Pachacamac
Earth/Time Maker; The One Who Animates the World
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Pachapapa
ORIGIN:
Peru
The name Pachacamac derives from two Quechua root words:
• Pacha indicates time, space, Earth, the universe, and the world.
• Camac is a creator, animator, soul, or essence.
Pachacamac is a sky spirit, the soul, essence, and animator of the universe. Pachamama, his consort and co-creatrix, is an Earth goddess. Together they create and rule the world. Their religion began on Peru’s Pacific coast and spread into the Andes. Most of what is known about historic devotion to Pachacamac derives from Inca and Spanish sources. He predates the Incas in the region.
Veneration of Pachacamac rivaled that of Viracocha. His sacred city, also known as Pachacamac, containing his central shrine and oracle, was the holiest site in coastal Peru during the pre-Incan and Incan eras. Pilgrims journeyed from afar to access his oracle. It was not his only temple—by the sixteenth century, a network of his shrines spread from the Pacific coast to the Andean highlands.
Although conquistadors silenced his oracle, Pachacamac remains revered and venerated. Pacha camac communicates via earthquakes. Every tremor is a message. His anger produces crop failure, huge quakes, or other natural disasters.
ICONOGRAPHY:
Pachacamac is represented by small wooden idols.
ATTRIBUTE:
A wooden staff with a human face carved on each side, destroyed by Hernando Pizarro, brother of conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
Consort: Pachamama
Sacred site:
The center of his veneration was the pilgrimage city named Pachacamac near modern Lima.
OFFERINGS:
Cotton, maize corn, dried fish, coca leaves, fabric, ceramic drinking vessels, and sea shells, especially red Spondylus princeps shells. He also traditionally receives lavish offerings including gold and silver. The Pachacamac oracle was a storehouse of wealth comparable to the votive offerings housed in great cathedrals. Pachacamac’s priests hid this treasure from oncoming conquistadors. The whereabouts remain a mystery and continue to inspire treasure hunters.
SEE ALSO:
Pachamama; Viracocha
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.