The exact determination of the meaning of the Quechua word “Pacha” presents many difficulties for us because it is a pan-Andean and polysemic word with a very deep and broad meaning.
It is a word rich in meanings and connotations, much like the word “logos” in Greek or “esse” in Latin. This word can function as an adjective, adverb, suffix and even as a noun.
- As an adjective, means “low,” “short,” and also “interior.”
- As an adverb, its meaning is “under,” “instantly,” “immediately,” carrying a space-time connotation.
- As a suffix, it combines the verbal suffix “-pa,” meaning “again,” with the diminutive suffix “-cha,” which denotes smallness but also conveys affection or disdain towards the indicated object or person.
- As a noun and figuratively, means “earth,” “globe,” “world,” “planet,” and also “universe” and “stratification of the cosmos.”
Andean Philosophy
Philosophically, it means “the universe ordered into space-time categories”.
However, it is not simply a physical and astronomical concept; it transcends the duality of visible and invisible, material and immaterial, earthly and heavenly.
“Pacha” is the common base of the different strata of reality, which are essentially three:
However, these are not separate worlds or strata but rather aspects of the same interconnected reality. An important characteristic of Andean philosophy is relationality.
“Pacha” can be translated as “interrelated cosmos” or “cosmic relationality.”
We invite you to take the three transmissions related of Hanaq Pacha with a Condor Initiation, Kay Pacha with a Jaguar Initiation and Ukhu Pacha The Serpent Inititaton.
Pachamama
There are three ways to refer to the earth:
- When referring to the earth as a planet, it is called Kay Pacha (this world) or simply Teqsimuyu (round foundation).
- When referring to the earth as inorganic matter, the word Allpa is used.
- When referring to the earth as the basis for life, we use Pachamama, Mother Earth. (If you want to know more about the meaning of Earth in Andean Cosmovision, please check our “Four Elements Meaning”.
We distinguish between the cyclical change inherent in constant mutation processes: day and night, summer and winter; and the change that refers to more significant transformations. This perspective broadens to focus on changes of eras, understood as the ending and rebirth, called Pachacuti.
If you want to know more about Pachacuti we recomend you to read Pachacuti profechy!
Pacha invites us to see personal and collective life as a unity within a context of proportional dual complementarity. It emphasizes the constant challenge of maintaining just relationships between polarities.
It is a scenario where the evolution of ideas/forms is subject to the laws of Pacha space-time.
Talking about Pacha remains an interesting and extensive topic. We already update The Inca Altar of Qoricancha to better understand its elements and characteristics.
References:
Arriagada Peters, L. (2019). Avatars of Form in the Space-time Pacha. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Seminario de Estudios de la Significación
Estermann, J. (1998). Andean Philosophy: An Intercultural Study of Indigenous Andean Wisdom. First edition. Biblioteca Seminario San Antonio Abad. Cusco.
