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| "Mother Earth" |
Among the Inca of South America, the earth was seen as a dragon goddess who lived beneath
the mountains; occasionally she quivered, sending earthquakes through the world. Mamapacha was also the deity of agriculture;
rituals in her honor had to be performed daily to assure a sufficient food
supply. During planting and harvest, women would travel to the fields to talk softly to Mamapacha, sometimes pouring a thank-offering
of cornmeal on her surface. Text from Patricia Monaghan's The
New Book of Goddesses and Heroines
>>learn about Chinese dragon Goddess
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| Pacha Mama shrine |
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| Mama Paccha being honoured |
In Inca mythology, Mama Pacha or Pachamama was a dragoness fertility goddess who presided over planting and
harvesting. She caused earthquakes. Her husband was either Pacha Camac or Inti, depending on the source. Llamas
were sacrificed to her. Catholic conquest replaced her image with Virgin Mary with which she is identified in some parts
of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
Pachamama is usually translated as "Mother Earth" (in Aymara mama = mother / pacha = earth),
Pachamama and Inti are always seen as the most benevolent deities and is usual to see people still worshiping these gods among
some parts of the Andean mountain ranges, such as Tahuantinsuyu.
Since Pachamama is seen as a "good mother", people usually roast
to her honor before every meeting or festivity. This roast is called "challa" and its made almost everyday. Pachamama has
a special worship day called "Martes de challa" (Challa's Tuesday) where people bury food, throw candies, burn incense. In
some cases, celebrants assist to traditional priests called "yatiris" in ancient rites to bring good luck or the good will
of the goddess, such as sacrificing guinea pigs or burning llama fetuses (although these last two are no longer very common).
The festival is after carnival and one day before the Catholic "miercoles de ceniza" (Ash Wednesday). text
from Wikipedia
| receding glacier of Pachamama's mountain |
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| ^^ in spirit of the Condor, click here |
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