sustain state religion and history
Different regions worshiped special local deities, however, there soon developed a core of features that became universal religious concepts
Earth Goddess: Pacha Mama
Terrestrial Layer: Kai Pacha or Hurin Pacha
Inner-terrestrial Sphere: Uku Pacha (The World Below)
Outer-celestial Sphere: Hanan Pacha (The World Above)
Associated with gold, the "sweat of the sun"
Associated with silver, the "tears of the moon"
Duality
The universe and everything in it comprise two parts in opposition which seek completion through unity
The natural elements were considered divine and ruled human existence
Symbols of Divinity
Quilla (The Moon)
Rainforest Animals
(Jaguars, serpents, monkeys, etc.)
Inti (The Sun)
Aquatic Animals
Composite Creatures (Characteristics of animals and humans)
Maturity and Marriages
Paying homage to the dead
Ecological Relationship
Belief that their environment was sacred
Humans to enjoy earths benefits through the grace of the gods, not to exploit it
Humans not considered themselves center/focus of the world, but one group among all living things
Humans appealed to the gods for their permission to make use of various other elements in the world