Inca Religion | Practices, Beliefs, & Gods

Both the Inca people’s daily lives and their government were tightly entwined with their religion. They held the Inca Sapa, their king, to be partially divine.

The Inca held three different realms as the homes of their gods: the sky, or Hanan Pacha; the interior earth, or Uku Pacha; and the exterior earth, or Cay Pacha.

Gods and goddesses of the Inca

Inti –
For the Inca, Inti was the most revered deity. He was the sun’s god. It was claimed that the emperor, known as Inca Sapa, was an ancestor of Inti. Mama Quilla, the Moon Goddess, and Inti were wed.

Mama Quilla –
Mama Quilla was the Moon goddess. She was also the protector of women and the goddess of marriage. The Sun God Inti was married to Mama Quilla. Lunar eclipses, according to the Incas, only happened when an animal was attacking Mama Quilla.

The Pachamama
The goddess of the Earth or “Mother Earth” was Pachamama. She was in charge of the harvest and farming.

The Viracocha
The first god, Viracocha, was in charge of making the Earth, the sky, the other gods, and people.

Supay 
Supay was the Incas’ deity of death and ruled over the Uca Pacha, or underworld.

Inca Temples

The Incas created numerous exquisite temples for their gods. The Coricancha, a temple dedicated to the sun god Inti, was the most significant structure in Cuzco. Gold sheets were used to cover the flooring and walls. Gold sculptures and a huge gold disc that symbolized Inti were also there. The word “Golden Temple” is coricancha.

The Inca Rebirth

The Inca held a firm belief in the afterlife. Before burial, they took considerable care in mummifying and embalming the dead. They sent gifts to the deceased that they believed would be useful to them in the hereafter.

When an emperor passed away, their body was mummified and left in their palace since the Inca believed so deeply in the afterlife. To keep an eye on the deceased monarch, they even kept a few attendants. The emperors who had passed away were carried through the streets for some celebrations, such as the Festival of the Dead.

Inca Heavens

The Incas held that there were four sections to the skies. If a person led a good life, they would reside in the sun-lit region of heaven, where there would be an abundance of food and drink. If they led a bad life, they were consigned to the cold, barren underworld where they could only eat rocks.

What did Huacas do?

For the Inca, huacas were holy sites or things. A huaca can be created artificially or naturally and can take the form of a rock, statue, cave, waterfall, mountain, or even a corpse. The Inca believed that their huacas were home to spirits that could assist them, so they sacrificed animals and made prayers to them. The mummies of the deceased monarchs were the most revered huacas in the Inca Empire.

Interesting information about the Inca Empire’s mythology and religion

As long as the tribes promised to revere the Inca gods as paramount, they permitted the tribes they conquered to worship their own deities.

Every month, religious festivals were held by the Inca. The event would occasionally include human sacrifice.

The mountains were sacred to the Inca, who worshipped them. They did this because they thought water came from the mountains.

The Church of Santo Domingo was erected on the site where the Spanish had previously demolished the Coricancha shrine.

In Inca civilization, priests held a prominent and influential position. The High Priest, who resided in Cuzco, was frequently the Emperor’s brother.