Peruvian Paganism (The First Forty Centuries)
On Peruvian Paganism (the First Forty Centuries)
The Andean foothills lie shrouded in fog. Nebulous forms emerge from among the clouds. Dreamlike, a gathering materializes under the moonlit sky. Men and mountains meld together indistinguishable in the mist. Weaving along an ancient trail this procession proceeds slowly towards the sacred site. Silence is broken by the strange and steady rhythm of a single drum. The beat is joined by the numinous notes of a quena- reed flute and the haunting tones of a zamponia- Peruvian Pan pipe. Then the singing begins. Dozens of voices, soft and chant-like at first, accelerate in tempo and volume as they approach their destination. A woman´s sharp voice punctures the melody in an unearthly solo. Her shrill syllables slice through the night air. Near the peak, the instruments and voices achieve a euphoric crescendo in a flurry of emotion and sound. It overwhelms the senses with the enchantment of bizarre and wild mystery.
What is this? Is it an Inca ceremony to honor the mountain gods? Is it a folk fiesta in honor of some Catholic saint? Or is it the gathering of fervent Pentecostals awash in waves of ecstatic devotion?
At first glance, it could well be any of the three. As different as they are, the faith of pagans, popes and Pentecostals are often dressed in surprisingly similar garments in this land. In Peru the old ways are very much alive. Even on into the 21st century, the previous millennia continue to make their presence felt, especially in the religious world.
As moderns and especially as modern Americans is hard to grasp the vast spans of time within which some cultures operate. Consider, for example, the ruins of Kotosh outside this city where we live. When God called Abram from Ur of the Chaldees there was already a thriving city-state in this valley. Abraham offered a ram in place of his son Isaac. Meanwhile the original inhabitants of Kotosh practiced human sacrifice through decapitation. They were not the first. Recent excavations have revealed even earlier cultures on the coast. Ritual bloodshed was widespread. Though they eventually disappeared without a trace, the builders of Kotosh were not the last either. In the centuries that followed, kingdoms in the Andes rose and fell like waves. Each brought their own language, customs and gods. Yet all shared a common cosmology, the same basic “worldview” if you will. All the different societies operated within a similar overarching consensus of meaning. Later kingdoms borrowed heavy from the mythology, traditions and practices of their predecessors. Empires came and empires went but the spiritual world remained the same.
Many aspects of Andean religion were trans-cultural and even trans-generational for centuries. Such was the oracle of Chavin of Huantar. This large religious complex was built around 850 BC on the hallowed headwaters of the Mosna y Huacheqsa rivers high in the Conchucos valley. Located halfway between the jungle and the coast it became a center for religious pilgrims throughout the Andes for countless generations.
The stones of Chavin de Huantar are decorated with fantastic hybrids of men and beasts; eagles, alligators, and pumas with snakes for hair. Beneath the Old Temple are labyrinths of underground passageways all leading to a single stone stele in the dark inner chamber. Covered with carvings, the central figure on this towering column is a half-feline half-human deity with giant fangs. I have personally stood before this 15 foot tall statue staring ominously down on all who draw near. The thing is smiling (sinisterly, from my perspective). It gave me chills just seeing it in a museum. Imagine the original effect on its devout visitors. A local hallucinogenic cactus was apparently used in by priests and probably pilgrims in religious rituals. Carvings of costumes and conch shell instruments indicate that music and religious drama were important in Chavin ceremonies. There is no evidence that the original worshipers were forced to participate. Everything indicates that countless people and societies far beyond the Chavin culture voluntarily made long treks to this bizarre place for hundreds of years.
Not so the coastal Mochica. The central figures in their religious practice were most certainly coerced. Located along the shores of northern Peru, this civilization spanned seven centuries. While Mohammed was conquering Mecca these people were at their peak subjugating the surrounding kingdoms. They are admired for their stylized art, architecture, metal work, large cities and giant burial pyramids such as the famous Lord of Sipan tomb. (Their pottery is frankly obscene. Nothing new under the sun.)
However in religion the Mochesrevealed their most terrifying side. Their gods demanded regular human sacrifice. Mochican art is replete with grotesque demon-gods and often hideous forms of torture and ritual murder. A reoccurring deity Ayapec -The Decapitator is often pictured with a human head in his hands. A Peruvian archeologist once explained to us that the Moche first began ceremonial execution of defeated captives of other peoples. As their power grew there was no one left to fight. They ran out of battle captives and began to rely increasingly on their own young noblemen to feed the appetite of their gods. Towards the end of their long reign the Moche sacrificially murdered great number of young men. With their male leadership depleted they were unable to resist their enemies. Their gods literally bled them to death. (Though they disappeared as a political force in the 8th century, the last speaker of the Moche language died only in the 1920’s.)
By contrast the Incas almost seem enlightened. This last and greatest Andean civilization unified all other kingdoms under their reign. They were shrewd enough to incorporate the religious symbols, rituals and concepts of their subjects into their state religion and permit local practices that did not interfere. Like their predecessors the Incas were polytheists yet gave a special emphasis on the Inti or sun god. Coricancha the temple of the Sun was the spiritual center the empire in Cuzco – “the navel of the Universe.” The feast of Inti Raymi (“Resurrection of the Sun”) is still celebrated every June 24 in Cuzco and attracts thousands of visitors. Inca mythology looked back to the Great Lake (Lake Titicaca) from which the Inti had formed Manco Capac and Mama Oclla, progenitors of the Inca dynasty.
Interestingly, even the Inti owed his existence to the great creator God Viracocha, a benevolent but distant being. Viracocha had originally created mankind but they defied him and so he killed them all in a great flood. Only one man and one woman survived in a box that came to rest on the waters of Lake Titicaca when the flood receded. Viracocha forgave them and then created many more tribes of people from clay. These he gave breath, languages, songs and seeds to plant. Afterwards he created Inti, the sun god, to give them light. Viracocha was invisible, apparently had no temples and worked through his representative the Sun god.
Other important deities were Mama Llulla- the moon goddess, wife of the sun and protector of married women. Pachacamac the earth deity who continues to be revered by Quechua people, and Supay, the hungry god of death. Almost every phenomena of nature had a corresponding deity such as Illapa the rain god, Cataquil the god of thunder, Mama Cocha- Mother Sea venerated by fishermen and Chasca- “the long-haired star” a goddess corresponding to the planet Venus and protector of young women, and literally hundreds more.
Also important were the “huacas.” These could be any unusual place or thing; a mountain peak, a cave, a stone, a tree, a confluence of rivers (as at Chavin), a spring or anything else that was considered to be supernatural. Inca cosmology perceived the physical world at the center of concentric circles between the underworld below and the heavens above. Huacas were points of contact between these realms. The word “huaca” used to mean “ruins” today but many people maintain a deep respect, and even fear of these sacred places.
In addition to sacred places, the Incas revered their ancestors and practiced mummification. Mummies of dead Inca Emperors were paraded out in festivals and brought in to participate in government councils and to eat meals with the living. (Imagine corporate board meeting with defunct CEO’s present) Mummification and ancestor worship were widespread across the empire. My father-in-law even unearthed a mummy on his farm one day and immediately did what any good Catholic would do. He burned it to ashes.
The Incas had a strong morality. Every Peruvian schoolchild has to memorize the three-fold Inca creed: “Ama Suya, Ama Lluya, Ama Quella” –“Do not steal, Do not lie, And do not be lazy.” To this day there are Quechua families who retain a strict moral code that could rival the sternest of Puritans. After death virtuous people joined the Sun in heaven where they had plenty to eat and drink. These dead remained connected to their families on earth and were content in heaven. Evildoers went to a cold and barren underworld marked by hunger.
Especially important for the populace were the cycle of festivals held on each of the twelve lunar months of the year. These were bright occasions with a great deal of pageantry, singing and dancing and of course feasting. Vibrantly colored costumes, long processions, hours of song and dance are still deeply etched into the corporate Peruvian religious psyche. The church we attend holds huge marches through the city with music, signs and lots of pomp. It is considered perfectly normal.
Most festivals were tied in some way to the agricultural year. Pakar Waray in March celebrated the ripening earth and the blooming of flowers. “The Dance of the Young Corn” or Auriwa was held in April when a finely groomed and ornately decorated white llama was paraded through the plaza of Cuzco before a large crowd. Ayamarka Raymi in November was the festival for the dead where offerings were made to dead ancestors. (This coincidentally corresponded to the Catholic “Day of the Dead” on November 1. In my wife’s hometown it remains an important occasion which even her very-Protestant family continues to observe. It is actually a warm family-oriented holiday like our Thanksgiving, one of their favorite times of the year.)
For the average people, divination and folk magic was (and continues to be) widely practiced. Reading coca leaves is still an acceptable way to get answers and direction for one´s life. Local folk healers have not changed much in the past five hundred years. Meanwhile a professional priesthood acted under the patronage of the Empire with the Emperor himself often sharing priestly duties. (No separation of church and state here.) In Coricancha the gold covered Temple of the Sun, priests observed regular sacrifices usually of animals like llamas. Human sacrifice under the Incas though rare was practiced at times of great disaster such as famines or floods. Strangely it was often children and particularly beautiful adolescent girls who were chosen to be sacrificed to the gods.
Thus concludes our whirlwind tour of ancient Andean worship. It is impossible to summarize a whole world in a few words. However some key characteristics do emerge. Pre-Christian religion in the Andes was animistic, polytheistic, and syncretistic. Gods and nature were all part of one and the same system. Private spirituality would be largely meaningless in this context. Religious expression was almost entirely communal and usually public. Devotion was corporately expressed in ceremony, symbol, song and sacrifice. Yawar- blood- was highly sacred and of the greatest importance.
In the articles to come I would like to at least briefly compare and contrast this ancient religion with various forms of Christianity. I think we will see that in some ways what has emerged is very similar to what has always been. In other even more profound ways, the distinctions are radically different. In all of its weird permutations this is the world we live in. This is Peru.
We thank you for your prayers and support,
CSA