Incan Lore: Gazing into Darkness

Last day of recouperating in Cusco. My calves are still sore when I have to go up or down stairs, which is pretty much all the time in this city. Stretching's for suckers!
Tomorrow I fly to Lima. Yes, ecoterrorist that I am, fly. The bus trip takes over 20 hours and costs 50 euros less... I just couldn't face another bus odyssey, so an hour on the plane and Bob's your uncle. 

These last few days I have just been wandering around the historical center and seeing what I run into. Such as this market for selling live animals (for food or as pets) on the train tracks in the centre of the motorway, featuring lots of puppies in cardboard boxes, chickens and guinea pigs in sacks or cages and some bunnies, though I don't know if they were destined for pets or pots.

In honour of Cusco, ancient capital of the Inca kingdom, here is some Inca trivia for beginners in between bites of cake and some rather mediocre cappuccino. 

Three is a very holy number in Incan lore. It signifies the three levels of the world: the upper level, our level and the spiritual level below us. These in turn are represented by the three holy animals, the condor, the puma and the snake - reoccurring themes in Inca art - e.g. in this ceramic vases shaped like the head of a puma and...  the mighty condor surely?

These key animals are also present in the naming of places, such as Titicaca - gray puma in Qetchuan. None of these animals may be killed, though I think the modern descendents of the Incas don't adhere to this rule very strictly, as I have imbibed in a local drink made with booze, herbs and a snake, which I don't think died of old age. 

When picking coca leaves, the pickers keep a sharp lookout for rare three-pointed leaves, which if found are a valuable offering to place in one of the Inca's holy spots. Below in the foreground a coca bush, without three cloved leaves though.

Another important number is five for the five elements. Not just the four commonly used in the Western world - fire, water, wind/air, earth - but a fifth and most important element, fertility,  without which there is no life. Fertility also signifies duality: male/ female, dark/light, good/bad. 

As we were trecking, we passed an Inca altar dedicated to water. The element of water for the Incas was male. Therefore to make the duality complete, a woman was sacrificed at this alter. The element of air/wind was female and consequently what was offered at the altar was... a man surely? Oh dear me no, but a symbol of masculinity, a black lama.

Earth was both male and female, so the sacrifice was the fruit of the coupling of these two, a child. However the Incas were not a bloodthirsty race and sacrifices were only given on a few holy days and to avert impending natural disasters, such as to pacify volcanos. Also it was considered a great honour to be sacrified and the victims volunteered (or their families volunteered for them).

As to architecture, the Incas knew what they were on about. The recurring earthquakes in Cusco have destroyed many buildings, but the old Incan walls stand strong. Not only were they of massive stones fitted together with amazing precision, the structures were also built slightly conically, wider at the base and therefore optimized for stability even when the earth shakes.

 

 

Inca astronomy I find especially interesting. Whereas the Western world was staring at the stars and naming constallations after them, the Incas and people of the Andes also charted the dark parts of heaven. In the Andes the Milky way is called "mayu", the selestial river. The Milky Way is a river of light with many animals drinking from it. The dark spaces are the silhouettes of these animals blocking out the light of the celestial river.

In this artistic reproduction, we can see the great snake on the right, the partridge and the toad as well as the mother llama with two shining eyes, corresponding to the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri.

 
Therein endeth the lesson.
But it's hard not to be a little curious about the Incas in this city, where even the map of the city reflects Inca beliefs: certain main streets are designed to align with the more important stars during key times of year.

Tomorrow Lima to spend the last few days before I return home. Put the heaters on, Finland!