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The Ancient Inca Civilization was polytheistic. A few of the most commonly worshiped deities include Viracocha, Inti, Illapa and Mamaquilla. Viracocha was seen as the ultimate god who was known as the creator. According to the Inca Civilization Viracocha created the earth, the sky, all of the stars, humans and animals. He was believed to be a man who travelled the earth doing good deeds. He was eternal and also responsible for the creation of all other deities.
Inti was believed to be the son of Viracocha. He was the god of agriculture and made all growth on Earth possible. He is represented as a sun. Illapa was known as the second most power god next to Viracocha. Illapa was known as the god of thunder and storms. Both Inti and Illapa were both extremely important to the Inca Civilization because they depended on the sun and the rain to produce crops essential for survival. Mamaquilla was the goddess of the moon and believed to be the wife of Inti. She was less worshiped than the other deities, but was worshiped during festivals related to the calendar.
The Incan’s participated in multiple different religious ceremonies throughout the year. Similar to current day society, the Incan’s also followed a 12-month calendar. Amongst the most important of these practices is the Magnificent festival. This festival takes place in December, or what the Incan’s called, Kapac Raymi. The purpose of this ceremony was to initiate the sons of mobility. Another important ceremony taking place in June, or Inti Raymi, was the festival of the sun. This was the most important ceremony because of this societies strong reliance on the sun. During this ceremony, the emperor and every noble man dressed in his best and displayed ornaments giving thanks to the sun.
The Inca civilization believed once the body was deceased the soul would live on in the afterlife. Good souls were thought to join the sun and live on with their ancestors, while bad souls would live in the underworld alone. After passing over an eight day funeral took place including mummification and burial of the body. Friends and family would bring food and gifts to the grave to ensure happiness of the soul. The rich were buried in tombs and the poor were buried in pits or caves.
Inti was believed to be the son of Viracocha. He was the god of agriculture and made all growth on Earth possible. He is represented as a sun. Illapa was known as the second most power god next to Viracocha. Illapa was known as the god of thunder and storms. Both Inti and Illapa were both extremely important to the Inca Civilization because they depended on the sun and the rain to produce crops essential for survival. Mamaquilla was the goddess of the moon and believed to be the wife of Inti. She was less worshiped than the other deities, but was worshiped during festivals related to the calendar.
The Incan’s participated in multiple different religious ceremonies throughout the year. Similar to current day society, the Incan’s also followed a 12-month calendar. Amongst the most important of these practices is the Magnificent festival. This festival takes place in December, or what the Incan’s called, Kapac Raymi. The purpose of this ceremony was to initiate the sons of mobility. Another important ceremony taking place in June, or Inti Raymi, was the festival of the sun. This was the most important ceremony because of this societies strong reliance on the sun. During this ceremony, the emperor and every noble man dressed in his best and displayed ornaments giving thanks to the sun.
The Inca civilization believed once the body was deceased the soul would live on in the afterlife. Good souls were thought to join the sun and live on with their ancestors, while bad souls would live in the underworld alone. After passing over an eight day funeral took place including mummification and burial of the body. Friends and family would bring food and gifts to the grave to ensure happiness of the soul. The rich were buried in tombs and the poor were buried in pits or caves.