Mama Quilla

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 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.

Mama Quilla, the 'Mother Moon', is the Inca goddess of the moon, of time and protector of women. Wife and sister of Inti, she governed the calendar, the female cycles and the religious festivals. Her silver image mirrored the golden one of the Sun, for silver was held to be her tears. As The Mother Moon, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the Inca pantheon. Their domains over Moon, Time & Women reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

The silver disk, the full moon, the calendar and the eclipse

Wife and sister of Inti; daughter of Viracocha; mother of the royal line.

The Incas believed that lunar eclipses happened when a serpent or a puma tried to devour Mama Quilla in the sky. To frighten off the animal and save the goddess, the people made the greatest possible uproar, shouting, beating drums and making the dogs bark. As guardian of time, it was she who regulated the calendar of festivals and plantings, and her cult belonged especially to women and priestesses. During the great age of Inca myths, Mama Quilla performed extraordinary deeds defending cosmic balance against forces of destruction. It is told that when an ancestral threat emerged from the ends of the world, Mama Quilla wielded power over Moon, Time & Women, summoning divine elements and turning the tide of battle. Ancient bards and poets sang the glory of this combat, highlighting the wisdom and bravery demonstrated before the assembled gods themselves. The triumph consolidated their eternal authority and sealed an inviolable pact of protection over mortal realms, remembered across all subsequent generations.

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the Inca recounts the journey when Mama Quilla intervened directly in the lives of mortals. During a period of great trial, when droughts and chaos threatened the survival of ancient cities, Mama Quilla descended from the heavens disguised among men to test humanity's virtue and generosity. Only a humble family welcomed the mysterious traveler, offering their last meal with devotion and respect. Revealing their true resplendent form as The Mother Moon, Mama Quilla blessed the region with perpetual abundance and raised a sacred spring that never dried again. This epic saga became a symbol of divine justice and the reward reserved for those who maintain faith and nobility of spirit even in times of greatest darkness.

Historically, the cult of Mama Quilla occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity. Imposing stone temples and open-air sanctuaries were erected in their honor in the major capitals of the Inca, adorned with detailed reliefs and monumental columns. Annually, great public festivals gathered thousands of pilgrims who held solemn processions, lit sacred torches, and chanted communal hymns celebrating harvests and military victories. Priests and priestesses of ancient orders dedicated their lives to preserving the sacred flame and guarding the temple's manuscripts and relics. Contemporary archaeological excavations continue to reveal votive altars, commemorative coins, and architectural innovations testifying to the deep historical veneration of this deity.

The silver disk with a feminine face that shines in the night, ruling time, the cycles and the calendars.

The visible spots on the moon were explained by the Incas as marks left by a fox that fell in love with Mama Quilla and climbed up to her, remaining forever imprinted on her face. In modern astronomy and science, Mama Quilla's name and symbols inspired the naming of celestial bodies and geological formations on other planets. Furthermore, their artistic depiction influenced Renaissance painters and Neoclassical sculptors, remaining an iconic figure in contemporary cinema, literature, and video games.