The Incas, whose empire at its height stretched from Ecuador to Chile, paid reverence to the Llama (Yacana) because of its unique identification in relation to the Milky Way, a life-giving River in the Heavens, called 'Mayu' by them, the Quechua word for 'River,' with its earthly counterpart -the Vilcanota River in the Sacred Valley, high up in the Andean Mountains, in Peru.
The centre of the Milky Way -the spiral Galaxy of which our Solar System is part of, and of which we can only see the central part from earth -contains the highest quantity of stars. It is the brightest part of the Milky Way, and it comprises several stars constellations in addition to other deep-space objects, such as interstellar clouds of gas and dust, called 'yana phuyu' by the Incas, which means 'black clouds.'
The Inca Sky -as brilliantly lit as it was- had more notoriety for its dark spaces between the stars, in which they often found their constellations, as the place where ancient legends, animals and spirits resided and were visible from their daily lives. They grouped constellations in 2 different types -dark and luminous (were seen as inanimate sparkling stars depicting geometric forms).
The dark cloud constellations were contained within the dark blotches of the Milky Way (Mayu) and were considered living forms, representing animals the Incas knew. These dark patches represent the silhouettes of animals that came to drink from the waters of the Celestial River, obscuring the heavenly glow of the Milky Way (Mayu). These can be observed while looking at the dark regions of the Milky Way. They are extremely visible because they contrast with the relatively background of Galaxy's Star Field.
One of the most important dark cloud constellation was the Llama (Yacana) which rises above Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas, at the centre of the animal constellation in the Milky Way. It consists of 2 llamas -the Mother Llama, seen as a dark spot between Scorpio and the Southern Cross, and the Baby Llama, underneath, and upside-down suckling at her mother's breast. Although the Llama is a dark cloud constellation, the eyes of the Mother Llama -called llamacnawin by the Incas- are its only bright part made of 2 bright stars from the constellation Centauros. One is Alpha Centauri, which is the 3rd brightest star in the night sky (to the naked eye it appears as one star, but is in fact a binary star system), and the other -Beta Centauri, is a trinary star system.
The prominent position of the Llama in the Sky mirrors itself in Inca religious ceremonies, in which Black Llamas were sacrificed to appease the universal forces or entities in charge of them.
Another dark constellation is the Serpent (Machacuay) -a wavy black ribbon between the star Adhara, in Canis Major, and the Southern Cross. It appears above Cuzco in August and sets in February, when its earthly counterparts become visible and more active in the area. The Serpent (Machacuay was in charge of all snakes and vipers on Earth, and offerings were made by the Incas to protect themselves from snake bites.
A Bird's Nest is visible near the Southern Cross, with 2 black spots representing the Andean ground partridge (yutu) and a toad (hanp'atu). These two keep a safe distance from the constant threat of the Snake (Machacuay), in the East, and from the Fox (Atoq), in the West. The Fox blazes at them through its red burning eye -the star Antares.
To the Incas the Llama and the Black Clouds were believed to be in charge of their species. They paid respect to them, and forbade their subjects from harming their earthly images. All the animals and birds had their analogues in the Sky, who were responsible for their procreation and the augmentation of their species. They were the celestial blueprints of every living thing on Earth. Similarly, the Milky Way (Mayu) is the celestial blue print of the terrestrial Vilcanota River, that rises in the Andes to the South East of Cuzco, near Puno in Peru, and flows North West for 724 km before joining the lower Apurimac River to form the Ucayali River. The Milky Way (Mayu) flows in the same direction as its terrestrial equivalent.
This connection between Heaven and Earth is at its most significant moment during the Inti Raymi celebration. Just after the June solstice, the Inca himself presided over the most important ceremony of the year, the Solemn Feast of the Sun. All Inca noble class were required to come to Cuzco for this ceremony, and all the people -nobles and commoners alike- were encouraged to participate.
The ceremony, which is still practiced, is a 'centering of the universe' around the Inca in the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco. The 'timing' of the Inti Raymi in the ritual calendar coordinates with the Milky Way (Mayu) -the Galaxy that the Earth itself is part of- aligning with the Vilcanota River, when Heaven and Earth come together as the Sun rises and sets in the Milky Way (Mayu).
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