Incan

=__Inca Empire __= =How did creation myths influence the lifestyles of people at the time? =

 In Incan culture it was believed the world as they knew it came to be after a giant flood. There was a massive flood and as it began to tide their highest, more powerful deity Viracocha began to create life. For them, Viracocha was the creator of everything. Viracocha created the land lakes, rocks, grass, trees and rocks and mountains. To the Inca, everything had life. Viracocha created man using mud from the banks of Lake Titcaca. He created several batches of humans and gave each of them different abilities. He told each of these people to hide in the mountain’s caves and await his call. One by one he called each group and sent each of them to live in a place he chosen for them. After each group had been called there was one group left. They were the brothers Manco, Auca, Cachi and Uchu and their sister wives Ocllo, Huaco, Cura, and Raua. These were the chosen people that Viracocha had created. They were sent to help bring order to the world. People of the world were divided into different groups each of led by one of the chosen ones. The chosen ones taught their communities how to properly live. The Incas believed the brother Manco Capac started their civilization. He became the first emperor of the Incas and used a golden rod the mark the new kingdom. The Inca believed multiple gods looked over their world. Though Viracocha was thought to have been invisible it was he who created the sun, moon, and stars and ordered them to bring light into the world. There were three gods under Viracocha that the Incas observed. These were the three sky gods. The first Inti, was the sun god and he was the most powerful of the here. Viracocha had pulled from an island in Lake Titcaca. Inti was thought to have been the god of agriculture as the sun was responsible for the health of crops. The second was Mama Quilla, the moon god. She too had been pulled form an island in Lake Titcaca. She was Inti’s wife as well as the mother of the stars. The last god was Illapa, the god of thunder and rain. It was he who controlled the weather and the Inca could hear him every time his voice rumbled across the sky. || ||
 * The Incan Empire resided in Western South America from 1428 to 1533. They were one of the most advanced ancient civilizations having achieved prominence in architecture, political organization, military, and religion. The Inca civilization began in the city of Cuzco and spread through the Andes mountains. The monotheistic religion of the Inca described the many gods that looked over their world.

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 In Incan creation myth the world as they knew it came to be after a giant flood. The deity Viracocha created the sun, moon, and world near Lake Titicaca. There was a massive flood and as it began to tide Viracocha made the plants and animals of the world. Soon after Viracocha created the world he made the chosen man from only the mud from the ground. Elements were divided to give rise to life in the beginning of the world. The man Viracocha created from the ground became the chosen men in a time when the world had been “living in an uncivilised and ignorant manner.” They were sent to help bring order to the world. People were divided into different groups each of led by one of the chosen ones. The chosen ones taught their communities how to properly live and sustain themselves. During a savage time when the world was on the border of destruction Viracocha had divided parts of the world to bring forth the chosen human brings. Then the people of the world were divided. The continuous separation of the world, society, and how a civilized world came to be after a great flood show how the creation myth contains the fractionation of things from primordial chaos. ||
 * [[image:5142386077_3e12b7f90b.jpg width="445" height="311"]] || == //Motif // ==

Even early civilizations revered supernatural forces that were believed to shape their lives. Past civilizations like the Inca of South America had advanced forms of architecture and society (Corrick, 6). They developed their own beliefs and monotheistic religion that was heavily integrated into their lives. Their beliefs were so complex that they explained their very existence. For the Inca, the creation myths and ideas from religion influenced everyday actions, celebrations, and society.

The original creation myths told stories of deities such as Viracocha and Inti, gods that controlled Inca lives and the environment. Gods were responsible for outside forces so the Incas tried to please them, hoping the gods would reward their respect with good weather or health. Each day began with prayers to the gods as a sign of dedicated worship. Festivals celebrating gods took place year round. These were so common that the Inca took 120 days yearly to commemorate their divine beings. More so, the original deed of Manco Capac was honored by marking the harvest fields with a golden tool (Calvert, 18). The Inca were so god fearing that their actions were built around pleasing gods. Ornate temples built in the center of Incan cities honored gods. Inti the sun god had several erected in his honor. One of which, the Coricancha drew parallels with European cathedrals. The Coricancha was a magnificent temple that exemplified the importance of Inti. The temple was lavishly decorated with golden entrances. Other religious sites included what was known as huacas. These were thought to contain spirits. Visits and offerings were made to huacas. (Calvert, 50) Priests could even be assigned to huacas if the huacas were deemed special enough.



Emperors and priests were thought to be descendants of gods, which created hierarchy in Incan society. The connection between leaders and the gods can be traced back to the creation myth where Manco Capac became the first Incan emperor. High priests were close relatives of the emperor and were Incan nobility. These priests helped everyday rituals (Corrick, 60). A person’s relation to the gods determined their social standing.

The Incan way of life was bound by their religious beliefs. The creation myth was the beginning of a religion that heavily influenced Incan society and ethics. Inca methods later influenced the culture of future generations in the region. Though the original Incan religion is no longer practiced aspects such as language and huacas still exist in modern day Peru (Corrick, 91-92).

//Bibliography //
Ackroyd, Peter. “Lords of the Andes.” Cities of Blood: Voyages through Time. DK, 2004. 109-19.  Print.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A. Viracocha, Inca creator god, ordered sun, moon, and stars to light the world. Pachacuti conquered and Topa held military power. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">B. The information came from a book of a reputable organization and includes a wide range of relevant information based on current knowledge and research. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">C. The source gives the creation myth of the Inca as well as the influence of the gods in their religion and life. It almost directly answers the research question by providing insight into the godly influence on festivals, empire organization, etc.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Calvert, Patricia. The Ancient Inca. New York: Franklin Watts, 2004. Print.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A. Religion influenced how the Inca acted, celebrations, worship, rituals, etc. They had several gods but Viracocha and Inti were the most important. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">B. The book provided a detailed account of every aspect of Incan life. The book itself provides references and in text citations with a list of sources in the back. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">C. The information is comprehensive while being general and addresses several aspects of Incan life. Simply by looking at how much of the information is related to their religion gives me an idea of how influential their beliefs were.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Corrick, James A. The Inca. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2002. Print.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Inca" Online image.IHS. 12 Dec. 2010. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <http://www.ihs.issaquah.wednet.edu/Teachers/Fine/inca.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Kulmar, Tarmo. "ON THE ROLE OF CREATION AND ORIGIN MYTHS." Folklore Vol. 12. Web. 09 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Dec. 2010. <http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/inca.htm>.