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Visitors who come to the Cusco region will notice that the Incas had great reverence and respect for nature, for the ecology, as it is shown for instance by their architecture. This fact has deep roots in their religion and worldview. Here we are going to discuss the meaning of the Pachamama or Mother Earth to the Incas, so this may improve your understanding and your whole Cusco experience.
Pachamama or Mother Earth in the Andean Culture
Inca religion and worldview were shaped on a process that came from thousands years before. Regarding the Pachamama or Mother Earth, it was the feminine soul of nature, so the Incas saw her as the provider of everything: life, food, animals, water, atmospheric and geological phenomena, fertility and so on.
This fact created a whole liturgy, a whole series of rituals that are still believed and thus performed by many people in the Andes. Here we will talk about two of them:
- In Cusco it is not unusual to see people, for instance, pouring beer or chicha (corn beverage of the Incas) on the floor before starting to drink it. This is called the “payment” to the Pachamama, an offering or sharing as a thanksgiving for all the things that Mother Earth provides: life, food, water, benevolent weather and so on. This follows also a key Andean concept, which is reciprocity. The Inca empire thoroughly applied this paradigm, which can be defined as “you get the same as you give” and vice versa. For instance, it ruled the work common people had to do in favor of the empire and production relations between families or ayllus too. Likewise, there is a series of ceremonies to repay, reciprocate the Pachamama or Mother Earth for all the things it gives us, the most common nowadays being the Offering to the Pachamama ceremony, where people give the feminine spirit of nature, Mother Earth, a big and really special plate filled with fruits, coca leaves, sweets, food, cigarettes, some beverages like wine, chicha, oporto, and sometimes even a lama fetus, and the list goes on…
- August is one of the coldest months of the year, actually the windiest month in the Andes, which sometimes difficults agriculture and brings some more respiratory diseases, so on August 1st -which was also considered New Year’s Day for the Incas- people conduct a variety of ceremonies in order to appease and gain the favor and protection of the Pachamama. They burn aromatic wood and dig small holes on the ground where they place flowers, beverages and food as a thanksgiving or gift to Mother Earth.
- For more information regarding Inca spirituality, you can check our blog entry about the Inca Cross or Chakana.
Present Day Relevance
These days when the planet is living a serious ecological crisis, the Inca view on nature stands out and proves itself right. Visitors who come to Cusco can witness the wise way in which the Incas related to environment, taking care of the soil (because it was the source of all foods, particularly potatoes and corn), water from rivers and lagoons (which had their particular cults and temples), the entire flora, fauna and mountains (or Apus, which were also sacred). Perhaps Machu Picchu is the best example of it, because it can be clearly seen that the Inca builders adapted the sanctuary to the natural terrain, instead of the contrary -as modern science would do- even though it meant a major engineering challenge. The entire site and all the valley were thus deemed sacred.
The entire Inca economy was based on agriculture, so it can be understood the importance the Pachamama (Mother Earth) gained in their religion and worldview, on a level with the Sun -which was actually the main divinity, bringing light, heat, energy and the seasons-. Both the Inca government and the people had a series of rituals throughout the Andean year to please Mother Earth, in order to invoke rain, good harvests, abundance of food and wealth, ecological stability, female fertility and so on.
Visit Peru with Us
We, at TOUR IN PERU, hope this article on the Pachamama can be interesting and useful for all our travelers, first in illustrating them about the Inca wisdom in relation to nature and second perhaps reminding people from all over the world about the importance of caring about nature and animals.
TOUR IN PERU offers a wonderful range of packages for Machu Picchu, the Cusco region and all Peru’s top destinations, with professional and experienced guides, native of the places they are going to take our travelers; for instance, our Machu Picchu guides are born in Cusco and know everything about Inca history and culture, and about local society and customs now and then, so they will provide all valuable and wonderful information regarding this amazing citadel of the Incas.
Contact TOUR IN PERU to book your Cusco vacation, a trip which promises to be full of the most wonderful experiences and knowledge!
