Cosmology

Information about the deities and energies that are integrated in the fabrics:

 

Viracocha

Viracocha is the creator god of the Incas, and his role in Incan mythology is central. The Incas considered him the Universal God in human form and the substance from which everything is made. They consider Viracocha as the First Father, who gave birth to all other gods and goddesses.

 

According to a legend, Viracocha raised himself from the water of Lake Titicaca in times of darkness. With him the light was born and he made from it the Sun, the stars and the Moon. He also created humans by breathing life unto stone; with him came the entire civilizations as humans have ever known it. He brought all arts and sciences; he gave names to all things and was the founder of medicine, having knowledge over all herbs and plants. From Viracocha came three other gods, his son- the sun god Inti, and his two daughters- the moon goddess Mama Killa and the earth goddess Pachamama.

 

Pachamama

 

Daughter of the creator god Viracocha, Pachamama is a female representation of the spirit of the Earth. She nourishes the crop and every plant or animal on Earth; it depends on her how fertile will the soil be and how much crop will grow each year. In her role as Earth’s guardian spirit, she protects herself through embodiment of the mountains and control over earthquakes.

Pachamama is not only mother of all living things, but she is also one of the four building blocks which Viracocha used to create the Universe. These four blocks are the four elements, which in Incan mythology are the Four Elemental Mothers. Pachamama is the Earth Mother.

 

Mama Kiya

Daughter of Viracocha, the Creator, Mama Killa is the goddess of the Moon, wife of Inti, the god of the sun. Mama Killa protects women and beauty, and she is linked to the passing of time and the agricultural calendar. For some communities living on the coast, Mama Killa was more important as a deity than Inti the Sun.

As a wife of Inti, Mama Killa, the Moon Mother, is an inhabitant of the Hanan Pacha along with the souls of the righteous and a few other gods. Mama Killa had two children- a son named Manco Capac, considered as the first ruler of the Incas, and a daughter- Mama Ocllo, wife of Manco Capac. In a way, the Incas consider the Sun and the Moon their ancestors.

 

Mama Wayra

Mama Wayra is one of the Four Elemental Mothers, goddess of the Wind and Air; she protects the birds and all flying animals. Mama Wayra lives in Kay Pacha, the same world in which humans normally reside. She moves through the air as a giant wind serpent, her eyes shining with white light. She brings purification and can sometimes appear as a white whirlwind.

 

 

Mama Nina

We know little about Mama Nina, the female embodiment of fire. She is one of the Four Elemental Mothers, goddess of light, fire, and volcanoes. As a centerpiece of invocation in fire ceremonies and resides in the Kay Pacha, she brings transformation and healing.

 

Mama Cocha

Mama Cocha or Mama Qucha is not only one of the Four Elemental Mother but she is also the wife of Viracocha, the Creator god. She rules over all water- celestial and earthly, over lakes, rivers and oceans. Mama Cocha is worshiped by sailors and fishermen, along with Pachamama and Mama Killa; she is part of the Incan Lunar Trinity.

She is one of the habitants of Hanan Pacha along with Viracocha, Inti and Mama Killa. Her role on Earth is to bring peace and love among the people. Many temples, roads, and towns were built under her direction.

 

Inti

Taita Inti, the Sun, son of the creator Viracocha, he is a central deity to the Incas. In many modern interpretations, Inti is equivalent to Jesus Christ for Christians. Inti has a central role in the sacred solar calendar. The Inca people regard Inti as their most remote ancestor and involve him in their mystery rites regarding the Solstices.

Within the figure of Inti, three aspects of the Sun were incorporated. First, was the aspect of Apu Inti, the Supreme Sun, Father Sun or The Lord Sun. Second is Churi Inti, Son of Inti, the Daylight. The last aspect, Inti Wawqi, Brother Sun, the founding father of the Incas and main ancestor. These three different parts of Inti were active during different parts of the day and of the year. During the day, it depended on the position of Sun on the horizon, and in the solar year, the three aspects manifested as the Winter and Summer Solstices and the Equinoxes.

Inti’s immense heat was believed to cause the movement of waters and rain on Earth. To him, the Incas gave many sacrifices because they believed the sustains life on Earth with his warmth and causes the crops to ripen and feed the people. To him was dedicated the festival Inti Raymi, held around the 24th of June when is the Southern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice, or the shortest day of the year.

 

Ukhu Pacha

Ukhu Pacha is for the Incas the underworld, or the inner world; it is associated as a place of the ancestors and the dead. Ukhu Pacha is also connected to new life, and this is where Pachamama begins the cycle of life. This underworld Pacha or place is inhabited by the supay, the Incan equivalent of demons.

The Incas believe disturbing the Earth’s surface may cause the spirits in the Ukhu Pacha to be angry and bring disaster to the Kay Pacha, or the human realm. This is why nowadays Inca descendants believe mining for minerals or oil causes disturbances in the Ukhu Pacha; they believe the spirits in the underworld may stop new life from developing if humans continue disregarding the peace of the inner subterranean world. Caves and springs connect the Ukhu Pacha to the Kay Pacha.

 

Kay Pacha

The Kay Pacha in Incan mythology is the perceptible realm which the humans, plants and animals inhabit. It is situated between the heaven realms- Hanan Pacha and the underworld- Ukhu Pacha. As a result, the occasional conflicts between the spirits of the Hanan Pacha and the Ukhu Pacha often disturb this middle realm. In Incan belief Kay Pacha is not inferior to the Hanan Pacha or superior to the Ukhu Pacha, all three are equally important for the balance and harmony of the Universe. Rainbows and thunder connect the Kay Pacha to the Hanan Pacha.

 

Hanan Pacha

Hanan Pacha is the celestial realm where all the light beings and gods live, such are the sky, the moon, the sun, the stars, the planets, the constellations and all gods attributed to each. This is where what the Christians would call angels dwell. This realm is mainly inhabited by Viracocha, Mama Cocha, Mama Killa, Inti, and the thunder god Illapa. These gods are the main rulers of the Hanan Pacha.

Chakana

The Chakana is connected to the pyramidal energies. These types of forces align us with the four cardinal directions of Earth and the different animal spirits protecting each direction. The pyramid had a deep meaning for Mesoamerican civilizations, it symbolized spiritual attainment but also the duality of the world. The pyramidal structures often had underground caverns which were, so to say, the mirror side of the temple.

The step-pyramid design is represented by the Chakana, sacred symbol of the Andean people. It symbolizes not only the four cardinal points of the solar year but it shows the connection between the three worlds of Incan cosmology- the Ukhu Pacha, Cay Pacha and Hanan Pacha.

 The whole design often also aligned with the four directions of Earth- East, South, West and North. Many pyramids also preserve important information about different cycles of the Sun and the Moon, such as the Solstices and Equinoxes and the precession of the Earth’s rotational axis. Carrying these profound symbols with the blue-black Chakana poncho, the beneficial energies of the Earth’s sacred alignments with the Sun protect you.

Align with Earth’s energies and directions to tune in with the Universe’s harmonic rhythm!

Aztec Sun Stone