Inca
11 deities of this pantheon
Origin, Worldview and Mythology of the Inca
Sacred tradition associated with the Inca
Origin and Mythological Worldview
The Inca gods were worshipped along the Andes, from present-day Peru to Chile, from the sacred capital of Cusco. The emperor (Sapa Inca) was held to be the son of the sun Inti, and the people honored the earth-mother Pachamama with offerings. The cult was suppressed after the Spanish conquest, but persists in living Andean traditions.
The sacred stories of this pantheon anchored the moral and civic foundation of ancient settlements, establishing rites of passage, seasonal liturgies, and explanations for terrestrial and celestial cycles.
Principal Deities and Central Figures
Among the 11 deities cataloged in the Codex for this pantheon, several figures hold preeminent standing across cosmic domains and civic life:
- Viracocha — Creation, Wisdom & Civilization
- Inti — Sun, Kingship & Harvest
- Mama Quilla — Moon, Time & Women
- Pachamama — Earth, Fertility & Harvest
- Illapa — Thunder, Rain & Weather
Temples, Ritual Practices and Cult
The Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, gathered the empire in Cusco at the winter solstice — and is re-enacted to this day. The Coricancha temple had walls covered in gold, and offerings to Pachamama remain alive in the Andes, with coca leaves and ritual bundles.
Priests and traditional lorekeepers guarded the continuity of sacred hymns and divine genealogies, ensuring the benevolence of the gods for agricultural fertility, social harmony, and communal protection.
11 deities
