THE INCAS OF PERU 35
INCA RELIGION AND LEARNING
The Inca state religion existed side by side with the
much older ancestor cults and the worship of innu-
merablehuacas (local objects and places). The chief
of the Inca gods was a nameless creator called Vi-
racocha and Pachayachachic (lord and instructor
of the world). His cult seems to have been a philo-
sophical religion largely confi ned to the priesthood
and nobility. First in importance after Viracocha
was the sun god, claimed by the Inca royal family
as its divine ancestor. Other notable divinities were
the thunder god, who sent the life-giving rain, and
the Moon, wife of the Sun, who played a vital role
in the regulation of the Inca festival calendar. The
Inca idols were housed in numerous temples at-
tended by priests who directed and performed cer-
emonies that included prayer, sacrifi ce, confession,
and the rite of divination. Another priestly function
was the magical cure of disease. The priests were
assisted in their religious duties by a class of mama-
cuna (holy women) who had taken vows of perma-
nent chastity. Human sacrifi ce was performed on
very momentous occasions, such as an important
victory or some great natural calamity.
Inca art was marked by a high level of tech-
nical excellence. The architecture was solid and
functional, characterized by massiveness rather
than beauty. The stone sculpture, more frequent
in the highlands than on the coast, has been de-
scribed as ponderous and severe. But the tapestries
of Inca weavers are among the world’s textile mas-
terpieces, so fi ne and intricate is the weaving. Inca
metallurgy was also on a high technical and artis-
tic plane. Cuzco, the Inca capital, abounded in gold
objects: the imperial palace had gold friezes and
panels of gold and silver, and the Temple of the Sun
contained a garden with lifelike replicas of plants
and animals, all made of hammered gold.
Although the Incas had no system of writing
and thus no written literature, narrative poems,
prayers, and tales were handed down orally from
generation to generation. The Inca hymns and
prayers that have been preserved are notable for
their lofty thought and beauty of expression. Of the
long narrative poems that dealt with Inca mythol-
ogy, legends, and history, only summaries in Span-
ish prose remain.
A melancholy and nostalgic spirit pervades
many of the traditional Inca love songs, and the
same plaintiveness characterizes the few examples
of their music that have come down to us. Based on
the fi ve-toned, or pentatonic, scale, this music was
performed with an assortment of instruments: fl utes,
trumpets, and whistles; gongs, bells, and rattles; and
several kinds of skin drums and tambourines. The
dances that accompanied the music sometimes rep-
resented an elementary form of drama.
Spanish conquistadors destroyed Inca politi-
cal organization and dealt shattering blows to all
aspects of Inca civilization, but elements of that
culture survive everywhere in the central Andean
area. These survivals, tangible and intangible,
include the Quechua speech; the numerous in-
digenous communities, or ayllu, still partly based
on cooperative principles; the widespread pagan
beliefs and rites of the people; and, of course, the
monumental ruins of Sacsahuaman, Ollantay-
tambo, Machu Picchu, Pisac, and Cuzco itself. Inca
civilization also lives in the writings of Peruvian
historians, novelists, and statesmen, who evoke
the vanished Inca greatness and praise the ancient
virtues of their people. For many Peruvians, the
great technical achievements and social engineer-
ing of the Incas, ensuring a modest well-being for
all, offer proof of the inherent capacity of their
native peoples and a prospect of what the poverty-
ridden, strife-torn Peru of today may yet become.Go online for additional
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