The Mediterranean Sea is a body of water connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on he North by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the South by North Africa, and on the East by the Levant. Area: 2.5 million km2.
Several ancient civilizations were located around the shores, and were greatly influenced by their proximity to the sea. Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greeks and the Phoenicians, both of which extensively colonized the coastlines. Later, when Augustus founded the Roman Empire, they referred to the Sea as 'Our Sea.'
Large Islands in the Mediterranean include: - Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos, and Andros in the Eastern Mediterranean; the two biggest Sicily and Sardinia which are both part of Italy; Corsica, Cres, Krk, Brac, Hvar, Pag, Korcula, and Malta in the Central Mediterranean; and Majorca or Mallorca, Ibiza and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) which are part of Spain, in the Western Mediterranean.
The Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar, known in Homer's writings as the 'Pillars of Hercules,' in the west, and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. Being nearly landlocked affects its condition, for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The water is caracterized and immediately recognized by its deep blue color.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500m/4,900 ft and the deepest recorded point is 5,267m/17,280 ft in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea south-west of Pylos, Greece. At the Calypso Deep, the African Plates slides under the Aegean Sea Plate, creating the Hellenic Trench, a hemispherical long narrow depression. The region is an ecosystem to sperm whales and other aquatic life. This is the trench where several earthquakes, including the 365 Crete earthquake, occurred.
Santorini, an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km /120 mi southeast of Greece's mainland, is the largest island of a small and circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades Islands. It is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera. It is the most active volcanic centre and the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption, which occurred some 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, and then formed a gigantic tsunami. A popular theory holds that the eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis.
The Lake Titicaca, straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains, is South America's largest freshwater lake and the World's highest navigable body of water (3,812 m above sea level). It was the birthplace of the Incas and home to numerous ruins. Its waters are famously still and brightly reflective. Around it are national reserves sheltering rare aquatic wildlife such as giant frogs.
Area: 8,372 km2 ; Altitude: 3,812 m; Length: 190 km; Width: 80 km; Max Depth: 284 m.
The Lake is composed of two nearly separated sub-basins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m /2,620 ft across the narrowest point.
Islands: -Taquile Island on the Peruvian side, 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. The highest point of the island is 4,050m/13,287 ft above the sea level. The inhabitants speak Quechua and are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, starting at the age of eight. Their society is based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code Ama Sua (do not steal), Ama Llulla (do not lie), Ama Quilla (do not be lazy). Pacha-Mama, the mother earth, directly controls harvesting and fertility. People offer to the deity a number of offerings each year. God is present throughout the year in the festivities.
-Amantani on the Peruvian side, is circular and about 9.28 km2 in size. It has 2 mountains peaks, Pacha-Tata (father earth) and Pacha-Mama (mother earth), with ancient Inca and Tiahuanaco ruins on top of both. The hillsides are terraced, mostly worked by hand, and planted with quinoa, wheat, potatoes, and other vegetables. Livestock, including alpacas, also graze the slopes.
The Temples at the top of the mountains are generally closed during the year. Entrance is permitted on January 20, the annual feast day, at which time the island's population divides in two, with each group gathering at its respective temple. A race is then held from each peak to a point somewhere between the two, and a representative of each group is chosen to run. A victory for Pacha-Mama portents a bountiful harvest in the year to come.
- Island of the Sun, on the Bolivian side, is a rocky, hilly island with many eucalyptus trees. The main economic activity is farming and fishing. There are over 80 ruins on the island. There is evidence that people lived on the island as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. Many hills contain agricultural terraces, which adapt steep and rocky terrain to agriculture. Among the ruins are Titi-Cala (Aymara: Andean Mountain Cat, or Mountain Cat Stone); a labyrinth-like building called Chin-Cana, Casa-Pata, and Pillcu-Cayna. The first Inca Manco Capac is said to have emerged from a prominent crag in a large sandstone outcrop known as Titi-Cala. Manco Capac was the son of Inti, the Andean date identified as the Sun. In one version of the myth, the ancient people were without light in the sky and grew frightened of the darkness. Finally, the people saw the Sun emerge from the crag and believed it was the Sun's dwelling place. Other versions says that the crag was dedicated to the Sun because it hid under the crag during a great Flood. The Island of the Sun was the first land that appeared after the flood waters began to recede and the Sun emerged from Titi-Cala to illuminate the sky once again. A temple was built at this rock and later expanded by the 10th Inca Tupac Inca Yupanqui. He built a convent for Mama-Conas (chosen women) and a Tambo (Inn or House) for visiting pilgrims from other realms. The island was continually occupied from at least 2200 BC up to the present day.
- Island of the Moon, on the Bolivian side, is situated east of the Island of the Sun. Legends in Inca mythology refer to the island as the location where Viracocha, the great Creator deity, commanded the rising of the moon. Archaeological ruins of an Inca monastery were found on the eastern shore. According to the legend Viracocha rose from Lake Titicaca during the time of darkness to bring forth light. He made the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. He made mankind by breathing into stones, but his first creation were brainless giants that displeased him. So he destroyed it with a Flood and made a new, better one from smaller stones. Viracocha eventually disappeared across the Pacific Ocean by walking on the water and never returned. He wandered the earth disguised as a beggar, teaching his new creations the basic of civilization, as well as working numerous miracles. He wept when he saw that his new creation did not follow his teachings. Then it was thought that Viracocha would re-appear in times of trouble. Viracocha was described as a man dressed in a white robe like an alb secured round the waist, and carried a staff and a book in his hands.
- Suriqui Island, on the Bolivian side, is located 10.7 km from Tiquina Strait. It is believed that the first settlers of this area came in boats that were handmade out of plants, which are called Totora, a kind of reed. The habitants of the island are world-renowned for being expert boat builders which were used in several expeditions in the high seas.
- The Uros are people who live on 42 self-fasioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca. They descend from a millennial town that, according to legends were the owners of the Lake. Uros used to say that they have black blood because they did not feel the cold. Also they call themselves Sons of the Sun. The purpose of the island settlements was originally defensive, and if a thread arose they are able to move. The largest island retains a watchtower almost entirely constructed of reeds. They use bundles of dried totora reeds to make reed boats (balsas mats), and to make the islands themselves. The larger islands house about 10 families, while smaller ones, only about 30 meters wide, house only 2 or 3. The Uros Islands at 3,810 meters above sea level are just 5 kilometers west from Puno port. Around 2,000 descendants of the Uros were counted in the 1997 census, although only a few hundred still live on and maintain the islands; most have moved to the mainland. Food is cooked with fires placed on piles of stones. To relieve themselves, tiny outhouse islands are near the main islands. The ground root absorbs the waste.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, July 30, 2016
MANCO CAPAC AND MAMA OCLLO
A long time ago, the spirit of the Sun (Inti), father of the People of the Andes, saw the deplorable state in which the inhabitants of the land were living in, alone like wild animals in caves not knowing how to live together in harmony since they did not have any kind of religious instructions to bring them together. They also had no tools to hunt and lacked understanding of any kind of agricultural techniques and textile abilities. That was the main reason why they lived like barbarians in caves and were naked, eating wild animals and bare seasonal fruit.
So the sun god Inti decided to create a man and a woman and sent the couple to Earth to create a civilization. They appeared emerging out from the foamy waters of the Lake Titicaca, walking above the waters towards the island of the Sun, located in the midst of the Lake. They were given a golden rod or staff in their hands by the Sun, their father, who bade them settle permanently at whatever place the staff should sink easily into the earth. He recommended to travel North of the Lake, where a majestic Valley was cordoned off by beautiful mountains, and at a hill overlooking the present day city of Cuzco named Huana-Cauri the staff of gold was planted easily into the soil and disappeared like being eaten by the earth without resistance; thus telling them this was the ideal place which the new civilization would begin. They gathered around them a great many people who mistook them with gods because of the brightness of their clothing and jewelry, and founded the city of Cuzco, the capital of the Inca state, that became the center of the world.
From this specific moment Manco Capac is recognized as the legendary founder of the Inca dynasty of Peru.
Manco Capac undertook the task civilizing the people in the Valley of Cuzco; he taught men about agricultural techniques, fishery, animal husbandry skills, house construction, science, religion, etc., while his sister and wife, Mama Ocllo, was given the task of empowering women in household chores, fabric to create garments that cover their nakedness, and child-rearing.
Manco Capac, as the first Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco, set up a code of laws. By the time of his death, he had 400 children to carry on his bloodline. His people built the Temple of the Sun on the spot where he died.
The Inca emperors claimed they descended from this great couple, and founders of the empire that later their descendants transformed into the great Inca Empire, and therefore, descendants from the Sun god himself, holding so much power among the people that inhabited the land.
The Incas developed a very sophisticated civilization with successful agricultural practices, an impressive and complex religious and social structures, and a well organized army.
Their creation of textiles were superb, as well as their advanced system of roads and a prominent use of gold in decor and artifacts.
So the sun god Inti decided to create a man and a woman and sent the couple to Earth to create a civilization. They appeared emerging out from the foamy waters of the Lake Titicaca, walking above the waters towards the island of the Sun, located in the midst of the Lake. They were given a golden rod or staff in their hands by the Sun, their father, who bade them settle permanently at whatever place the staff should sink easily into the earth. He recommended to travel North of the Lake, where a majestic Valley was cordoned off by beautiful mountains, and at a hill overlooking the present day city of Cuzco named Huana-Cauri the staff of gold was planted easily into the soil and disappeared like being eaten by the earth without resistance; thus telling them this was the ideal place which the new civilization would begin. They gathered around them a great many people who mistook them with gods because of the brightness of their clothing and jewelry, and founded the city of Cuzco, the capital of the Inca state, that became the center of the world.
From this specific moment Manco Capac is recognized as the legendary founder of the Inca dynasty of Peru.
Manco Capac undertook the task civilizing the people in the Valley of Cuzco; he taught men about agricultural techniques, fishery, animal husbandry skills, house construction, science, religion, etc., while his sister and wife, Mama Ocllo, was given the task of empowering women in household chores, fabric to create garments that cover their nakedness, and child-rearing.
Manco Capac, as the first Inca of the Kingdom of Cuzco, set up a code of laws. By the time of his death, he had 400 children to carry on his bloodline. His people built the Temple of the Sun on the spot where he died.
The Inca emperors claimed they descended from this great couple, and founders of the empire that later their descendants transformed into the great Inca Empire, and therefore, descendants from the Sun god himself, holding so much power among the people that inhabited the land.
The Incas developed a very sophisticated civilization with successful agricultural practices, an impressive and complex religious and social structures, and a well organized army.
Their creation of textiles were superb, as well as their advanced system of roads and a prominent use of gold in decor and artifacts.
LEGEND OF THE AYAR BROTHERS.
One of the unique and significant myths about the beginning of the Inca Empire is the fantastic legend about the Ayar brothers, created by Viracocha to rule the world.
The brothers emerged from a cave named Pacari-Tambo, known as "House of Production, House of the Rising Sun, House of Hiding, or House of Daybreaks." The sacred cave was located in the Tambo-Toco Mountain which had 3 windows, each of them belonging to their respective pacha or realm: Hanan (sky), Uku (underworld), Kay (world of the living).
After a major flood destroyed the earth, from one of the windows, Maras Toco, came an spontaneous generation without ancestral fathers and called themselves "the group of the Maras Sutic,"
from another window, Capac Toco, came four brothers with their four sisters. The brothers were married with their sisters and they were named: Ayar Manco with Mama Ocllo, Ayar Cachi and Mama Cora, Ayar Uchu and Mama Rahua, and Ayar Auca and Mama Huaco.
The legendary brothers with their sisters-wives left the cave and began a very slow journey across the Andean Mountains in search of a special and magical place to settle.
From the four brothers, Ayar Cachi was the strongest of all. He had a slingshot that threw stones that reached the sky and made sky rain creating thunders, or knocked down a mountain, or form canyons and valleys.
Fearful, the brothers convinced him to return to Pacari-tambo, the cave from where all of them came. They told him they needed to return because they left the sacred insignias (Napa) that nominated them lords, seeds, and the sacred golden cups (Topa-Cusi) assigned to each of them to be used in religious and ritual ceremonies. As soon as Ayar Cachi went into the cave they sealed it with rocks with cosmic powers, and he was left hastily trapped for eternity with no possibilities of getting out of it. He screamed so loudly that the earth trembled, breaking mountains in two and making the sky shiver.
Then remaining brothers continued their difficult and slow journey through the Andean Mountains, and in each place where they sojourned they planted seeds and tried to make them grow applying new methods of agriculture techniques in order to sustain the perfect production of food. As soon as they were able to harvest from the soil they tested the product and ranked it. If the soil was not good enough to sustain a perfect production they moved and continue in their mission to find the perfect place.
Then, after a long journey, they arrived to a place named Huana-Cancha, nearby Cuzco, then, they did the same and, after staying for a while, they harvested and tested the soil, ranked, then continue their journey. They reached Tambo-Quito, stayed there a couple of years, and then move again reaching the foot of a mountain named Quirir-Manta. They assembled together and decided that Ayar Uchu had to stay there in the form of a cosmic energy and being transformed into a major shrine or huaca and then named the hill Huana-Caure. Then they found an idol made of stone who had the same name as the hill. The brothers with his sisters/wives entered to the place where Ayar Uchu resided in a form of cosmic energy with a lot of fear because this idol held negative energy able to block their way. Ayar Uchu challenged the idol and after winning the battle he was turn then into a stone. While he was still into an energy form, he was able to tell their brothers to continue their path and never forget to celebrate the feast of Huara-Chico, a festivity in honor to adulthood.
Ayar Auca, in search of the right settlement to live with his brother, he developed wings, like a condor, and flew over a place known as "La Pampa del Sol"( the Sun settlement), he landed on this place and turned himself into a stone, and transferring his own cosmic energy to that place named Cuzco, meaning "the center of the cosmic energy. The only remaining brother, Ayar Manco, finally reached the place and arrived to Cuzco, and sunk the golden stick that was delivered by his father and god, Inti (the Sun), founding the Inca Empire, Tahuantinsuyo. It was him who became the forefather of the Incas dynasty having changed his name to Manco Capac.
The interpretation of this legend is that War for the strongest of the Forces is always a constant in all humankind regardless the positiveness or negativeness of it. In the case of the Incas, the One who remained intact in his heart after being tested and polished by both dualistic forces, received the huge responsibility of leading the foundation of their Empire.
The brothers emerged from a cave named Pacari-Tambo, known as "House of Production, House of the Rising Sun, House of Hiding, or House of Daybreaks." The sacred cave was located in the Tambo-Toco Mountain which had 3 windows, each of them belonging to their respective pacha or realm: Hanan (sky), Uku (underworld), Kay (world of the living).
After a major flood destroyed the earth, from one of the windows, Maras Toco, came an spontaneous generation without ancestral fathers and called themselves "the group of the Maras Sutic,"
from another window, Capac Toco, came four brothers with their four sisters. The brothers were married with their sisters and they were named: Ayar Manco with Mama Ocllo, Ayar Cachi and Mama Cora, Ayar Uchu and Mama Rahua, and Ayar Auca and Mama Huaco.
The legendary brothers with their sisters-wives left the cave and began a very slow journey across the Andean Mountains in search of a special and magical place to settle.
From the four brothers, Ayar Cachi was the strongest of all. He had a slingshot that threw stones that reached the sky and made sky rain creating thunders, or knocked down a mountain, or form canyons and valleys.
Fearful, the brothers convinced him to return to Pacari-tambo, the cave from where all of them came. They told him they needed to return because they left the sacred insignias (Napa) that nominated them lords, seeds, and the sacred golden cups (Topa-Cusi) assigned to each of them to be used in religious and ritual ceremonies. As soon as Ayar Cachi went into the cave they sealed it with rocks with cosmic powers, and he was left hastily trapped for eternity with no possibilities of getting out of it. He screamed so loudly that the earth trembled, breaking mountains in two and making the sky shiver.
Then remaining brothers continued their difficult and slow journey through the Andean Mountains, and in each place where they sojourned they planted seeds and tried to make them grow applying new methods of agriculture techniques in order to sustain the perfect production of food. As soon as they were able to harvest from the soil they tested the product and ranked it. If the soil was not good enough to sustain a perfect production they moved and continue in their mission to find the perfect place.
Then, after a long journey, they arrived to a place named Huana-Cancha, nearby Cuzco, then, they did the same and, after staying for a while, they harvested and tested the soil, ranked, then continue their journey. They reached Tambo-Quito, stayed there a couple of years, and then move again reaching the foot of a mountain named Quirir-Manta. They assembled together and decided that Ayar Uchu had to stay there in the form of a cosmic energy and being transformed into a major shrine or huaca and then named the hill Huana-Caure. Then they found an idol made of stone who had the same name as the hill. The brothers with his sisters/wives entered to the place where Ayar Uchu resided in a form of cosmic energy with a lot of fear because this idol held negative energy able to block their way. Ayar Uchu challenged the idol and after winning the battle he was turn then into a stone. While he was still into an energy form, he was able to tell their brothers to continue their path and never forget to celebrate the feast of Huara-Chico, a festivity in honor to adulthood.
Ayar Auca, in search of the right settlement to live with his brother, he developed wings, like a condor, and flew over a place known as "La Pampa del Sol"( the Sun settlement), he landed on this place and turned himself into a stone, and transferring his own cosmic energy to that place named Cuzco, meaning "the center of the cosmic energy. The only remaining brother, Ayar Manco, finally reached the place and arrived to Cuzco, and sunk the golden stick that was delivered by his father and god, Inti (the Sun), founding the Inca Empire, Tahuantinsuyo. It was him who became the forefather of the Incas dynasty having changed his name to Manco Capac.
The interpretation of this legend is that War for the strongest of the Forces is always a constant in all humankind regardless the positiveness or negativeness of it. In the case of the Incas, the One who remained intact in his heart after being tested and polished by both dualistic forces, received the huge responsibility of leading the foundation of their Empire.
Friday, July 29, 2016
THE COSMIC WORLD AND THE INCAS
The physical origin of the universe was not important for the Incas and rather they were more in pursuit of the understanding the language of its magnetic behavior and acquire knowledge in order to survive in a challenging geography pertaining to the Andean landscape.
When the magnetic lines of force were identified in their natural locations, they believed that its physical presence was in direct contact with its cosmic force, one of them created the physical existence and the other animated it. If one of them was perturbed, the observed that the gas element tended to slide down along the field into the low places along it. This caused to burden the low places sinking further and unburdened the high places permitting them to expand upward. The magnetic field of the earth and the cosmic rays from the universe contributed about equally to the areas of fertility located in the high places the mountains and then from it to the low regions. Thus, they concluded that the birth of the stars were intimately related to the cosmic magnetic field and the power of solar radiation and in a combined and complementary order influenced the energy forces of the earth.
The regions populated by the pre-Inca and Inca civilizations were very knowledgeable in observe how this points of energy moved along the regions. They commonly located them in nearly all the regions of their land outside the deepest parts of the Amazon basin. They can be found in almost every district in downtown of Lima of today, having the city been built around them. The lines were laid out to express the cosmological language of the stars and the lines of energy were aligned to various stellar risings and settings. The seasonal ceremonies were huge events because it pertained to a cosmological calendar that kept the exact time for every season and a also a record keeping.
The Sun was considered the most important source of energy for life on the earth. The Sun's movement was closely observed and mapped, and its orbit was elliptical in nature at the center of the Milky Way.
The Coastal Region of the Andean land was and still is unique. Over 50 rivers flow to the Pacific from the Western Andean Cordillera, that transect dry desert environments and then form linear oasis. The rainfall in the Andes was sacred and markedly seasonal, occurring in the summer from about November to April at the higher elevations and East of the Andes, but only very rarely on the Pacific littoral. The many circumscribed coastal valleys were and still are surrounded by barren desert, the cold Pacific Ocean and the towering Andes. For the People of the Andes, this landscape was and still is a challenge to life in extreme circumstances.
Now with scientific research we know many things about the sun such as about 3/4 of the sun's mass consists of hydrogen, the rest is mostly helium, with much smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron. Then that the sun oscillates up and down relative to the galactic plane 2,7 times per orbit and its passage through the higher density spiral arms often coincides with mass extinctions on Earth. Also that the Solar System takes about 225-250 million years to complete one orbit through the Milky Way naming it a Galactic Year. Now it is also thought that during the lifetime of the Sun it has 20-25 orbits around it. Then that the Milky Way moves, with respect to the cosmic microwave background radiation, in the direction of the constellation Hydra and the Sun's resulting speed with respect to the cosmic microwave background radiation is about 370 km/s in the direction of Leo Constellation.
The observation of the organizational forces in motion in the universe and the phenomena in the sky and earth gave to the ancient People of the Andes the understanding of the concept of the dualistic forces that needed to be in harmony in order to continue the cycle of life. How to use it and what role each one played in their way of life was a challenge to them to discover and apply in their every day life and leave us a lesson that prove that respect for Nature and the Creator of it assure the continuity of life in our planet and the certainty that they developed a superb degree of understanding also proved by the fact that they did not use the writing skills as a tool of learning or keeping records instead it was a matter of understanding the spiritual laws through the mental and physical skills.
When the magnetic lines of force were identified in their natural locations, they believed that its physical presence was in direct contact with its cosmic force, one of them created the physical existence and the other animated it. If one of them was perturbed, the observed that the gas element tended to slide down along the field into the low places along it. This caused to burden the low places sinking further and unburdened the high places permitting them to expand upward. The magnetic field of the earth and the cosmic rays from the universe contributed about equally to the areas of fertility located in the high places the mountains and then from it to the low regions. Thus, they concluded that the birth of the stars were intimately related to the cosmic magnetic field and the power of solar radiation and in a combined and complementary order influenced the energy forces of the earth.
The regions populated by the pre-Inca and Inca civilizations were very knowledgeable in observe how this points of energy moved along the regions. They commonly located them in nearly all the regions of their land outside the deepest parts of the Amazon basin. They can be found in almost every district in downtown of Lima of today, having the city been built around them. The lines were laid out to express the cosmological language of the stars and the lines of energy were aligned to various stellar risings and settings. The seasonal ceremonies were huge events because it pertained to a cosmological calendar that kept the exact time for every season and a also a record keeping.
The Sun was considered the most important source of energy for life on the earth. The Sun's movement was closely observed and mapped, and its orbit was elliptical in nature at the center of the Milky Way.
The Coastal Region of the Andean land was and still is unique. Over 50 rivers flow to the Pacific from the Western Andean Cordillera, that transect dry desert environments and then form linear oasis. The rainfall in the Andes was sacred and markedly seasonal, occurring in the summer from about November to April at the higher elevations and East of the Andes, but only very rarely on the Pacific littoral. The many circumscribed coastal valleys were and still are surrounded by barren desert, the cold Pacific Ocean and the towering Andes. For the People of the Andes, this landscape was and still is a challenge to life in extreme circumstances.
Now with scientific research we know many things about the sun such as about 3/4 of the sun's mass consists of hydrogen, the rest is mostly helium, with much smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron. Then that the sun oscillates up and down relative to the galactic plane 2,7 times per orbit and its passage through the higher density spiral arms often coincides with mass extinctions on Earth. Also that the Solar System takes about 225-250 million years to complete one orbit through the Milky Way naming it a Galactic Year. Now it is also thought that during the lifetime of the Sun it has 20-25 orbits around it. Then that the Milky Way moves, with respect to the cosmic microwave background radiation, in the direction of the constellation Hydra and the Sun's resulting speed with respect to the cosmic microwave background radiation is about 370 km/s in the direction of Leo Constellation.
The observation of the organizational forces in motion in the universe and the phenomena in the sky and earth gave to the ancient People of the Andes the understanding of the concept of the dualistic forces that needed to be in harmony in order to continue the cycle of life. How to use it and what role each one played in their way of life was a challenge to them to discover and apply in their every day life and leave us a lesson that prove that respect for Nature and the Creator of it assure the continuity of life in our planet and the certainty that they developed a superb degree of understanding also proved by the fact that they did not use the writing skills as a tool of learning or keeping records instead it was a matter of understanding the spiritual laws through the mental and physical skills.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
THE ANCIENT ANDEAN PEOPLE MUMMIFIED THEIR DEAD.
Mummification was a type of burial employed by the ancient Andean People as a manifestation of their sacred respect to their ancestors illustrating a deep reverence for them (Ayllu) and the kinship within its communities.
They believed that the soul of the dead person was immortal was transferred to a different Pacha (Realm) that was understood as a parallel reality, then the soul had to pass a number of tests, and then return and be reunited with the buried body. At the point of return, the soul (personality or character), had to be able to recognize its body in which the active life force was present when it was alive and fuse together forming an enhanced supernatural body in order to live forever.
High status individuals were clothed and wrapped in particularly fine textiles and jewelry and buried with fine pottery and their possessions and the tools of their particular profession they had when they were alive. Periodically they were removed from their resting place and given places of honor and offered food and drink as if they were still living persons. They were involve in such ceremonies as marriages, sowing, and harvesting. Also, they were consulted on occasions when long (cosmic) journeys had to be undertaken by individuals (shamans) within the living community. The mummy were considered a link between the living and the other to realms (Pachas) maintaining their rank in the world of the living as well as in the world of the dead.
Their beliefs was rooted in what they observed each day. The sun fell into the horizon each evening and was reborn the next morning. New life sprouted from grains planted in the fertile area of the mountains and valleys, and the moon waxed and waned. As long as harmony and order was met with the very specific laws or conditions required by the energy force invested in it, the highly dependable and sacred cycle of life and death was maintained in between the Pachas.
Thanks to the dry climate of the Andes region, the preservation of those mummies (Quechua: Mall-Qui) which escaped looters have, in most cases, been excellent, and they provide a living scenario and a unique insight into the ancient Andean culture, their sacred religious practices, and a glimpse of their everyday life.
The mummification was achieved by desiccation or freeze-drying processes, helped by the natural climate conditions in certain areas such as deserts and the high sierras. Bodies also were treated and preserved using alcohol made from maize (chicha). Earlier andean cultures used salt as a preservative and often de-fleshed the corpse and removed bodily fluids prior to internment.
Mommies were placed in fetal position and wrapped into bundles using several layers of textiles, bound with cords, and sometimes with a cloth head added. Then they were interred in caves or dedicated rooms within a community. They were placed often in groups, and the chambers reopened every time new mummies were added.
Sacrificial individuals, including children (Capa-Cocha), chosen and prepared from birth, were also mummified and placed in mountain-top shrines and other sacred sited (Huacas) known as cosmic energy points of communication in between the Pachas (Realms). The processes of mummification were the usual freeze-dried and their primary function were to reinforce the cosmic power of the Inca over the land conquered by them and the mutual respect between the forces of live in the earth and the human been as a mediator in the middle of it.
One of the most remarkable sites for mummified remains is the area around Caja-Tambo in the highlands of Central Peru. No fewer than 1,825 ancient mummies were recorded to be found by the europeans in the 17th CE. The mummies were stored in sacred caves known as Machay and, dressed in finery garments, they were periodically offered food and drink so that, having become part of the landscape themselves in unifying the energy forces of the Pachas, their consultation would guarantee a fruitful harvest. Ironically, the same number of years pass until the land become free from the hand of the Europeans that desecrated it.
They believed that the soul of the dead person was immortal was transferred to a different Pacha (Realm) that was understood as a parallel reality, then the soul had to pass a number of tests, and then return and be reunited with the buried body. At the point of return, the soul (personality or character), had to be able to recognize its body in which the active life force was present when it was alive and fuse together forming an enhanced supernatural body in order to live forever.
High status individuals were clothed and wrapped in particularly fine textiles and jewelry and buried with fine pottery and their possessions and the tools of their particular profession they had when they were alive. Periodically they were removed from their resting place and given places of honor and offered food and drink as if they were still living persons. They were involve in such ceremonies as marriages, sowing, and harvesting. Also, they were consulted on occasions when long (cosmic) journeys had to be undertaken by individuals (shamans) within the living community. The mummy were considered a link between the living and the other to realms (Pachas) maintaining their rank in the world of the living as well as in the world of the dead.
Their beliefs was rooted in what they observed each day. The sun fell into the horizon each evening and was reborn the next morning. New life sprouted from grains planted in the fertile area of the mountains and valleys, and the moon waxed and waned. As long as harmony and order was met with the very specific laws or conditions required by the energy force invested in it, the highly dependable and sacred cycle of life and death was maintained in between the Pachas.
Thanks to the dry climate of the Andes region, the preservation of those mummies (Quechua: Mall-Qui) which escaped looters have, in most cases, been excellent, and they provide a living scenario and a unique insight into the ancient Andean culture, their sacred religious practices, and a glimpse of their everyday life.
The mummification was achieved by desiccation or freeze-drying processes, helped by the natural climate conditions in certain areas such as deserts and the high sierras. Bodies also were treated and preserved using alcohol made from maize (chicha). Earlier andean cultures used salt as a preservative and often de-fleshed the corpse and removed bodily fluids prior to internment.
Mommies were placed in fetal position and wrapped into bundles using several layers of textiles, bound with cords, and sometimes with a cloth head added. Then they were interred in caves or dedicated rooms within a community. They were placed often in groups, and the chambers reopened every time new mummies were added.
Sacrificial individuals, including children (Capa-Cocha), chosen and prepared from birth, were also mummified and placed in mountain-top shrines and other sacred sited (Huacas) known as cosmic energy points of communication in between the Pachas (Realms). The processes of mummification were the usual freeze-dried and their primary function were to reinforce the cosmic power of the Inca over the land conquered by them and the mutual respect between the forces of live in the earth and the human been as a mediator in the middle of it.
One of the most remarkable sites for mummified remains is the area around Caja-Tambo in the highlands of Central Peru. No fewer than 1,825 ancient mummies were recorded to be found by the europeans in the 17th CE. The mummies were stored in sacred caves known as Machay and, dressed in finery garments, they were periodically offered food and drink so that, having become part of the landscape themselves in unifying the energy forces of the Pachas, their consultation would guarantee a fruitful harvest. Ironically, the same number of years pass until the land become free from the hand of the Europeans that desecrated it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
THE INCA CONCEPT OF THE WORLD (PACHA).
The World (Pacha) was divided in different levels. There were three: The world above (Hanan Pacha), the world below (Uku Pacha), and the world of the living (Kay Pacha). The realms were simultaneously spatial and temporal. All were unified but at the same time formed by two opposed energies or forces. This dualism of opposed energies were found in everything that existed.
The word "Pacha" was the representation of the entire cosmos and at the same time to a specific moment in time, with the interpretation depending on the context. It represented the material order as a reflection of the moral order of principles that governed everything.
Although the different realms were distinct, there were a variety of connections between them. Caves and springs serve as connections between the world below (Uku pacha) and the world of the living (Kay Pacha). Rainbows and lightning serve as connections between the world above (Hanan Pacha) and the world of the living (Kay Pacha). In addition, human spirits after death inhabited any of the levels and some remained in the world of the living (Kay Pacha) until they had finished business.
The most significant connection between the different realms was referred to as Pacha-Cutec. As the dualism always was present, it was a time of harmony or a cataclysm. These were the instances when the different levels all impact one another transforming the entire order of the world.
The Creator of the World was known as Pacha-Camac. He was venerated by the pre-Incan cultures, located South of Lima, Peru in the Lurin Valley. It later spread North into the Rimac Valley. Over time two cultures dominated the region, the Chancay culture to the North of Lima, and the Ichma culture to the South.
Pacha-Camac was believed to have created the first man and woman as replica of the dualism forces in the universe. Since food to maintain the energy force in man was not present, he died. The woman cursed Pacha-Camac, and the entity granted her fertility. Later Pacha-Camac killed her son and cut the corpse into pieces, each of which became a separate fruit of vegetable plant. The woman's second son, the god of Death, and son of Inti, Vichama, escaped, so Pacha-Camac killed the woman. Vichama sought revenge by turning the humans created by Pacha-Camac into rocks and islands to trap their power. Then he hatched 3 eggs from which a new race of humans were born without having the spirit of Pacha-Camac and drove Pacha-Camac into the ocean.
Then Tahuantinsuyo adopted Pacha-Camac. In the Inca belief, Pacha-Camac was the father of Inti and Mama Quilla, and husband of Mama-Pacha. The Huari, the Pacha-Camac empire, Chancay, Chimor, and Ichma possessed the city of connection between the Pachas, the city of Pacha-Camac at some point.
Pacha-Mama, the wife of Pacha-Camac, became the goddess revered by the People of the Andes. She was also known as the earth/time mother and still she is believed to presides over planting, harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes disruptions in the earth directly to the ones causing the violation of her principles. She is also considered an ever-present and independent deity who has her own self-sufficient and creative power to sustain life on this earth.
The four cosmological Quechua principles: Water, Earth, Sun, and Moon, claim Pacha-Mama as their primordial origin. As Andes cultures form modern nations, Pacha-Mama remains benevolent, giving, and a local name for Mother Nature. Many in South America believe that problems in the Earth arise when people takes too much and too fast from nature making Pacha-Mama angry because the lack of harmony creates a negative Pacha-Cutec.
The Ichma people were an Aymara-speaking people that came to inhabit areas near Lima. They inhabited Pacha-Camac and continued the growth and influence of the city. They constructed at least 16 Pyramids in Pachacamac, and built or remodeled more structures in what now belongs to Metropolitan Lima, the capital of Peru.
Among these are the ancient connections between the Pachas known as Huaca Huantilla in Magdalena del Mar District (9 mummies were found there), the Huaca Mateo Salado in Pueblo Libre District, the Huaca San Borja in the San Borja District, and the Huaca San Miguel, in the ancient city of Maranga in the San Miguel District.
In 2012, excavation in the Pacha-Camac site yielded a burial chamber with more than 80 mummified remains, and a dozen infant remains. Along with the skeletons, the site also contained ceramic wares, jewelry crafted from copper, silver, and gold, and animal remains. When the Inca Empire expanded into this region, the cultures were absorbed into the Empire.
Additionally sites in Puruchuco and Cajamarquilla, 25km inland from the coast of Lima, in the Jica-Marca Valley, 6 km North of the Rimac River, served as an important connections between Pachas during the height of its culture. Climate change and natural disasters due to the lack of harmonization of the Pachas eventually led to its abandonment several hundred years before the Europeans arrival. This places were situated in a then fertile Valley on a major trade route of energies between the Altiplano Region of the High Andes and the coastal communities of the Pacific Coast. Cajamarquilla became a sophisticated center for religion, culture, and agriculture. At the site, it is possible to observe the remains of temple pyramids, wide streets, ceremonial squares, cemeteries, underground grain silos, canals, and numerous other enclosures and buildings.
Still the People of the Andes venerates the deities of the past in an effort to maintain a balance between the Pachas, but they know that foreigners forces that are exploiting their sacred land will pay for their deeds since the goddess Pacha-Mama will destroy them first before the Earth enter in another negative Pacha-Cutec.
The word "Pacha" was the representation of the entire cosmos and at the same time to a specific moment in time, with the interpretation depending on the context. It represented the material order as a reflection of the moral order of principles that governed everything.
Although the different realms were distinct, there were a variety of connections between them. Caves and springs serve as connections between the world below (Uku pacha) and the world of the living (Kay Pacha). Rainbows and lightning serve as connections between the world above (Hanan Pacha) and the world of the living (Kay Pacha). In addition, human spirits after death inhabited any of the levels and some remained in the world of the living (Kay Pacha) until they had finished business.
The most significant connection between the different realms was referred to as Pacha-Cutec. As the dualism always was present, it was a time of harmony or a cataclysm. These were the instances when the different levels all impact one another transforming the entire order of the world.
The Creator of the World was known as Pacha-Camac. He was venerated by the pre-Incan cultures, located South of Lima, Peru in the Lurin Valley. It later spread North into the Rimac Valley. Over time two cultures dominated the region, the Chancay culture to the North of Lima, and the Ichma culture to the South.
Pacha-Camac was believed to have created the first man and woman as replica of the dualism forces in the universe. Since food to maintain the energy force in man was not present, he died. The woman cursed Pacha-Camac, and the entity granted her fertility. Later Pacha-Camac killed her son and cut the corpse into pieces, each of which became a separate fruit of vegetable plant. The woman's second son, the god of Death, and son of Inti, Vichama, escaped, so Pacha-Camac killed the woman. Vichama sought revenge by turning the humans created by Pacha-Camac into rocks and islands to trap their power. Then he hatched 3 eggs from which a new race of humans were born without having the spirit of Pacha-Camac and drove Pacha-Camac into the ocean.
Then Tahuantinsuyo adopted Pacha-Camac. In the Inca belief, Pacha-Camac was the father of Inti and Mama Quilla, and husband of Mama-Pacha. The Huari, the Pacha-Camac empire, Chancay, Chimor, and Ichma possessed the city of connection between the Pachas, the city of Pacha-Camac at some point.
Pacha-Mama, the wife of Pacha-Camac, became the goddess revered by the People of the Andes. She was also known as the earth/time mother and still she is believed to presides over planting, harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes disruptions in the earth directly to the ones causing the violation of her principles. She is also considered an ever-present and independent deity who has her own self-sufficient and creative power to sustain life on this earth.
The four cosmological Quechua principles: Water, Earth, Sun, and Moon, claim Pacha-Mama as their primordial origin. As Andes cultures form modern nations, Pacha-Mama remains benevolent, giving, and a local name for Mother Nature. Many in South America believe that problems in the Earth arise when people takes too much and too fast from nature making Pacha-Mama angry because the lack of harmony creates a negative Pacha-Cutec.
The Ichma people were an Aymara-speaking people that came to inhabit areas near Lima. They inhabited Pacha-Camac and continued the growth and influence of the city. They constructed at least 16 Pyramids in Pachacamac, and built or remodeled more structures in what now belongs to Metropolitan Lima, the capital of Peru.
Among these are the ancient connections between the Pachas known as Huaca Huantilla in Magdalena del Mar District (9 mummies were found there), the Huaca Mateo Salado in Pueblo Libre District, the Huaca San Borja in the San Borja District, and the Huaca San Miguel, in the ancient city of Maranga in the San Miguel District.
In 2012, excavation in the Pacha-Camac site yielded a burial chamber with more than 80 mummified remains, and a dozen infant remains. Along with the skeletons, the site also contained ceramic wares, jewelry crafted from copper, silver, and gold, and animal remains. When the Inca Empire expanded into this region, the cultures were absorbed into the Empire.
Additionally sites in Puruchuco and Cajamarquilla, 25km inland from the coast of Lima, in the Jica-Marca Valley, 6 km North of the Rimac River, served as an important connections between Pachas during the height of its culture. Climate change and natural disasters due to the lack of harmonization of the Pachas eventually led to its abandonment several hundred years before the Europeans arrival. This places were situated in a then fertile Valley on a major trade route of energies between the Altiplano Region of the High Andes and the coastal communities of the Pacific Coast. Cajamarquilla became a sophisticated center for religion, culture, and agriculture. At the site, it is possible to observe the remains of temple pyramids, wide streets, ceremonial squares, cemeteries, underground grain silos, canals, and numerous other enclosures and buildings.
Still the People of the Andes venerates the deities of the past in an effort to maintain a balance between the Pachas, but they know that foreigners forces that are exploiting their sacred land will pay for their deeds since the goddess Pacha-Mama will destroy them first before the Earth enter in another negative Pacha-Cutec.
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