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.
No comments:
Post a Comment