Back to Home Page or Contents or Native American or Article Index

Huacas

Huacas are believed by the Inca people to be a thing such as a mountain, passage, valley, or building from where each lineage originated and is regarded among the sacred places. In this sense Lake Titicaca would be considered a huaca. It is held the first which originated from the huacas returned there and were turned into stones or other animals or birds such as falcons and condors.

Not all people, however, believe the deluge completely destroyed all of mankind. They maintain that a very few escaped on hills in caves or in trees, and from them people began to multiply. In remembrance of those first progenitors who escaped their descendants made stone idols and to each huaca they give the name of their ancestor whom they believed came from that particular location. Thus each tribe has a huaca which they hold in reference, and make worship sacrifices by it and/or to it. Prior to an Incan general conception of a Creator the people worshipped their huacas more than him. A.G.H.

Sources:

Huacas. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaca>.
Lake Titicaca. <http://www.crystalinks.com/laketiticaca.html>.
Osborne, Harold. South American Mythology. "Library of the World's Myths and Legends." New York. Peter Bedrick Books. 1968, 1985. pp. 48-54.