Above illustration: Inca ceremony - https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNp7IjWChR1ihBs-QUW2QrhY0PrqADG8dM-2Lk4kwm5OrPlsqI
Introduction to Inca Religion
The Incas were a polytheistic people (they believed in multiple gods).
As Inca conquered various cultures, they allowed these cultures to incorporate their own religion and beliefs with that of the Inca which in turn made for a much more unified civilisation.
Although they left no written record of their religion, they did leave an oral record of their beliefs that has been passed down from generation to generation through the centuries.
The Inca worshipped:
The most significant worship was directed to Inti the sun god who nourished the earth and man with his rays followed by Pachama who was the mother of the earth.
The Incas were a polytheistic people (they believed in multiple gods).
As Inca conquered various cultures, they allowed these cultures to incorporate their own religion and beliefs with that of the Inca which in turn made for a much more unified civilisation.
Although they left no written record of their religion, they did leave an oral record of their beliefs that has been passed down from generation to generation through the centuries.
The Inca worshipped:
- the dead
- their ancestors
- founding culture heroes eg Manco Capa
- their current king who they regarded as divine (the Inca)
- nature and its cycles which implied that for Inca time and space were sacred, and consequently the calendar was religious and each month had its own festival
The most significant worship was directed to Inti the sun god who nourished the earth and man with his rays followed by Pachama who was the mother of the earth.