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Inca mythology is a mystery to many of us, as we know many more stories about gods of
the Roman and Greek empire.
For us, other gods could be just as wrathful and petty as the ones we see in Disney films.
However, this is hardly true.
Inca gods, for one, are full of interesting stories all related to the earth, the elements,
and things that impact our daily life.
Come along on this journey and we’ll explore the Top 10 Most Powerful Inca Gods of Mythology.
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10.
Apu Apu is the god or spirit of the mountains.
Seeing as the Incas had their home among many mountains, you can imagine that this god was
very important to them.
In fact, all important mountains have their very own Apu.
Some will even receive sacrifices to bring out some aspects of their being.
They’re not alone, some rocks and caves can also have their own Apu.
Apu is represented often in gold, as a small god with a big crown and large plugs on his
earlobes.
The word Apu has a variety of meanings including lord, home, or temple, which truly all make
sense if you’re living in the South American mountains.
9.
Cavillace Cavillace is known as the virgin goddess.
She’s powerful in the hierarchy, often placed just below Apu.
However, she is as moody as she is strong.
Cavillace was approached by another god in humble native dressing and she turned down
his efforts to seduce her.
She ate a fruit, which turned out to be the sperm of this man, who was actually the moon
god Coniraya, the Inca’s moon god.
She later gave birth to a son; shocked, she demanded that someone step forward and take
responsibility.
When no one did, she set the baby on the ground, and it naturally crawled towards Coniraya.
This god wasn’t exactly the most powerful of all gods, and to add, he was still wearing
his humble clothes.
Cavillace wasn’t thrilled that her stature would now be affected by him, so she ran away
to the coast of Peru and transformed herself and her son into rocks.
8.
Ekeko The god of hearth and wealth or prosperity.
Ekeko is the god you want to approach with the things you want.
In fact, little dolls of him are made for people’s homes, and onto them, people attach
tiny versions of the things they want.
If done right, the person is said to receive them.
He is especially celebrated during Bolivia’s Alasitas Festival.
He’s an interesting looking fellow, and offerings to him include clipping bank notes
to him and even putting cigarettes in his mouth.
When offered grain, he’ll provide a good harvest.
7.
Viracocha Originally, he was the main god of the Inca
empire.
He was the creator of everything.
However, after Pachakuti became emperor, he changed the god’s importance, pointing out
that it was not him, but Inti, who was the most important god.
He’s intimately associated with the ocean, which again, just makes sense, doesn’t it?
He’s represented often wearing the sun as a crown, holding thunderbolts, and crying
rain.
He was so deeply relatable that there have been several controversies related to the
skin color of his representations and his association with the Christian God.
6.
Mama Qucha This is pretty interesting because we don’t
just learn about their culture from their deities, but also about their knowledge and
wisdom.
First, we know that though Viracocha is associated with the sea, there is only one true mother
of the ocean, and that is Mama Qucha.
She’s the goddess of the fish and the sea, of sailors and fishermen.
Some legends say she’s the mother of Inti and Mama Killa, who she had with Viracocha.
Her importance varied, of course, seeing a peak with those who lived along the coast.
Her existence is proof that the Incas understood the hydrological cycle, going from the rivers
and the sea and to the rain, replenishing itself.
5.
Ilapa The weather god.
This is so appropriate, don’t you think?
Like you may be the sun, or the rain, but the weather is a force all on its own.
Just look at hurricanes, tornadoes, and other devastating storms.
You better believe there’s a fiesty god behind that.
His holiday is celebrated on July 25th and he’s said to keep The Milky Way in a jog,
using it to create rain.
He’s represented as a man wearing shining clothing, carrying a club and stones.
It’s as if he’s preparing to stone us all to death, but with weather.
He also had his time as the main god during the Kingdom of Qulla.
4.
Paricia This may not go quite in line with the other
god’s more Quechua names, but don’t take Patricia lightly just because your friend’s
super sweet mom has the same name.
Patricia, first of all, is a male god.
Second of all, he sent a flood to kill all humanity who did not “adequately” respect
him.
Seeing as we’ve been having kind of crazy weather, perhaps we could consider being a
little more respectful to him and avoid being wiped out entirely.
Just saying.
He’s also a dragon, and a patron for fertility, planting, and harvesting.
3.
Mama Sara or Saramama Goddess of grain.
She was the mother and patron of the maize grown in the empire.
Especially of the grain that grew in multiples.
These strange species would actually be turned into doll representations of the goddess.
Why is she #3 on our list?
Corn is one of the most important harvests in the region.
In many ways, corn is life, corn is sustenance, corn is life.
So of course, it’s important to respect and honor the god of the spoon that feeds
you.
Saramama is often represented nude with corn husks placed on her as a crown or on her body.
2.
Pachamama Pachamama is literally “mother nature”.
She is without a doubt the most well-known and important deities in the Incan culture
and tradition.
She is second only to the Sun.
She’s the earth mother, the patron of time, the mother of everything and everyone.
She was married to Paricia, or Pacha Kamaq, who like we said, is very powerful.
While her husband sends floods with his powers, she herself is capable of creating powerful
earthquakes to shake up her creation and its inhabitants.
Pachamama, it's said, was actually translated to the Virgin Mary in the Christian and Catholic
traditions later on.
1.
Inti The Sun god.
Seeing as we are literally nothing without the sun, you have to have a Sun God in all
cultures.
He’s the source of warmth, light and a protector of the people.
He was the most important god.
People can live without mountains, they can live, though not as easily, without a harvest,
or wealth, but there is no living without the sun.
The Inca Emperors were even considered direct lineal descendants of Inti.
Inti is the son of the Mother of everything, Pachamama, and the sky god Pachahiq.
Sometimes, he’s also described as Pachamama’s husband.
Maybe he was both, you know how some gods can be.
His sister is Mama Killa, the moon goddess, and they were both considered benevolent gods.
Inti’s children were said to have been taught the arts of civilization, which they then
passed down, building the Inca capital in Cusco.
In 1571, a large golden disk representing the sun god was taken by the conquistadors
and sent to the pope, it was then lost.