Sun Worship in Ancient Machu Picchu
It is not uncommon to hear visitors to Machu Picchu describe their visit as spiritual.
Spirituality was one of the fingers in the hands that built Machu Picchu. The Incas were devoted to the Sun God Inti.
It was by Inti’s graces that the earth was nourished and the harvests were either blessed or cursed.
The Not-To-Be-Missed Sun God Festival
The winter solstice in the southern hemisphere saw the celebration of the Sun God Festival every year on June 21st. It was quite the celebration since mummies of nobles were brought into Cusco’s main plaza to witness the event.
The celebration continues annually on June 24th, with the Sun God festival in 2024 scheduled for the same date in the city of Cusco. This festive event will last for a day, during which the entire ‘Imperial City’ will joyfully partake in the Fiesta del Sol. As is tradition, the celebrations will commence at the Qoricancha or Temple of the Sun, then proceed to the Plaza de Armas, concluding the ceremony at Sacsayhuaman.
In addition to the Sun God Inti, the Inca civilization revered Mother Earth, Pachamama. Together, these deities were considered the primary gods, responsible for the creation of all things and creatures, holding dominion over the entire world. This authority was manifested through the Inca, who served as the emperor.
As previously mentioned, this festival was anything but subtle. It was the one where our ancient ancestors spared no effort, featuring abundant food, vibrant colors, and luxurious celebrations.
With the sun rising and setting daily, animal sacrifices were a routine occurrence. However, human sacrifice was not commonplace; it was reserved for special occasions. Such sacrifices involved only the most beautiful children from the most powerful families. These chosen children underwent a year-long preparation for the sacrificial ritual known as Capaccocha. During this period, their diet and lifestyle underwent drastic changes to align with that of an Inca noble.
Everyday Spirituality
Spirituality wasn’t just a public matter. Divination dominated daily living. Everything from treating illness to choosing the right sacrifice was determined by the high priest consulting the oracles, watching the path of a spider, observing scattered coca leaves, or most potent yet, the drinking of ayahuasca.
The sheer diversity of Inca spirituality may be due to how they treated the religions of those they conquered. They were mostly tolerant towards those other faiths, just as long as those people revered Inca gods the highest.
They thus became a melting pot of beliefs and traditions to a point. Plus too, since the emperor was considered to be a descendant of the gods, religion and politics intertwined at many points.
The Incas believed that each crop had a protective spirit called conopas.
They also believed in a staggering number of deities. True, the Sun and the Earth took center stage, but just as there was a complicated hierarchy among the Incas and their people, there was a complicated hierarchy among the gods they worshiped
Every Reality in One Place
It’s very interesting to note beliefs that the Incas held regarding balance. They believed in the duality of things: day and night, up and down, life and death.
There are aspects of Machu Picchu that reflect this belief in balance and symmetry. Machu Picchu contains some caverns that have held mummies.
Other parts of Machu Picchu were set up to function as a small city to accommodate the living that are passing through this life.
And then there was the sanctuary where the gods were worshiped.
The spirituality found in Machu Picchu extended beyond the citadel’s gates into the surrounding area, even the wilderness. Every remarkable aspect of nature was held sacred, like rivers, mountains (Apus) and lakes.
It’s perhaps that last aspect of Inca spirituality that is the most easy to detect when visiting Machu Picchu and the surrounding area. Whether taking the Inca Trail or the Salkantay Trek, visitors feel moved on a level that transcends the physical.
TOUR IN PERU would like to move you physically so that you can feel moved by the grandeur of Machu Picchu and the feeling of a presence of something greater.
