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Andean Genesis

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The Andean Genesis began like this:

The Shadow Realm’s Genesis

In the darkness of ancient times, Ch’amak Pacha was a realm of shadows. Within this infinite, boundless space, the sun and the moon coexisted in solitude. Overwhelmed by their longing for love, born of their mere presence together, they sought to satisfy that yearning with passionate love.

Cosmic Order and the Separation

However, this love had to be fleeting, as the cosmic order of the sidereal space, Pachakhamak, would not allow any generation to exist in a state where the warmth of the sun and the melancholy of the moon disrupted, at the same time, the beings who would populate a future world.

This future world—Earth (Pachamama)—stands between the love of the sun and the moon, separating day and night in an existence where heat and cold, joy and sadness, life and death intertwine cyclically through time.

The sun, resigned to its separation from its beloved moon, seeks to resolve the absence of his love through fleeting romances that arise by chance in the randomness of life.

The moon, in her solitude, loves from afar, casting her light over the world in her absence. She cried and created the first and only andean deluge.

The tears are sheltered in the earth and generate the sacred lake of Titicaca. Many decades passed when the sun decided to end that solitude.

The Sun and the Moon’s Reunion

The moon, hurt, did not want to see him again, so she hid as early as possible, and the sun rose earlier each time. Over time, the moon lagged a few moments on the horizon, hopeful.

The sun had just risen to distribute his light selflessly. There, they met again, face to face in the universe. They managed to stop their journey for a few moments in an infinite embrace.

The Vital Force and the Andean Genesis

Our ancestors say that every time the images of the sun and the moon copulate in the sacred waters of the lake, the vital force (wira) is generated, which gave birth and today generates and consolidates our lives in the unfolding of the cyclical Andean Genesis.

Reference:

  • Luizaga, J.M (1995). La enigmática etnoastronomía andina. Taipinquiri. (pag.363 – 364)

The spiritual quest

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This essay explores the spiritual quest, also known as the spiritual journey, emphasizing movement. As pilgrims and companions of the cosmos, like celestial bodies and all living beings, we remain in constant motion, with nothing ever fully concluded.

In many societies and eras people have wanted to cross the borders of their familiar territories to go in search of the solution to their problems and the earthly home of a God (Morinis, 1992).

Religious pilgrimages have been for devotional purposes, nowadays modern society is looking for answers.

The spiritual crisis of the West has created a desperate attempt to discover and recover original religious experiences: pagan practices, shamanism and Orientalism.

This individual pursuit focuses on personal growth and the experience of spirituality. (Kujawa, 2017).

That is why the ancient traditions have guided the human being to achieve wisdom to live in a better way.

The Spiritual Philosophy of Ancient Traditions

This requires self-knowledge, as emphasized by ancient Greek wisdom in the temples of Delphi, where the principles of moderation are expressed: “know yourself” and “nothing in excess” (Piñas Saura, 2022).

The Sufi wisdom in the same way :

“The right way to know the absolute is to know ourselves”.

For the Tao the knowledge of oneself is not something cognitive but rather intuitive and the knowledge outward something more intellectual, they are two different forms of knowledge, one sensitive and the other rational (Preciado,2018).

Thus many of us have had as a goal as Pindaro says: to learn to be what you really are.

And for Jung to reach the central point between the exterior and the interior “God in us” (Piñas Saura,2022). For this, it is necessary to have passed tests, challenges and initiations.

The very interesting guide of the Myths, can give us light in this society in search of meaning, for Campbell the search of the hero has phases and characteristics:

The self departs, breaking away from all it has been part of, driven by a fall into misfortune. It then begins initiation, experiencing transcendence and encountering suffering.

Finally, the self returns, transformed, either to society or another world, in an act of revolt (Ternas, 2017).

The ultimate goal is neither liberation nor happiness, but wisdom and power to serve others (Campbell,1988).

Author : Joan De la colina Roman

An invitation

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References:

  • Morinis, A. (1992). Introduction. En A. Morinis, Sacred Journeys: The antropology of pilgrimage Westport: Greenwood press.
  • Kujawa, J. (2017). Spiritual tourism as a quest. Tourism Management Perspectives, 1-8.
  • María del Carmen Piñas Saura (2022), La esperanza habitada: Filosofía antigua y conciencia hermética.
  • Preciado Idoeta, Iñaki,(2018) La ruta del silencio: Viaje por los libros del Tao
  • Ternas, Richard.(2006) Cosmos y psique: indicios para una nueva visión del mundo .Atalanta
  • Campbell, Joseph.(1988) El poder del Mito.

What is this thing called “Ancestral Andean Religion”?

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Ancestral Andean Religion

Discussing Andean Religion is to tread difficult paths. It involves bringing the most authentic aspect of the Quechua Spirit into a modern world accustomed to artificiality—a world that has lost the ability to interpret myths, legends, rituals, and the faith of a unique people.

Cuadernos Andinos does not seek to fully understand the magical and co-religious world of the Andean man. Instead, it tirelessly searches for documents, data, and experiences that bring modern humanity closer to an initial understanding of the paraphernalia, rituals, and celebrations of Andean Religion. Little by little, these efforts reveal the precepts of its transcendental religion.

To better understand this section, we begin by exploring the Cosmogony of the Inca World and its intimate relationship with religion. These two aspects are considered inseparable. From their essential connection, two fundamental concepts emerge:

Cosmogony

The Andean worldview is based on three main foundations:

  1. Hanan Pacha (The Universe):
    • The Sun, the Moon, the stars, lightning, rainbows, rain, wind, and clouds.
  2. Kai Pacha (The Earth):
    • Mountains, rivers, stones, water, animals, and plants.
  3. Uju Pacha (The Inner World):
    • Ancestors, subterranean dwellers, elves, spirits, demons, and “sacred beings.”

Religion

Andean Religion is deeply connected to the three worlds of their cosmogony, focusing on the following elements:

  • Pachayachachic:
    The Creator of heaven and earth, universal organizer, Supreme God, the beginning and the end.
  • Inti:
    The created God, “rantin” (mediator), the creator of nature and humanity.
  • Apus:
    Spirits inhabiting high altitudes, dwelling in mountains and sacred spaces such as:
    • Mallquis (mummies),
    • Conopas, Vilcas, and Illas,
      which are creators and protectors of humanity.

This structure reflects a deeply interconnected system where the natural, spiritual, and human realms coexist in harmony.

Reference:

  • Candia, C. (2002). Cuadernos Andinos n°1. Ancestral Religion. Centro de Estudios Cusqueños AYNI.

The Andean Tradition Today

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What is the place of the Andean Tradition today? To answer these questions, it is necessary to look at the historical development of the West with respect to its way of seeing cultures and itself.

The modern project, rooted in rationalism, began in medieval Europe, positioning itself as a discoverer and conqueror—first of its own culture and then of the “other” (Dussel, 1994). It pursued civilizing emancipation through control and violence. Indigenous peoples in America, Africa, and Oceania, among others, have experienced this process firsthand.

The Colonial Legacy in indigenous Knowledge and Religion

Colonizers succeeded not only through economic and material imposition but also by dominating knowledge and religion.

From their elevated position, they dismissed indigenous practices and knowledge as diabolical and inferior, considering them a lesser form of understanding (Depaz, 2015).

The efforts to understand, indigenous religions were marked by anthropologists such as Tylor (1871) who from the evolutionist perspective observed indigenous peoples as animists.

That is, as peoples in stages prior to a formal religion and a developed society, later it was tried to understand more animism as a religious respect to the living world (Chidister, 2018).

Be that as it may, taking indigenous peoples as animists contains colonizing dyes due to the legacy of Tylor.

Andean Wisdom: A Contrast to Divisive Thinking and Ecological Crisis

From this perspective the subject is separated from the object, there is a clear division between the human and its environment (Ricahrd,2017), traditional cultures do not recognize such division.

These ways of thinking have brought the ecological crisis, that humanity lives today, trying to control and domesticate reality without even knowing it (Zambrano mentioned in Piña Saura,2022 ).

The Andean people have expertly preserved and hidden their wisdom in the mountains, protecting it from destructive forces (Depaz, 2015).

This preservation is why some Andean logic endures today. Despite the absence of writing, myths, legends, and everyday speech hold this valuable knowledge (Emanuele and Edouard, 2023).

The Andean people value their strong relationship with both the earth and the cosmos. Favaron (2022), drawing inspiration from Peruvian writer Jose Maria Arguedas, emphasizes that humans must establish reciprocal relationships with other living beings.

Favaron explains that everything has voices and thought. He argues that the environmental crisis goes beyond being a quantifiable or technical issue; it stems from intellectual hardening and an impoverishment of human sensitivity, which blocks the ability to feel the voices and affections of other living beings.

Author: Joan De la colina Roman

 References

  • Dussel,Enrique(1994), El encubrimiento del otro: Hacia el origen del mito de la modernidad
  • Depaz Toledo,Zenon(2015) La cosmo-vision andina en el manuscrito de Huarochiri
  • Tylor, Edward (1871) Primitive culture
  • Chidester David(2018), Religion : material dynamics
  • Ternas, Richard.(2006) Cosmos y psique: indicios para una nueva visión del mundo .Atalanta
  • Emanuele, F., y Edouard, M. (2023). Epistemologías andinas amazónicas.Concepto indígenas de conocimiento o, sabiduría y comprensión (P. Quintanilla & M. L. Clarke Barret, Eds.). Fondo editorial PUCP.
  • Favaron Peyón, P. M. (2022). Poesía y territorio en José María Arguedas: La ecopoética andina de Los ríos profundos. La Palabra, 44, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.19053/01218530.n44.2022.14713

Cusco – The Puma City

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Designing an entire Puma City, where the spatial layout mirrors the anatomy of an animal and the overall form embodies a moving creature. Therefore required the integration of multiple scientific disciplines operating at their most advanced conceptual levels.

Cusco-Perú

The construction of the city of Cusco represented the synthesis of a great era, the golden age of Inca culture.

The city’s urban beauty expressed art integrated with nature. Its construction blended into the northern hill of the city, Sacsayhuamán, which formed the head of the totem animal. In all aspects, this city was magnificent and admirable

The Archetype: Puma City

The puma, as an entity of power and archetype, imbued its energy into every inhabitant and visitor who set foot on its soil.

The people of this city had to resonate with the Totem Feline and, at some point in their lives, become the embodied Puma.

The new solar year began each June 21, when the sun moved away from the eastern point of its rise, heading toward the North, which it would never reach.

Pachakuti sought to leave us a message by designing the construction of the Puma City:

  • We will recover stability, transcendental consciousness, and harmony with the environment.
  • The puma will provide the intuition of transcendence and the expansion of consciousness to simultaneously embody the amaru (serpent), kuntur (condor), and puma.

The concept of “the trilogy as an ideological element” belong to every culture in the world. In life, at every step man takes, he will immediately encounter this spontaneous and natural manifestation of the number three, highlighting its universal significance.

In resume:

The design and construction of Puma City, the ancient city of Cusco, symbolize a profound synthesis of art, nature, and transcendental ideology.

Imbued with the energy of the puma, the city reflects a deep alignment with the natural and spiritual worlds.

Pachakuti’s vision for Puma City serves as a timeless message: to restore balance, expand consciousness, and harmonize with the environment.

Through the archetype of the puma, the trilogy of serpent, condor, and puma becomes a living experience.

Reference:

  • Merejildo, J.A (1997). The awakening of the puma. An initiatory path. Astronomical evidence in the Andes. Chaski. (pag. 71 – 74)

Archetypes in Andean Cosmovision

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In Andean Cosmovision, Archetypes embody essential forces of nature and spiritual growth, guiding individuals through cycles of transformation.

These symbolic animals, like the serpent, condor, and puma, represent different aspects of existence, connecting the material and spiritual worlds.

The Ecological Principle

The ecological principle par excellence is “life in harmony with what surrounds us.” It is the practice of MUNAY, LLANKAY, and YACHAY.

The Mith of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo

Wiracocha descended to Earth from the Sacred Lake Titicaca and raised the mythical couple, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo. They followed Wiracocha’s path, journeying from South to North along the “Route of Wiracocha,” accompanied by the Sacred Condor. They reached the Valleys of Cusco, where they founded one of the largest empires in the world.

When these children of Wiracocha arrived in the lands of Qosqo, they came to the lands of the PUMA, the Puma that would help them transcend to the most unimaginable planes.

Archetypes of the Evolutionary Cycles

These evolutionary cycles in the Andean world were known as Pachakuti.

Each evolutionary cycle marked the presence of an archetypal animal; this archetype was the main symbol in the transcendental state of a society’s development.

The Archetypes: AMARU or SERPENT

Represents the development that the individual should experience from within, from their interior, from the Ucku Pacha, rising up like the serpent in a movement of control and security.

The Archetypes: CONDOR

Revealed the infinity of its space and became friends with KATATI URURU (Venus), the chacana, and other constellations.

The condor taught them to see through the inner stars.

The archetype of the condor took the serpent and, along its path, gave it wings to integrate into the world of the Hanan Pacha.

The power of Kay pacha, this world, is symbolized by the puma or jaguar.

During the reign of the Eighth Pachakuti, the Children of the Sun arrived in the lands of the Puma. The Incas followed the path of the Amaru, beginning to develop the consciousness of the awakening of the Puma.

Reference:

  • Merejildo, J.A (1997). The awakening of the puma. An initiatory path. Astronomical evidence in the Andes. Chaski. (pag. 65 – 67)