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Viracocha,
the Creator of the earth and the living creatures. Thus, he
was named "Creator of All things" or Wiraqocha Pachayachachi, too.
He was the creator of culture and knowledge. and is the base of Inca
creation myths, placing him as the most powerful.
Viracocha was actually not publicly worshiped. He was reserved for
the noble. The royal people of the Incas claimed to be directly related to
Viracocha through the Sun God Inti which was supposed to be the father of the
first Inca king.
The most important Gods of the Inca
The Main Inca Gods
| Pachamama | female | The Earth Goddess | She is Mother Earth and the most important Deity in the Andes.
Especially, worshiped by farmers, since she rules over harvesting and
fertility.
Furthermore, she is connected to earthquakes.
Today, she is still worship through the Holy Virgin Mary. |
| Apu | male | The God of the mountains | He is the God of the mountains. He is called for good fortune
and support. Many festivals in his favor still exists. |
| Inti | male | The Sun God | Inti was the support of the empire and conquest, and the Inca
held many ceremonies and rituals for him. All major settlements
throughout the Inca Empire had a Sun Temple. |
The Other Inca Gods
| Chiqui Illapa | male | The Thunder God | He was seen as a man in the sky holding a great war club in one hand
and a sling in the other. The lightning is said to be the sling
stones that he casts, and the Milky Way
(called the Celestial River by the Incas) was the source he drew
from to create rain. Since he was the god of rain,
Chiqui Illapa, also called Inti Illapa, was worship the god the
Incas worshiped for rain |
| Mama Quilla | female | The Moon Goddess | She was the wife of Inti. In some societies near the coast,
Mama Quilla was more important than the sun. Multiple rituals
were based on the lunar calendar, and she even had her own
temple in Cuzco with priestesses. Supposedly, the Incas believe
that the spots on the moon are from when a fox fell in lover
with her, and when he went up to into the sky to steal her away,
she squeezed him against her and created the park patches
visible today. |
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