In this blog, we will address some topics of Andean cosmology, understood as a body of beliefs that people hold about the nature and origin of the universe.
The Andean Cosmovision refers to the doctrine of the Andean world. It is a vision of the whole cosmos or universe, all interconnected.
Andean cosmology encompasses the general nature of the universe as a whole: what it was in the past, what it is now, and what it is likely to be in the future.
It is the totality of the spiritual world of the Quechua people living in the Cusco and Machu Picchu areas. It is a non-fixed, magical world and incorporates all of Nature.
Andean initiations and ceremonies differ from those of the jungle and desert regions.
The Andean Quechua have their own traditional healers, and they follow an ancient cosmology and way of life that has been practiced for thousands of years.
The profecy of Pachacuteq
The Quechua regard history as a sequence of worlds, or pacha, each governed by a set of assumptions about their order. A hero named Pachacuteq reorganized the Inca state.
If you wish to learn more about this prophecy, we invite you to read it beforehand.
The Three Worlds
According to Andean cosmology, the Andean universe arranges itself on three planes of existence.
The universe divides into three “worlds”:
Kay pacha
It is the world where runakuna (humans) live together with Pachamama, alongside the apukuna, wild and domesticated animals, plants, and all natural forces such as rain, thunder, and lightning.
It represents the world of the four elements.
Hanaq Pacha
Hanaq pacha, the upper world of superior energy. The residence of Pachakamac, Pachacutec, Christian saints, and spirits of the ancestors.
Men or women in the roles of Altomisayoq serve as mediators between Hanaq pacha, the upper world, and Kay pacha.
We interpret this as a realm where beings of a higher state of consciousness or higher dimensional vibration exist.
From Hanaq pacha, celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars shine their eternal light down upon Kay pacha.
Ukhu Pacha
The inner world of Pachamama or the Andean underworld, Ukhu Pacha, is inhabited by many types of supernatural spiritual beings in caves, rocks, and ravines.
Ukhu Pacha may also be known as the inner world of the runakuna.
Moreover, they may include the spirits of dead Incakuna and Spanish conquistadors.
Some of these beings are evil and negative characters; however, others are harmless and described as dwarf-like men.
The serpent ascends and descends through the three worlds by transmutting itself according to its relationship with each world.
