Our environment and life experiences shape and determine our understanding of the world. We see this both in individuals and in societies. Communities that have enjoyed longer periods of peace and stability are more likely to believe in the benevolence of the world. Communities that have suffered from wars and destruction often lose trust in institutions and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, communities in warmer climates have a different dynamic from those that have developed in colder regions, for example.
Experiences and environment also shape our answers to some of the fundamental human questions – what is the world and how did it come to be? Andean culture, like all others, has provided answers to these questions based on its experience – devastating earthquakes and dramatic changes caused by harsh weather conditions.
Concept
Inca perception of time is not linear but rather cyclical. Each era is called pacha, meaning spatial temporality, corresponding to the past or present. This does not mean that Andean peoples did not want to know what tomorrow holds. However, the belief that everything repeats in a circular manner has rendered questions about the distant future meaningless. It was already known and predetermined for Andean civilisation. Pachas are temporal-spatial entities that can exist in parallel and interact with each other.
Each pacha replaces the previous one after the pachacuti, the “overturning of the pacha,” marked by catastrophes and a reversal of the order of things. Then, with the help of the Earthshaker, the world “resets” and begins a “new life” in which the same game is played with new actors.
Types of Pacha
The world is composed of three pachas that exist in parallel but also function together. Hanan pacha represents the celestial temporal-spatial domain. It is inhabited by celestial bodies – Sun, Moon, rainbow, stars – and is ruled by Inti (the Inca sun god). The messenger and symbol of this pacha is the condor.
Ukhu pacha represents the underground temporal-spatial domain. Unlike the perception in the “Old World,” the underground pacha is not a place of terror but a source of life. It is inhabited by the dead and by the snake, which is the symbol and messenger of this pacha. It is ruled by Pachamama, the goddess of the earth.
Between these two pachas lies kay pacha, the earthly temporal-spatial domain. It is inhabited by humans, as well as all animal and plant life. It is governed by humans, and the symbol of the earthly world is the jaguar, the most respected Andean feline.
Interconnectedness of the Worlds
Hanan pacha and Ukhu pacha are crucial for life in this world. Through observing natural phenomena such as the ebb and flow of tides and the Moon, as well as the importance of the sun and rain for vegetation, Andean peoples believed that the upper (hanan) pacha provides one of the most valuable gifts – energy that enables life. Ukhu pacha is the foundation from which everything grows. We return to it after death and contribute to its fertility, which is also essential for life. Energy and fertility will be the main concerns and basic motives of Andean philosophy and spirituality.
The domains of the three pachas are clearly distinct, and these gifts are not taken for granted; they require prayers and sacrifices. A custom that has survived to this day in rural parts of the Andes is related to planting and has its roots in this ancient belief. Before starting to dig, farmers offer gifts to Pachamama and ask her to forgive them for disturbing her pacha and allow them to plant. Similar rituals of seeking permission from Nature were practiced for any intervention in the soil and exploitation of natural resources – mining, digging foundations for buildings, constructing roads, and so on. The tradition of this worldview today “breaks through” in the legislation of Andean nations (such as Ecuador and Bolivia), which recognise the legal subjectivity of Nature and provide legal protection for Mother Earth (Pachamama).
Although the pachas are separate, there is a lot of interaction among them. The earthly world and the underworld are connected by caves and springs, while the earthly world and the heavens are connected by rainbows and lightning. After death, human souls could go to any of the three pachas. Those who returned to Pachamama contributed to the fertility of the land and continued their afterlife. This is a very important theme in Moche erotic ceramics, with its central motif being the relationship between death and fertility – the connection between this world and the underworld.
End of the World
This dance of the three pachas can be interrupted at any moment. Experiences of earthquakes and sudden climatic changes have created a belief in Pachakutiq – the Earthshaker, whose will causes worlds to disappear and arise. However, the “disappearance of the pacha” can also occur due to human factors, to which Pachakutiqa has sold its will. Reading Andean history, we can see that it represents the cyclical alternation of two types of periods (pachas) – horizons (times and spaces when one force or culture dominated the Andes) and intermediate periods (times and spaces when the dominant culture disappeared from the historical stage and many smaller individual cultures lived in parallel). In this sense, we can consider the Spanish conquest as a horizon, and the collapse of the Spanish colonial system as an intermediate period.
Pachakutiq is not only the one who destroys but also a reformer. He contributes to progress in an otherwise cyclical world. He creates new worlds and improves them. It is no wonder that one of the most significant Inca rulers, Cusi Yupanqui, who transformed the Kingdom of Cusco into the Tawantinsuyu Empire, took the name Pachakuti. Indeed, with him, the Andes entered one of the most glorious and well-known epochs (horizons) of their history.
Understanding
Pacha is a concise and multi-faceted concept that reflects the Andean relationship with nature, core values, as well as the future and destiny. It believes in the finality of the world as we know it but not of life and the renewal of the world. Pacha teaches us to respect the worlds around us and the interdependence that is crucial for our survival.
