WHAT IS PACHAMAMA OR MAMA PANCHA? - HISTORY - 2025

Pachamama or Mama Pancha is a deity of the Andean peoples whose name means Mother Earth. It is a totemic goddess worshiped already in pre-Inca times and whom the Incas continued to honor in various agricultural and livestock ceremonies.

The meaning of Pachamama encompasses more than just planet Earth or nature. Within the worldview of the peoples who worship him, this divinity encompasses everything as a whole. It is about nature in its permanent contact with human beings and in the interactions that occur.

Offering to the Pachamama in Argentina - Source: Julieta suarez / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The Pachamama is a goddess not a creator, but a protector. It gives shelter to human beings and enables them to live thanks to its fertility and fecundity. Humanity, therefore, has an obligation to care for Mother Earth and honor her in rituals in which she offers part of what she has received. In the opposite case, the goddess can be offended and cause hunger, disease and other misfortunes.

Over time, the Pachamama became the basis of the ecological belief system of the Andean peoples. Despite the attempt of the Spanish conquerors to wipe out the ancient indigenous gods, the Pachamama has survived and is still the subject of ceremonies to honor it.

Description

Pachatata and Pachamama, Peruvian god and goddess. Daderot / CC0

Today, the Quechuas and Aymara from countries such as Peru, Argentina, Chile or Bolivia continue to perform ceremonies to the Pachamama.

According to the followers of this divinity, the Pachamama is not found in any specific place, but all of nature in its temple. At the time of worship, the so-called Apachetas, mounds made of stone, are raised.

The most classic representation of Pachamama presents her as a short Indian woman. It has a thick head and large feet. The image is dressed in huge boots and a hat.

The goddess lives in the hills and is accompanied by a fierce black dog. A viper in her lasso and a quirquincho her pig. Sometimes she carries flasks full of silver and gold.

Although she is a protective goddess, her character can become vindictive, jealous, and spiteful. When this happens, it causes storms and thunder.

History of his cult

Machamama Museum, Amaicha del Valle, Argentina. Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The peoples that honored Pachamama (Quechuas, Aymara, and other agricultural cultures) sacrificed animals to shed their blood on the land. In addition, they offered coca leaves, seashells and llama fetuses. All these elements should serve to fertilize the land so that the harvest would never fail.

The Pachamama was part of a trilogy of gods that Mallku and Amaru completed. Together they made up the Aymara perception of the relationship between nature and society.

The Spanish attempt to end what they called "idolatries" only caused the Andean peoples to begin to identify Pachamama with figures of Catholicism, such as the Virgin Mary.

The legend of Pachamama and Pachacamac

One of the legends about the goddess holds that millions of years ago Pachacamac, a deity that lived underground, and his brother Wakon (god of fire and evil) noticed the beauty of Mother Earth, Pachamama.

It was, finally, Pachacamac who conquered the goddess and married her. From this union were born two twin brothers, a boy and a girl.

Wakon, still in love with Pachamama, flew into a rage and caused floods, droughts and death on earth. This answer caused him to be expelled from heaven. Pachacamac chased him down and engaged his brother in a fierce fight. After defeating him, he re-established order in the world.

Pachacamac and Pachamama became mortals and reigned on earth with their two sons. Over time, Pachacamac drowned in the sea and became an island. The world was covered in darkness.

Pachamama and her children saw a light on a distant hill and went towards it. Upon reaching a cave, they found Wakon disguised as a man, who managed to drive the children away by trickery.

His attempt to seduce Pachamama was in vain and, furious, he murdered her. The spirit of the goddess moved away and became the Andes mountain range.

When Pachamama's children heard the news, they decided to flee so as not to suffer the same fate as their mother. Wakon pursued them, but several animals (a condor, a jaguar, a snake, and a fox) set him a trap that led to his death.

The spirit of Pachacamac took his children with him and turned them into the Sun and the Moon. Pachamama, for her part, became the protector of the Earth and of living beings.

Pachamama ceremony

The way of worshiping Pachamama varied according to ethnicity. Furthermore, over time it has evolved and animal sacrifice has been abandoned.

The common purpose of the Andean peoples when they perform ceremonies to the Pachamama is to symbolically return what it has contributed to them. On the other hand, it is also about celebrating the end of winter and purifying the body.

One of the most traditional offerings in the Aymara culture is the llama fetus. This is dried and buried during the month of August to ask for good harvests and to drive away bad energy.

The older people in the community are the ones who perform the rituals. The oldest woman plays the role of Mama Pacha.

Although important ceremonies are held at sowing and harvest times, the main rituals take place in August, especially on the first day of the month.

Religious syncretism

The Spanish conquerors sought from the outset to replace traditional indigenous beliefs with their own religion, Catholicism. At times, this resulted in those who refused to convert being persecuted.

Over time, a syncretism appeared between the new religion and the old. The most common was that the natives equated their gods with some Catholic saints.

In the case of the Pachamama, many communities identified it with the Virgin Mary. Today, rituals are performed in honor of the former during certain Catholic holidays.

In La Paz (Bolivia), Mama Pacha is identified with the Virgin of Copacabana, while in Cochabamba it is made with the Virgin of Urkupiña and in Oruro with the Virgin of the Socavón. For its part, in Puno (Peru), the Pachamama is identified with the Virgin of Candelaria.

References

1. EcuRed. Pachamama. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. Original towns. Pachamama. Obtained from pueblosoriginario.com
3. Fernández, Alba. Pachamama: the festival of Mother Earth. Obtained fromvanaguardia.com
4. The Goddess Garden. Pachamama. Retrieved from thegoddessgarden.com
5. Dos Manos Peru Travel. Pachamama: The Inca Goddess of the Peruvian Andes. Obtained from dosmanosperu.com
6. Religion Wiki. Pachamama. Retrieved from religion.wikia.org
7. Wattpad. Pachamama. Retrieved from wattpad.com