Table of Contents
The religion of the ancient Incas involved worshipping many gods, so their belief system was complex. One of their most important gods was Inti, The Sun God.
There were many temples to Inti and Sun worship figured into many aspects of life for the Inca, including architecture, festivals, and the divinity of the royal family.
Inca Religion
There were many “elemental” aspects to the Inca religion, seeing how it incorporated many aspects of the sky and nature. They worshipped a pantheon of gods and each one had individual personalities and duties. Major Gods wielded the most power and garnered the most devotion, while there were countless minor spirits that were venerated. These were known as huacas and they inhabited places, things, and occasionally people.
A huaca could be spotted as anything that stood out from its surroundings. A waterfall, a large tree, or even a peculiar birthmark on a person.
Ancestor worship and veneration of the dead in general figured into Inca beliefs. Similar to the faith system of Egypt, they also considered the royal family to be offspring of the sun.
The Sun God Inti
Inti, The Sun God, ranked among the highest of the Inca deities. He was second only to Viracocha, The Supreme Creator. Inti even out-ranked gods as significant as The Thunder God and the Earth Mother, Pachamama.
Inti was pictured by the Inca as a man and his wife was the moon.
Little wonder Inti loomed large over the other gods, for without his warmth and light, there was no relief from cold or darkness, and no crops. It was by Inti’s grace that food grew and animals had enough to eat.
The Royal Children of The Sun
The Inca royal family believed that they were direct descendants of the Lord Sun, or Apu Inti, through the loins of the first great Inca ruler, Manco Capac. Therefore, the Inca rulers were not only royal. They were divine.
Though the word “Inca” now refers to the entire culture, it actually means “King” or “Emperor.” The Inca ruler was subject to certain rules and privileges.
He wielded the glory and the authority of the sun and his every whim was heeded by his subjects. Since the royal family was closely tied up with the sun, it’s no surprise that some of the greatest temples in the Empire were dedicated to Inti.
The Temple of Cuzco
The Temple of Inti in Machu Picchu shares some similar characteristics with the temple found in Cuzco. That temple in particular was unrivalled in magnificence, known widely as Corichancha (“Golden Temple”) and Inti Cancha or Inti Wasi (“Temple of the Sun” or “House of the Sun.”)
Sun Worship
Inti wasn’t as “hot-headed” as you might expect. He wasn’t destructive or violent like some of the Sun Gods found in the Aztec pantheon.
The Incas couldn’t predict solar eclipses, so they were associated with Inti’s wrath. That’s when the darker side of Inti’s worship manifested with the sacrifice of humans and animals by Inca priests.
Much of the gold that was dedicated to worshipping Inti ended up in the melting fires of the Spanish conquerors, and they made a focused effort to stamp the faith out. They were largely successful, but Inti’s traditional worship has enjoyed a limited revival. Festivals in his name can be observed when you book a trip with TOUR IN PERU.
