Viracocha

Viracocha by Haley Stamper


 * Aim: **

Viracocha was the supreme god and creator of the Inca. His name was sometimes deemed “too sacred to be spoken” (Cartwright) and so he was called names based off of his actions. The Inca called him Ilya, meaning light, because he created the sun and moon and stars (Cartwright). He was known as Ticci or beginning because he was there before the earth and he made the first life (Cartwright). He was also called Wiraqoca, meaning instructor, because he taught humans language, agriculture and art (Cartwright). But despite all these names he was always known as Viracocha, the white god, who created and taught men (Magleby). However, according to the Inca humans were not the first creations of Viracocha. He first created giants but they displeased him and he destroyed them in a flood (Cartwright). These stories were around before the Inca but the underlying idea that humans were superior supported the story the Inca’s also told about Viracocha and how he said the Inca would conquer all who came before them (Cartwright). However, there are also stories of Virococha walking among the people calling them his daughters and sons and telling them to be peaceful (Magleby) thus showing Viracocha to symbolize both a warrior and a father.


 * Audience: **

Viracocha was an Inca god, worshiped by them and seen throughout their stories. He was the creator god and while he walked away in the end to see to other people he created other minor gods to look over the Inca and still watched them from afar according to their stories (Cartwright). Viracocha is seen all throughout the Inca people’s stories and while not all the recountings are the same Viracocha has characteristics that remain the same throughout (Magleby). Their belief in Viracocha is one of the uniting factors of the Inca people that identifies them as a group. For example, representations of him are seen in sculptures all throughout Peru (Cartwright). As he inspired their art, stories about Viracocha shaped the Inca people’s values and culture. Their creator told them both to be peaceful and that the Inca would conquer all which must have had a very distinctive effect on them as a people (Cartwright).

Historical:
The stories told of Viracocha are not all exactly the same but they have similar elements which line up to tell his story. Viracocha created a dark earth and then he created giants who he told to be peaceful. They managed this well for a while but one day Viracocha grew angry with the giants and drowned them in a great flood (Sarmiento De Gamboa). Then he created humans and he brought light to them in the form of the sun, moon and stars (Sarmiento De Gamboa). Viracocha then taught the humans language, agriculture (Cartwright) as well as morals (Magleby). Viracocha then created other gods to watch over the Inca in their day to day lives and left them so that he might attend to other issues but promising to return one day (Cartwright). The stories of Viracocha inspired the Inca and are what shaped their culture both in their artwork, some of which is modeled after him, and in their morals which he taught them.

**Cultural:**
While Viracocha and his junior gods, such as the sun god Inti, are no longer worshiped they are remembered as a part of cultural history. The people of Peru still pass down stories of Viracocha to their children and teach his lessons about brotherhood and compassion (Magleby). Others look to better understand all of Inca culture including Viracocha, his junior gods and the child sacrifices the Inca made in their name (Kuilan). Today, Viracocha is a lesson and a story though he means different things to academics, the people of Peru and any other person who might hear his story.

__ Works Cited: __ Cartwright, Mark. “Viracocha: Definition.” //Ancient History Encyclopedia//. 23 February 2014. Web. 20 February 2015.

Magleby, Kirk. “Four Peruvian Versions of the White God Legend.” //The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints//. January 1984. Web. 20 February 2015.

Sarmiento De Gamboa, Pedro. “Viracocha and the Coming of the Incas.” // Sacred-Texts.com //. 1907. Web. 21 February 2015.

Kuilan, Antonio. “Ancient Child Sacrifices on Mountain Tops.” Antonio Kuilian. 1 April 2013. Web. 21 February 2015.