The Plate of the Andean Worldview and the Stars, Heavenly Bodies, and Natural Phenomena

Manga-Quispe E. · Cultural Astronomy in Latin America (2024) · DOI: 10.1142/9789811281938_0012

Resumen

The plate of Yanqui Salcamaygua reproduces the Andean worldview, collecting some previous events and others from the time of Tawantinsuyu.* The drawings at the bottom of the plate (urin) correspond to the pre-Inca phase, suggesting specific functions of the stars, heavenly bodies, and natural phenomena that acted on behalf of an ancient abstract god called “Illa Tecce” (eternal light), who determined for Jupiter the location of a matrix warehouse (a stellar qul’qa, called pirwa) located in the Pleiades (whitecaps), a place where the similes of the existing plants and animals of the Andean world would be kept. Their administration, control, and care were in the hands of specialists: stars and natural phenomena of the “second causes” necessary for human existence (animals and harvest). On the other hand, in Quricancha, there was an orchard of gold and silver with the reproduction of the stellar models of plants and animals. The abundance or multiplication of these animals and plants depended on propitiatory rituals that influenced the “entities” in charge of the multiplication of these goods, a ritual that was called unquy and dedicated to the seven goats. The term “unquy” would mean “disease,” which, in any case, would be the effect produced if the Pleiades (or the whitecaps) were not thanked in due time and, at the same time, acted as an “avoider” of diseases, droughts, frosts, and hailstorms. In this phase, certain stars were specialized in caring, including for human beings: The Sun in charge of caring for men, the Moon in charge of women, and the morning star (Venus) specialized in caring for the authorities.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco