20 INCA GODS AND THEIR MOST OUTSTANDING ATTRIBUTES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Inca gods and their attributes are recognized by the representation of the natural and cosmic environment that made up the religious pantheon of the ancient Inca empire, a South American civilization located in the Andes Mountains.

This civilization was made up of a very religious population. His beliefs were totally intertwined in everyday life. Everything the Incas did had a religious meaning.

The most outstanding cultural features of the Inca myths focused on the description and worship of the natural world that surrounded them, where each aspect and element was animated by powerful spirits and ancestors that transcended the sacred plane.

The gods lived both in heaven and on earth and each one of them had specific functions that influenced every aspect of the Inca life. The hierarchy in his pantheon was determined by the importance of each purpose.

Many of their gods were inanimate objects or elements of nature, such as mountains, rivers, plants, rain, lightning, and of course the sun and the moon.

They also honored animal-shaped deities such as monkeys, jaguars, and condors. The Incas believed that their gods had patterns of human behavior, especially anthropomorphic ones; they were capable of feeling love, hate, compassion, and more human emotions.

During their years of conquest, the Incas integrated peoples close to the territories of their great empire. This made the Inca society come into contact with diverse religious beliefs that were amalgamated within their own customs.

Like many of the mythologies of ancient civilizations, the Inca placed special importance on the stories about the creation of the world and of man. These stories were passed from generation to generation orally, since none of the Andean civilizations developed a writing system.

Inca gods and their most characteristic attributes

Viracocha the god of creation

He was the primordial god who created the sky, the earth, the ocean, the sun, the moon and the first race that inhabited Lake Titicaca.

The god sent a flood that killed everyone except two, a man and a woman, who in some versions are Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, founders of the Inca civilization.

Another version of the creation of men says that Viracocha tried a second time making them out of clay. After giving light and order to the world, she let them emerge from the caves to expand their civilization.

Finally he went on a tour of creation and was lost in the ocean never to be seen again. He is considered a god in an abstract way without exact representation in nature.

Inti, the sun

Son of Viracocha, he was the most important god of his religion, the Sun god. Inti took pity on the men who lived like naked barbarians in caves under the earth. He was then responsible for teaching them the arts of civilization such as agriculture, religion, making textiles and organizing in society.

Its veneration extended throughout the empire and the city of Cuzco was its main cult center. Gold was considered the sweat of the sun, which is why the walls of his temple were bathed in this material.

It ruled directly over the crops, especially the corn for which festivals were celebrated. Solar eclipses were attributed to the wrath of Inti. All the Incas claimed to be descendants of the family of the Sun god through his son Manco Capac.

Mama Kilya, the moon

Daughter of Viracocha and wife of Inti, she was the moon mother and was also associated with the rain. Due to her lunar phases, she was the representative goddess of the passage of time. It ruled over the calendar and religious holidays.

In addition, she was considered the protector of women, of marriage vows, and fertility was attributed to her.

Ilyapa, the weather

He was the god of meteorological phenomena, especially storms. It was represented as a man in bright clothes holding with one hand a pitcher full of water, showing the Milky Way, and with the other a sling.

Ilyapa controlled the weather elements by shooting a stone with his sling into the jug. The hum of the sling was thunder, the projectile piercing the sky was lightning, and the water spilled from the pitcher was rain.

Pacha Mama, the land

Goddess in the form of a dragon, she was responsible for the life of everything on earth. The success and abundance of the crops depended on Mother Earth. The Incas used to offer coca leaves to this goddess to have a good agricultural production.

Messing with the order of the crops or not following their signals in the seasons was disrespectful to Pacha Mama. It was believed that every time this happened, the goddess caused earthquakes.

Mama Cocha, the sea

The goddess source of life, also considered the protector of sailors and fishermen. She was responsible for ensuring that there were enough fish in the sea, which made her a provider deity. She helped prevent storms and was prayed for to calm the waters.

This Goddess was the wife and sister of the creator Viracocha, with whom she gave life to Inti and Mama Kilya.

Pacha Camac, the sky

Invisible God who controls the element of air and grants miracles to the people. He was also called lord of the land since he was the husband of Pacha Mama. He ruled over the arts, the professions, and the oracles. He was the brother of Manco Capac, the founder of the Inca race.

Pacha Camac had the desire to create a race of humans, but her attempt failed. His race lived very little since he forgot to provide them with food and suffered the eternal rejection of people.

Trying to rectify his mistake, another failure, he turned the first woman's son into a huge potato. Then Vichama in revenge transformed all his survivors into rocks, leaving the potato safe.

Manco Capac, the origin of the town

Son of the sun and the moon, Manco Capac gave birth to the entire Inca race along with his sister wife Mama Ocllo, after surviving the great flood of Viracocha. He is also considered the god of fire.

Viracocha gave Manco Capac a beautiful headdress and a large battle ax to establish his figure as leader and ruler of men. From there she emerged from the nearby underground caves of Lake Titicaca with her brothers and sisters in search of a place to settle.

With a golden rod, probably given to him by his father Inti, he struck the ground to test whether the places were suitable to start his great civilization: not very rocky, not very soft, not very wet, not very dry. In this way they found where to found the city of Cuzco.

Mama Ocllo, the mother of the people

Wife of Manco Capac with whom he founded the city of Cuzco. Goddess of the art of the loom and family values, she was responsible for teaching Inca women to spin with their hands and weave to make wool and cotton fabrics.

Chuichu, the rainbow

He was the god of the rainbow who helped Inti and Mama Kilya with the town's crops. Since the Incas depended on both the sun and the rain to have good and abundant crops, Chuichu appeared when both deities were unified for the benefit of the Incas.

Vichama, death

Vichama was the god of death, considered vengeful and unforgiving. Son of Inti and half brother of Pacha Camac.

His mother was murdered at the hands of his half brother, for which in revenge he transformed the entire race of Pacha Camac into stones, which is why he is associated with petrification. Then, feeling alone, he laid three eggs from which a new breed was born.

Supai, lord of the underworld

Supai pottery. Source: EduardoZambrano / Public domain

Supai ruled the Uca Pacha, the Inca hell. It rules over the mines and the rituals of the miners. Considered a greedy god, always wanting to increase the number of his followers.

Supai was believed to have a fixation on children, whom she liked to observe. In her name it will be customary to sacrifice at least one hundred children a year. He was a very feared god among the Incas and is associated with the devil, especially after the arrival of Catholicism.

Chasca, the long-haired star

Click the brightest star in the sky, Venus; the first to leave and the last to disappear. For this reason, she was considered the goddess of dawn and dusk, and was represented as a beautiful and adorable woman who liked flowers very much.

She was also the protector of princesses and virgins. It was associated with spring and renewal.

Urcuchilay, protector of animals

It was a God represented in the form of a multicolored flame that was worshiped by the Inca shepherds. Urcuchilay was an essential deity for the welfare and multiplication of the herds. Usually it was associated in the firmament with the constellation of lyre.

Pariacaca, the water

God of water and also associated with rains and storms. It was originally born as a hawk from an egg on top of the Condorcoto to later become a human. It was believed to be responsible for the floods.

Apu, the mountain

Artistic representation of Apu. Source: Nosequien94 / Public domain

He was the god or great spirit of the mountains. It was believed that all the important mountains for the Inca people had their own Apu, as well as some rocks and caves. Sacrifices were offered to these Apu to obtain the strong aspects of being.

The Apu were protectors of the territories; As imposing guardians above all the Inca lands, they took care of the people, the cattle and the crops.

Urcaguary, the treasurer

Urcaguary was the god of hidden treasures and buried riches. He was represented as a serpent with a deer head and a tail adorned with chains made of gold. He liked to crawl underground, scouring it to find and care for precious jewels.

Mama Zara, the corn

Mama Zara was the Goddess of grains, especially represented as the mother corn. When the crops turned out to have strange or agglomerated shapes, it was believed that it was the presence of Mama Zara.

Usually they used to make dolls made of corn representing this Goddess, adorning them with long dresses and the characteristic and traditional Inca shawls. The women taught their daughters to dance with the dolls in honor of Mama Zara.

Kon, the wind

Kon is a god who is also associated with the rainy seasons but because he controls the wind by blowing it from the south - where his home is believed to be - towards the north, thus dragging the rain with him.

When the coast clears, Inti takes the rain home. More specifically, it would be the god of the south wind. He is another son of Inti the sun and Mama Kilya the moon.

Ekkeko, wealth

Source: Anggeloalvz / Public domain

Ekkeko was the god of prosperity, abundance, and the warmth of the home. He was represented as a cheerful little man of short stature or dwarf, plump and dressed in typical clothes of the Andean mountain range.

He carries a series of bottomless sacks where he carries objects and goods necessary for life at home. The ancient Incas made dolls symbolizing Ekkeko. They had the belief that by putting a small object inside the doll that represented something they wanted, the god would grant it to you in real life during the year. But if by chance the object was removed from inside the Ekkeko, the person lost everything.

Today in Peru and Bolivia Ekkeko continues to be a valid tradition. Many types of Ekkeko dolls can be found among the populations of the Andean highlands.

References

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