GODS

The Incas had many deities, or gods, each with a particular area of influence and power. The most powerful was Viracocha, the Creator. This deity was neither male nor female. The Spaniards saw several statues

104 of this being in various temples. One such statue, of solid gold, was in Cuzco; it stood about 4 feet high. The figure’s right arm was raised and its fist was clenched, except for the thumb and forefinger (Rowe 1946: 293). Viracocha gave the other gods their authority. For this reason Viracocha was seen as a more distant power in the world, and the other gods had more immediate influence and control over the actions of humans. Thus individuals were more preoccupied with rituals for the other gods.

The three principal gods under Viracocha were Inti, the Sun; Illapa, the Thunder or Weather god; and Mama-Quilla, the Moon. Inti, the most powerful, was the god of agriculture. This god was represented as a golden disk with rays and a human face in the center. Illapa, the next most powerful, was associated with rain. He was usually depicted as a man in the sky wearing radiant clothing, holding a war club in one hand and a sling in the other. Mama-Quilla was a woman and the wife of the Sun. The Moon did not appear to have any particular functions, but the lunar cycle was the basis for the Inca nighttime calendar.

The gods of the sky, Inti and Illapa, were important to the Incas, no doubt because the sky was the source of both sun and rain for sustaining the crops. However, of equal importance were the god of the earth, Pacha-Mama, and the god of the sea, Mama-Cocha, both of which were regarded as female. Pacha-Mama was important to the Incas as agriculturalists, whereas Mama-Cocha was important to fishing groups residing near the ocean. Mama-Cocha was also the ultimate source of all water, including rivers, streams, and irrigation water. Hence she was important even to the Incas in Cuzco. Below these deities were various gods associated with stars or constellations that served different functions. For example, some stars watched over flocks of camelids, others over wild animals, and still others over plants and seeds (Rowe 1946: 295).

All major deities of the Incas constituted an official cult. Although the cult religious structures were called Sun Temples by the Spaniards (suggesting that they were used exclusively by the priests of Inti), they also housed the other deities and the priests who served them. Only the most important deities, such as Viracocha, Inti, and Illapa, were represented by images. Mama-Quilla, Pacha-Mama, and Mama-Cocha apparently had no images, and neither did the lesser deities.