Draft:Illapa

Illapa (also known as: Apu Illapa, Ilyapa, Chuquiylla, Catuilla, Intillapa or Libiac) is the god of lightning, thunder, lightning, rain and war in Inca mythology. The lightning was generally revered as a deity of supreme hierarchy within the entire Andean area; therefore, it received different names: Yana Raman or Libiac, of the Yaros or Llacuaces; Pariacaca, of the Yauyos; Apocatequil, of the Cajamarca; Tumayricapac, of the Yaros of Chinchaycocha; Pusikaqcha, of the southern highlands; among others. During the expansion of the Tahuantinsuyo, these divinities would become regional variants of the god Illapa.

Illapa was strongly linked to agriculture, since the ideal climate for fruitful harvests and crops depended on it.

As the god of war, Illapa also played a primordial role in war contexts. Illapa was the main protective numen of the Inca military campaigns during the expansion of the Tawantinsuyu.

Due to his powers as god of weather and god of war, Illapa was venerated to such an extent that he was considered the third most important god in the Inca pantheon. He was only surpassed by Huiracocha and Inti.

Etymology

The name of the god comes from the Quechua language and literally means lightning.

Later, during the time of the conquest, the indigenous settlers likened the characteristics of the celestial fire to the capacity of the firearms carried by the Spanish conquerors (arquebuses and muskets). As a result, these weapons and artillery in general were known as Illapas or Yllapas.

In the Vocabulary of Quechua language written by Diego Gonzales Holguín, the term Yllappa appears as: lightning, arquebus and artillery.

History

Santiago Apostle, Christianized (or syncretistic) version of the god Illapa.

Illapa as an outgrowth of earlier traditions

Illapa is the Inca deity of lightning, thunder and lightning, the rain and war. In the pre-Inca Andes, there were numerous gods associated with atmospheric phenomena. Later, these gods would be officialized within the Inca pantheon under the figure of the god Illapa.

In this regard, Father Arriaga states the following:

«To worship Líbiac, who is the thunderbolt, is very common in the highlands; and thus many take the name and surname of Líbiac, or Hillapa, which is the same.»

— La extirpación de la idolatría en el Perú, Capítulo II, p. 19

The lightning cult was universal in the Andes and, in general, it was considered the creator and/or main god of numerous ethnic groups. These ethnic groups worshipped it under multiple names such as: Catequil, Pariacaca, Libiac, Tumayricapac, Pusikaqcha, etc.

However, as a result of the expansion of the Tahuantinsuyo, the new dominators imposed their patron god, Inti (Sun), as their maximum deity. For that reason, the chronicles of Cusco refer to Illapa as a divinity that occupied the third place in importance after Huiracocha (the creator) and Inti (Sun), which shows the vision of the Incas as superior in relation to the conquered, who had as supreme god and even as ancestor to the Lightning.

Syncretism of Illapa under the figure of Santiago Apostle

At the end of the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors likened Illapa to the figure of Santiago Apostle. The figure of the saint appeared in the sky and was producing thunder with the gallop of his horse.

In this regard, Guamán Poma de Ayala writes:

«They say that they saw in plain sight that the Lord Santiago came down with a very great thunder, like lightning. It fell from the sky to the fortress of the Inca (called Sacsayhuaman, which is the Inca's pucara), above San Cristobal. When it fell on the ground, the Indians were frightened and said that Illapa, thunder and lightning from the sky, Caccha, of the Christians, favor of Christians, had fallen. And the Lord Santiago came down to defend the Christians [...] Since then the Indians call the lightning and call him Santiago because the saint fell to earth as lightning, Illapa Santiago. As the Christians shouted 'Santiago!', the unbelieving Indians heard it and saw the saint fall to earth like lightning. Thus, the Indians are eyewitnesses of the Lord Santiago and this feast of the Lord Santiago should be kept as Easter, because the miracle of God and the Lord Santiago was won.»

— Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, Capítulo 19, p. 407

This kind of religious syncretism also occurred with other Inca gods. An example of this is the god Pachacámac, who was known as "The Lord of the Earthquakes". The Spanish conquerors assimilated the figure of the telluric god with the Christ of Pachacamilla.

Relationship between Illapa and arquebuses

Contemplating the potential of the Spanish conquistadors' firearms, the Andean settlers equated these weapons with lightning.

During the process of conquering the Inca empire, the indigenous people likened the arquebuses carried by the Spanish conquerors to the atmospheric god. The root of this comparison lies mainly in these factors: like lightning, the arquebus has the capacity to kill people; the sound produced by thunder and the arquebus are unmistakably similar; and the spark generated by the flash of the arquebus resembled lightning.

Multiple chroniclers emphasize this comparison. One of them is Juan de Betanzos, who wrote the description of the first Indians who contemplated this weapon.

«(The Spaniards) bring a certain thing that seems to be made of silver and hollow, and they put inside it something like ash and set fire to it through a small hole underneath it, and as (when) they set this fire, a great flame comes out of the hole of this silver thing and then it gives a thunder that seems like the thunder of heaven and almost resembles it. When I saw and heard him, I was really very afraid the first time, and when I saw him do that all the time, I was no longer afraid, because I saw that the thunder of heaven kills people, and these, which they brought, do not kill anyone, but only frighten.»

— Suma y narración de los Incas, Parte II, Capítulo XX

In a more explicit way, Titu Cusi Yupanqui left traslucir the designation of the arquebus under the name of the lightning by the Andean settlers. In his Instruction to Licenciado Don Lope García de Castro, the monarch states the following information:

«Also because they had Yllapas, the name we have for thunder, and they said this for the arquebuses because they thought they were thunder from heaven.»

— Instrucción al Licenciado Don Lope García de Castro

Illapa was represented as a powerful and imposing man with shining robes who carried a golden maqana and a warak'a. These divine weapons symbolized his absolute power over the weather and his power as a warrior god. These divine weapons symbolized his absolute power over the climate and his power as the war god of the empire.

According to the chronicler Bernabé Cobo, another representation that the Incas gave to Illapa was that of a warrior formed by stars in the celestial world. In his work Historias del Nuevo Mundo: obras del padre Bernabé Cobo, he mentions the following:

«They imagined that it was a man who was in the sky formed of stars with a mace in his left hand and a sling in his right hand, dressed in shining clothes, which gave that gleam of lightning when he turned to throw the sling; and that the bursting of it caused the thunder, which he gave when he wanted the water to fall. They said more, that through the middle of the sky crossed a very great river, which they pointed out to be that white ribbon that we see from here below, called the Milky Way; about which they pretended a world of nonsense that would be long to tell. From this river, then, they believed it took the water that poured over the earth..»

— Historias del Nuevo Mundo: obras del padre Bernabé Cobo, Vol. II.

Like other gods, Illapa could manifest in the form of various elements. Generally, Illapa manifested himself in the earthly world in the form of a puma. or hawk; since these animals dwelled high up in the mountains. According to the belief of the villagers, Illapa used to live in the highest mountains.

The trinity of lightning

It is possible that the Andean trinity of lightning is the personification of its three aspects: lightning, thunder and relampago.

According to some sources, the god Illapa, like other Andean gods of lightning, is part of a deific trinity.

Similar trinities can be found in the god Yana Raman (trinity composed of: Ñamoc, the father of lightning; Yana Raman, the lightning; and Uchu Libiac, the son of lightning) and the god Catequil (trinity composed of: Piguerao, brother of Catequil; Catequil, the lightning god of the Cajamarca; and Mamacatequil or Cautaguan, his mother).

In the case of Illapa, his deifying trinity is composed of the following deities: Yayan Yllapa, the father; Chaupi Churin Yllapa, his middle son; and Sullca Churin Yllapa, his youngest son.

The concept of Illapa as a triune personality was detailed by the famous chronicler Guamán Poma de Ayala. In his work Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, he testifies the following:

«The ancient Indians had knowledge that there was only one God, three persons, of this they said thus: that the father was just, yayan runa muchochic, the charitable son, churin runa cuyapayac, the youngest son who gave and increased health and gave food, and sent water from Heaven to give us food and sustenance, sulca churin causayuc micoy coc runap allin ninpac; the first they called Yayan Yllapa, the second Chaupi Churin Yllapa, the fourth [sic] they called Sullca Churin Yllapa, that these said three persons were, and they believed that in Heaven he was so great a majesty and lord of Heaven and Earth, and so they called him Yllapa. And then for this reason the Ingas sacrificed to the Ray and feared him very much; first they did not sacrifice to him but called to voices looking to Heaven all the Indians of this kingdom.»

— Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, Capítulo 5, p. 55 y 56

According to the previous text, Guamán Poma asserts that lightning was revered as the absolute god of multiple Andean peoples preceding the Incas. In the same way, the chronicler highlights the atmospheric god as all-powerful and possessing some god-like characteristics; however, it is necessary to emphasize Guamán Poma's mistake in testifying about the celestial trinity and mentioning the existence of a fourth deity, completely disregarding the third one. Regarding this, it is not known for sure if it was a mistake or a wink of religious syncretism on the part of the chronicler. As a result of this, several researchers concluded that these trinities were possibly created to try to homologate them with the Christian trinity.

Characteristics of his cult

Illapa was one of the most privileged gods in the Tahuantinsuyo. The cult to this divinity has remained perennial even in times after the Incanate. As a result, several chroniclers and extirpators of idolatry have exposed in their corresponding works some characteristics of the cult to the celestial god.

Sacrifices

As one of the most prominent and/or privileged deities of the Incan Empire, Illapa was consecrated with countless offerings. Generally, these were animal sacrifices; however, in periods of great need, human offerings were made. In this regard, many chroniclers have written in detail in their works about these sacrifices.="Escudero">María del Carmen García Escudero (2010). "Cosmovisión Inca: nuevos enfoques y viejos problemas". doi:10.14201/gredos.76467. Retrieved 21 April 2024.</ref> As an example, we have the historian Martín de Murúa, who explains in detail how llamas (mistakenly called rams or cattle) were sacrificed for the main gods of the Incas: Huiracocha, Inti and Illapa.

«When he had to sacrifice, he would go up to the altar of sacrifice, and the Ynga would put the victim in his hands, according to the quality and luck of the victim, as we have already said, and he, with his ministers, keeping the order they used to keep, would take out the heart of what he had to offer, and show it to the Sun, to the image of Ticci Viracocha or Thunder. With two or three fingers he would take the blood and sprinkle the idol, and then towards the part of the birth of the Sun, and in this way he would go about sprinkling the other idols, which were on their altars. They also kept this way in the sacrifice, and it was that, whatever cattle, small or big that they wanted to kill for victim, they took it on the right arm, and they turned their eyes towards the image of the Sun or towards the birth of the Sun, saying different words, according to what they sacrificed, if it was painted, they addressed the words to the Thunder, called Chuquilla, so that they would not lack water and, if it was brown, they addressed the words to Viracocha and, if the ram was white and satin, they offered it to the Sun with some words and, if it was white and woolly, with others, asking it to illuminate the world and raise the plants. Every day in Cuzco a white ram was sacrificed to the Sun, and they burned it dressed in a red shirt and, at the time of burning it, they threw into the fire some baskets of coca. For these sacrifices there were deputized people, who did not understand anything else.»

— Historia general del Perú, Capítulo XXXI

The assembly of the gods

Coya Raymi Quilla, month where a great feast is held in honor of the Coya (wife of the Inca) and Mama Quilla (main female divinity). Within this date, the feast of the Citua was held.

Within the Inca calendar, many festivals with a deep religious meaning were organized. In general, these festivals were dedicated to the powerful divinities so that, seeing how they received worthy veneration, they would grant divine favor to the empire.

One of these festivals was the situwa, which was considered a purification ceremony. Although more than the latter, it was an assembly of the gods.

This same ceremony was carried out with the purpose of eradicating the hucha (Andean concept that the evangelizers and/or extirpators of idolatry equated with sin) present throughout the empire.

Within the pre-Hispanic Inca world, hucha ("sin") was not recognized in the types of "immoral" thinking, especially those of a sexual nature, that so concerned the Catholic clergy. On the contrary, the Incas thought that hucha alluded to acts of discord and social disharmony, to a person's inability to comply with ritual observances (or poor compliance), to the subversion of the common good, and even to the act of working for oneself rather than for the benefit of the community. Acts of hucha were problematic because they manifested an inability to recognize and fulfill the obligations of reciprocity expected of the individual to the community, the state authorities (both local lords and the Inca), and the gods.

Continuing with the feast of the Citua, this ceremony took place in the month of Coya Raymi Quilla (September). This date stood out for being dedicated to the Coya and all the feminine elements. Also, this date coincided with the rainy season and, according to Inca thought, the emergence of the first waters was synonymous with many diseases and / or plagues to come.

To neutralize these adversities, the ceremony of the Citua was performed. This event was divided into days and was always performed in the presence of multiple divinities incarnated as idols. Among these divinities were the three main gods of the empire: Huiracocha (the creator), Inti (Sun) and Illapa (Thunder).

The idols of these three gods performed indispensable acts for the realization of the Citua. This ranged from congregating their respective idols inside the Coricancha to later receive substantial offerings, to organizing a communal banquet where 4 idols were seated on their corresponding golden benches: Huiracocha, Inti, Illapa and Huanacaure.

Prayers to Huiracocha, the Sun and Thunder

In addition to offerings and material goods, the Incas recited prayers to their divinities with the utmost respect. As an example, we have the testimony Relación de las fábulas y ritos de los incas, which was written by Cristóbal de Molina. This testimony refers to a series of activities, in addition to a prayer that the priests recited to the three imperial gods. These priests, together with the caciques (curacas) and the Sapa Inca himself, expressed the following imploration: that Huiracocha, the Sun and the Thunder always be in charge of sustaining the people and that there be no discord among the aforementioned deities so that the world would always be in harmony.

They went to Curicancha in the morning, and at noon and at night carrying the rams that were to be sacrificed that day, which they brought around the ydolos and huacas called Punchao Ynca, which was the Sun, and the Pachayachachi, which was another ydolo figure of a man, which means the said devil Maker, and another ydolo called Chuqui Ylla Yllapa, which was the huaca of the Lightning, and Thunder and Lightning, which huaca was in the form of a person, although they did not see his face, moreover he had a gold Ilayto and gold oregeras and gold medal, which they call canipo, and the clothes folded there next to him; the quales huacas estavan put in a seat and the alive rams davan buelta around d'ellos.

The priests said: "O Maker, and Sun and Thunder, be always young, do not get angry; all things be in peace, multiply the people and have food; and all other things be always increasing!"

The same reasons they said to the Maker; and to the Sun they said that he should always be young and that he should come out shining and shining, not knowing him to be the Maker but by the Maker's making; and to the Thunder and Lightning, saying that they should rain so that there might be food, also knowing that it rained thundering and flashing by the Maker's command.

And then in the morning they enbiavan a ram to Guanacauri, which is the main huaca that they have as in the history of the Yncas is said, where they killed him and burned the Tarpuntaes, who were those who were in charge of feeding the huacas. And while they burned him at sunrise in the morning, many Yncas and Caciques went there, and tearing the wool from the ram before they burned him, they went around the sacrifice with the wool in their hands saying: "O Maker, Sun and Thunder, be always young, and multiply the people and be always in peace!»

— Relación de las fábulas y ritos de los Incas, p. 48

The mythical feline

The Andean gods were characterized by being multiform, that is, they could take the form of any element to manifest themselves; however, these entities prioritized certain elements to show themselves to the world. Ostensibly, the Andean atmospheric gods are also included in this last category, since, among the innumerable ways of exhibiting their presence, one of the most outstanding manifestations of this type of gods is under the figure of Qhoa, a chimerical and celestial feline.

Over the course of time, various Andean atmospheric gods have been linked to the feline theophany, the mythical representation of which is the Qhoa. The latter includes Illapa and gods such as: Libiac, Tumayricapac, Kon, Huiracocha, etc.

The feline theophany of the god has been implicitly mentioned in an ancient Carta Annua written in 1599 by Father Rodrigo de Cabredo. This testimony was also compiled by anthropologist Mario Polia Meconi.

In this testimony, it is mentioned how a mestizo confessed to have had an encounter with the demon (Father Rodrigo calls him Supay) in his eagerness to know what he wanted in his particular desire for women. The encounter between the mestizo and the demon (in reality, it was a pagan deity) was through a sorcerer. The latter sent the mestizo to the courtyard of his hut and told him not to feel fear no matter what his eyes witnessed. When the deity manifests itself, the half-breed does not perceive it, but feels a deep dread. Later, the sorcerer confirms to the mestizo that the deity would come to see him. At first, the deity appears as a tiger (puma or jaguar) and later manifests itself in human form. He did the latter because the sorcerer mistakenly called him Santiago (Christianized version of Illapa). The deity then replies that his name is Tunari.

«A mestizo confessed that according to the ancient custom of the Indians, he tried to get from the Demon through a shaman some things he wanted about his extraordinary desires for women, the shaman ordered him to stay in the courtyard of his hut under a tree that was there, telling him that he would hear from the mouth of the same Çupay or Demon what he asked for, so that he would not fear or be disturbed by anything he saw, assuring him that no harm would come to him, The Indian went into his dark room and began to cast his spells and superstitious seremonies, with which he called the Demon, who was ready to listen to the voice of his minister because soon the one who was waiting outside began to hear a great noise like a storm and thunder in the air, and some distance from the place where he was, great towers appeared in sight, The Demon was getting closer and closer to the place where the house was shaking so much that the house in which he was standing shook and shook so much that it seemed as if it wanted to collapse, and the tree that I said on one side and on the other with its branches was hitting the earth, The demon came to stand on top of the chosa, although the mestizo did not see him, as he was full of fear, but he heard his mouth very clearly, first as a Tiger (puma or jaguar) that howled loudly and in this figure the echizero told him that he would see him, then he spoke to him as a man because when the Indian called him the echizero Santiago, the demon answered that his name was not as such but Tunari, which is the name of a place close to the land where this happened.»

It is feasible that, as a result of the chaotic manifestation of Tunari, the sorcerer thought that it was unequivocally the god Illapa; in the same way, it is evident that the cult consecrated to Illapa survived under the figure of the Apostle Santiago and that, when invoked, he metamorphosed into the figure of a mythical feline.

Roles and associations

Agricultural and fertilizing deity

This is one of the most cited facets of Illapa's divine attributions. According to Polo de Ondegardo:

«After Viracocha and the Sun, the third and most venerated Huaca was the Thunder: which they called by three names Chuquiilla, Catu illa, Intuillapa: pretending that it is a man who is in Heaven with a sling and a club, and that it was in his hand to rain, and hail, and thunder and everything else that belongs to the region of the ayre, where the clouds are made.»

— Informaciones acerca de la religión y gobierno de los Incas, Vol. III, p. 6

Like other Andean gods, Illapa was a dual entity that, depending on the circumstances, could be beneficial and/or destructive. Just as she could favor crops by fertilizing the Pachamama (Earth), she could also destroy them. Positive aspects of the divinity could become adverse agents. As an example of this, we have the rain and it is understood as the excess of the celestial liquid triggers floods or the lack of it triggers droughts.

Deity of war

Huayna Capac, in his Pillcoranpa, replicating the warlike power of Illapa.

The ninth Inca, Pachacutec, had established the god Illapa as wawqi (divine brother). As a result of this, the Inca had several idols made in honor of the lightning deity.

Among those idols is one known as Caccha or Cacha. In this regard, the chronicler Juan de Betanzos adds the following information:

«(Pachacuti) made a small idol that a man should carry it in his hands without pain which idol was made of gold for them to worship so that the war would last and they would walk in it, to which idol they worshiped as the God of battles and they called him Cacha, which idol he gave and granted to one of his closest and propinquoi to him so that by means of the war he would be in charge of carrying him on his back or as best he could and that on the day of the war he would be in charge of carrying him on his back or as best he could. which idol gave and made mercy to one of his kinsman the closest and most propinquent to him so that by means of the war he would be in charge of carrying him on his shoulders or as best he could and that the day of the battle when they had anxious battle he would carry him in his hands dressed and adorned and with a tiara on his head, always wearing a diadem on his head, always carrying with him a young man who with a small tirasol, which they call achigua, every time the idol stood up, he was to shade him well, just as he did his person, and that this tirasol and a long stick be used so that he would be known as he walked in battle with the idol. The idol to which idol from the time it was made until the three months that the people had been gathered together were made many and great sacrifices.»

— Suma y narración de los Incas, p. 84

It is worth noting that Caccha is one of the names with which Guamán Poma de Ayala alludes to the deity of lightning, through the compound word Curi Caccha (golden glow).

Regarding the above, Bernabé Cobo offers more explicit information. In his work Historias del Nuevo Mundo: obras del padre Bernabé Cobo, he mentions the following:

«The Thunder also had a separate temple in the neighborhood of Totocacha, in which was a statue of him in gold on a platform of the same, which the Inca Pachakuti made in honor of the Thunder, and called it Intiillapa; whom he took for his brother and while he lived he brought it with him in the war.»

— Historias del Nuevo Mundo: obras del padre Bernabé Cobo, Vol. II.

Among the numerous gods and divinities of Inca mythology, Illapa was the god bearer of two powerful divine weapons: the golden maqana and the warak'a. These weapons, in turn, were divinized variants of the main Inca weapons. These weapons, in turn, were divinized variants of the main Inca weapons.

In the same way, during the wars, the Inca tried to homologate the warlike power of the god Illapa. This was done on a platform carried by a group of people. This platform was known as Pillcoranpa (andas del Inca) and its use was exclusively for war. On it, the Inca made use of his warak'a and propelled fine gold stones as lethal projectiles against his enemies.

Messenger and protector deity

As previously mentioned, the Inca Pachacutec had established the god Illapa as his wawqi (divine brother) and, as a result, the Sapa Inca himself had several idols made in honor of the celestial god. The reasons for this choice are reflected in the work Historia de los Incas (History of the Incas) written by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa. In this source, we can read the following:

«And besides these bodies he made two idols of gold. And the one he called Viracocha Pachayachachi, to represent their creator they say, and place it to the right of the idol of the Sun. And the other he called Chuqui-Ylla, to represent the Lightning; and place it on the left side of the Sun's bundle; to which idol they venerated most of all. Which idol Inca Yupanqui took for a Huauqui idol, because he said that they had met and talked in an uninhabited place and that he had given him a snake with two heads, so that he would always carry it with him, saying that as long as he carried it, nothing sinister would happen to him in his business.»

— Historia de los Incas, Capítulo 192

According to the text, the god Chuqui-Ylla (alternate name of Illapa) appeared before the Inca Pachacutec in an open place to give him an idol of peculiar aspect: a two-headed serpent. Regarding the nature of the idol, the text only limits itself in establishing this object as a sort of amulet and/or protective talisman for the Inca.

It is worth mentioning that the appearance of the idol is similar to Kuychi (the rainbow). According to the source Historia natural y moral de las Indias belonging to the Jesuit José de Acosta, the Incas worshipped the multicolored phenomenon and took it as the insignia of the ruler himself. This leaves the idol as the material representation of the rainbow and, possibly, this is the reason why the Inca designated it as a coat of arms and represented it as a two-headed serpent.

«They also worshipped the Earth, which they called Pachamama, as the ancients celebrated the goddess Tellus; and the Sea, which they called Mamacocha, as the ancients did Thetis or Neptune. They also worshipped the Arch of Heaven, and it was the arms or insignia of the Inga with two snakes on the sides at the long side.»

— Historia natural y moral de las Indias, Capítulo IV

Deity associated with the deceased Inca

According to translations by Cristóbal de Albornoz, the term Illapa was used as a synonym for the mallquis (mummified bodies) of Inca rulers and/or principal ancestors. In his report Instrucción para descubrir todas las guacas del Pirú y sus camayos y haziendas, the famous extirpator of idolatries writes:

«There are other types of guacas that are called Illapas, which are embalmed dead bodies of some of their principal ancestors, to which they reverence and mochan. This is not general mocha but particular to the partiality or ayllo that descends from such dead. They keep them with much care between walls to them their clothes and some basos that had(n) of gold and silver and wood or of other metals or stones.»

— Instrucción para descubrir todas las guacas del Pirú y sus camayos y haziendas, p. 19

In this connection, this association between the lightning deity and the body of the deceased ruler is also documented in the work Nueva corónica y buen gobierno by Guamán Poma de Ayala. In this work, the chronicler writes:

«How the Inga was buried and abalzamaron (embalmed) without shaking his body, and they put his eyes and face as if he were alive, and they dressed him in rich vestments, and they called the deceased Yllapa, and all the rest of the deceased were called Aya.»

— Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, Capítulo 13, p. 290

The chronicler establishes a notable difference between the designation Yllapa (lifeless body of the Sapa Inca) and Aya (lifeless body of a common person). To the main leaders and/or illustrious personages this special embalming was dedicated to them; being dressed with lucid clothes as if it was the same Illapa.

The mummies of the rulers and/or main rulers acquire the name of the god and, therefore, also obtain the power to influence the climate. The latter is reflected in the month of Aya Marcay Quilla (November). This date was characterized by the solemn honoring of the deceased. During this period, the mummies were taken out of their enclosures and carried in procession through the streets, houses and the main square. Likewise, they were offered food and dances to help them bring the precious celestial liquid.

This association is present within the Andean cosmovision and can be understood as the living ruler embodies the almighty force of the Sun, while his dead body embodies the almighty force of the climate.

Deity associated with births

The god Illapa has also been linked to newborns. In the Andean cosmovision, twin children were considered his children, since it was thought that the lightning would have struck the mother, causing the embryo to split in two.

Twins were not the only "children of Lightning", the same appellative was also given to those born with some malformation such as: cleft lip, polydactyly, chapca (children born standing up), children with moles or spots, sunken nose, etc. Likewise, children born during a stormy day also received such recognition.

In the event that twins and children with genetic malformation managed to survive, they were destined to be the ministers of the deity. Those who served as ministers were known as Curis or Chuchus. On the other hand, if those infants died, their bodies were deposited inside pots. Said pots were stored by the infant's relatives under the houses or were reserved inside the same place where the mallquis of the town were kept and there they were revered with chicha, guinea pigs and other offerings.

The cause of death of these infants was attributed to their father, the lightning; in this way, at the moment of death, the fact that their father had taken them with him was allegorized. In order to neutralize the death caused by the lightning, those people should always carry with them a sea shell called mullu (spondylus crassisquama). This object was considered a primordial offering consecrated to the gods associated with atmospheric phenomena and, in this case, it played the role of immunizing the bearer against the action of lightning.

Deity transmitter of knowledge

As mentioned above, the so-called "children of the Lightning" could be either twin children or those who were conceived under specific conditions, i.e., having certain physical traits or born during the presence of a storm.

However, lightning could also choose people by striking them. The latter highlights the Andean perception of lightning as an all-powerful and dual being that can decide on the destiny of the chosen people: lightning can annihilate them or it can reanimate them to grant them different divine qualities.

When a person was struck by lightning, there may be the possibility that, by the will of the celestial god, he or she survived the impact of the celestial fire. This person was considered "touched" and/or "marked" by Illapa and worthy of holding multiple offices.

According to Andean thought, this event is interpreted as the transmission of knowledge offered by Illapa (Hanan Pacha) to the chosen individual (Kay Pacha). The chosen person is the recipient of the divine message and, therefore, the recipient of the power of the celestial god. Those chosen by the ray are those who have the most direct contact with the gods.

The recipients of this power have the responsibility to exercise the following positions: religious ministers, master healers, midwives, fortune tellers, etc.

Illapa according to chroniclers

Diagram of Santacruz Pachacuti. The ray can be read as: Chuqui Illa or Illapa.

According to multiple chroniclers, numerous data have been compiled that show fundamental details about the cult consecrated to Illapa. Many of them highlight the importance and prestige of the god of lightning.

According to Fray José de Acosta, the Inca pantheon was headed by Huiracocha (the creator), followed by Inti (Sun) and in third place Illapa, also known as: Chuquiylla, Catuilla and Intillapa. The Indians represented him as an imposing man with shining clothes who lived in the celestial world. Illapa also carried a warak'a and a golden maqana. These divine weapons symbolized his absolute dominion over the weather (especially lightning and its other elements) and his power as a war god within the Tahuantinsuyo.

Santacruz Pachacuti highlighted the importance of the god Illapa (in the form of a double zigzag) within a diagram made freehand by the same chronicler. This diagram replicated the information obtained from a golden plate that was located in the Coricancha. This golden plate showed a summary of the Inca cosmovision.

Despite the agreement among several chroniclers regarding the god, the chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega in his Comentarios Reales pointed out that the Incas had Illapa as the envoy of the god Inti, and the place where he fell was taken as cursed (anathema):

«They considered lightning, thunder and lightning as servants of the Sun [...] but they did not consider them as gods, as some of the Spanish historians want, but they abhorred and abominate the house or any other place in the field where lightning strikes: The door of the house they closed with stone and mud so that no one would ever enter it, and the place of the field they marked with boundary stones so that no one would tread on it; they considered those places as cursed, unfortunate and cursed; they said that the Sun had marked them as such with his servant the lightning.»

— Comentarios Reales de los Incas, Libro Segundo, Capítulo I

Likewise, of all the chroniclers, Garcilaso is the only one who denies the place of Illapa as a god. In this regard, some researchers have concluded that Garcilaso possibly tried to show that, within the Tahuantinsuyo, there was a kind of monotheism around the Sun. This is due to the need to justify absolute power on the part of the Inca elite and to reduce the persistence of beliefs that they did not wish to assimilate as foreign to their own cultural elements as the dominant elite.

Places of veneration

Iglesia de San Blas (Cusco).

Illapa was one of the most privileged gods in the Tahuantinsuyo. His importance is reflected in the altarpiece of the main temple of Coricancha, described by the chronicler Santacruz Pachacuti, with an image of a double zigzag.

Likewise, Illapa was consecrated to the construction of several temples, either entirely dedicated to him or to other deities and worshiped together with them.

The current Church of San Blas, located in the historic center of the city of Cusco, Peru, was built over a temple dedicated to the cult of the god Illapa. During the Inca period, the area where the church was built was known as Toqokachi (from the Quechua: hollow with salt). This same place was ordered to be built by the Inca Pachacutec.

It is believed that Sacsayhuaman was used both as a military fortress and as a ceremonial temple, dedicated to various divinities including Illapa.

According to the chronicler Cristóbal de Molina, Illapa had a temple in a place known as Pucamarca.

The chronicler Guamán Poma de Ayala mentions a section of the city of Cusco with the name of Yllapa Cancha (the enclosure of the lightning). Possibly, the chronicler was referring to one of the places of veneration to the god of lightning that were described above.

See also

• Apocatequil
• Andean Civilizations
• Sky deity
• Deities
• Staff God
• Creator God
• Weather God
• List of Thunder Gods
• Pre-Inca period
• Indra
• Inti
• Inca Mythology
• Paryaqaqa
• Pusikaqcha
• Qhoa o Chuqui Chinchay
• Religion in the Inca Empire
• Susanoo
• Tumayricapac
• Wiraqucha
• Yana Raman