Pachamama: know all the information about the history of Mother Earth!

Mother Earth is the popular name of Pachamama, the most important deity worshiped in the Andes Mountains region. As she embodies the mother’s own nature and universal archetype, she protects those under her watch, providing food and good harvests, in addition to the gift of life itself.

In this article, we will show its meaning, its history, as well as its relationship with political and philosophical movements such as ‘Buen Vivir’ or good living in Portuguese. We will also show that his cult is spreading around the world, especially due to the New Age Cult.

In addition, you will have access to their ceremonies and sacred dates, learning what to offer to ask for their graces, as well as their importance to Andean cultures and their relationship in syncretism with Christianity.

Pachamama is the name given to the Andean peoples for the goddess who represents Mother Earth. She is a fertility goddess who rules over the crops and harvest, embodies the mountains, and is capable of producing earthquakes. She learns its meaning, history and its celebrations below.

Pachamama is a deity that represents the Earth and nature. Its name originates from the ancient Quechua language and is made up of two words: ‘pacha’ and ‘mama’. The word ‘pacha can be translated as universe, world or earth, whereas mama is simply “mother”. Therefore, Pachamama is considered a mother goddess.

It is closely linked to the cycle of planting and harvesting, being extremely important for Andean cultures.

Although it inhabits nowhere, it can be found in springs, fountains and on altars called apachetas. His spirit shapes the Apus, a cluster of snow-covered mountains. She is responsible for bringing rain, thunder and even drought, to promote balance.

Pachamama originates in the Inca religion many millennia ago. She is the feminine essence of nature, considered by the Incas as the provider of everything from food to water and the phenomena of nature.

She provides and protects her children, making life possible and favoring the fertility of the crop. As the Incas had contact with other cultures in the region, their cult received religious influence from other cultures that were then incorporated by them.

According to their myths, Pachamama is the mother of Inti, the sun god, and Mama Killa, the moon goddess. Pachamama and Inti are worshiped as benevolent entities in the area called Tawantinsuyu, located in the Andes mountain range.

The image of Pachamama is usually envisioned by artists as an adult woman who carries the fruits of her harvest with her. In its modern representations, it is possible to see potatoes, coca leaves and the four cosmological principles of Quechua mythology: water, Earth, Sun and Moon – all these symbols originated from the goddess herself.

From an archaeological point of view, there are no images representing Pachamama. This is not surprising, as the goddess is visited like nature itself whose body shapes the Andes mountain ranges. Since she is seen and felt as nature itself, there are no historical statues of her.

Pachamama energy is directly related to seasonal cycles and Andean agriculture. Since the economy of the native peoples of the Andes is predominantly based on their wealth cultivated in their fields, Pachamama is an extremely important deity for these peoples, since it is related to the success of the cycles of planting and harvesting.

Many of the peoples of South American countries, as is the case of Bolivia, have a population contingent predominantly with indigenous ancestry. Therefore, the cult of this goddess is part of their customs and beliefs even in today’s society.

Currently, the cult of Pachamama goes beyond the South American environment. With ecological movements and the search for ancestry, this mother goddess has been worshiped in countries in North America and Europe.

In addition, the religion centered on the cult of Pachamama is also practiced in parallel with Christianity, so that there is an intense religious syncretism, similar to what happened in Brazil with religions of African origin.

In Peru, for example, the Pachamama cult finds a home even in predominantly Catholic environments, incorporating part of Christian symbols and liturgy. In these environments where there is an encounter between Christians and pachamamistas, it is common to associate this goddess with the Virgin Mary, commonly worshiped due to her intervening maternal aspect.

From the little that is known about ancient Pachamama celebrations, there are reliquaries built from pierced stones or the trunk of legendary trees. There are reports that their cults involved the sacrifice of fetuses of llamas, guinea pigs and even children in the so-called Capacocha Ritual.

Their rituals also involved burning miniature representations of the goddess and traditional clothing. Although these celebrations sound frightening, they were common in all common religious cults in Europe, Africa and Asia.

In addition, it is not known for sure whether these celebrations were held in this way, since much of what has survived was reported by the colonizers.

Currently, the main modern celebration of Pachamama takes place on its day, the 1st of August. Throughout the Andes Mountains, it is common to offer a toast to the Pachamama before casual gatherings or celebrations.

In some regions, it is common to make a libation ritual called a ‘challaco’ daily. In this ritual, they pour a little chicha, a fermented drink typical of the indigenous peoples of South America, over the earth, so that Pachamama can drink it.

In addition, Pachamama is celebrated on the Tuesday that coincides with Carnival Tuesday and is called “Martes de Challa”. On this day, people bury food, sweets and burn incense to give thanks for the gifts of the harvest.

Offerings that are left for Pachamama include coca leaves, chicha, alcoholic beverages such as wine, as well as sweets and cigarettes. These items are left on the ground or buried for the goddess to receive.

It is also very common, on the 1st of August, to bury a pot of cooked food in a place close to the house. Generally, this food is “tijtincha”, made mainly from fava beans and maize flour, which is left in a lake or stream along with other offerings to the goddess.

Buen Vivir, well living in Portuguese, is a philosophy that contains part of the cosmovision of the native peoples of South America. It advocates a way of living in balance with nature and is supported by four dimensions: 1) subjective and spiritual, 2) communitarian, 3) ecological and 4) cosmic. Continue reading to find out more.

Buen Viver has a holistic characteristic and that is why it is also based on a subjective and spiritual dimension. This dimension is based on Andean spirituality, which provides for an ethical and more balanced relationship with life in its social spheres.

It brings with it the importance of indigenous cosmovisions and their beliefs to combat extractivism and environmental degradation that end up generating the global ecological crisis. In this context, Pachamama is inserted since her cult brings with it the message of spirituality, taking into account the subjectivity of its practitioners and their indigenous cultures.

Buen Viver is also based on the community and therefore takes on a community dimension. It presupposes a set of practices that involve the community to free it from the bonds of colonization that massacred the original peoples of the Americas.

In addition, based on the community dimension of this philosophy, constant debate is necessary to decide on the actions to be carried out, so that they dialogue with the needs of communities and their social organizations, as well as relating them to Pachamama.

In the ecological dimension of Buen Vivir, the rights of nature are recognized, equating it with Pachamama itself. In this perspective, nature is not seen as an object to be explored, as is the widespread assumption in many western nations.

Thus, Nature becomes respected as a living entity, since it has its own cycles, structures and functions. Therefore, it should not be considered only as a source of raw material to strengthen the economy.

It needs, in fact, to be decolonized, and to be conserved in order to keep itself alive and as a means of resistance to the current ecological crisis.

Buen Viver is also based on the diverse cosmologies of the different peoples that inhabit the Andes, thus assuming a cosmic dimension. Buen vive fosters relationships with the peoples and worlds of the gods and spirituality.

This dimension promotes harmonious interaction between people, nature, the gods and the laws that permeate these spheres. From it, it is possible to align with the cosmos, establishing the order between the celestial and terrestrial elements that are determined by the cosmic order.

Pachamama’s popularity has increased over the years. The ecological crisis and the world production model have required people to have a new way of looking at nature and spirituality in order to improve their lives. As we will show, it has impact on New Age Cult and political representation.

The New Age Cult has incorporated the cult of Pachamama since the end of the 20th century. These beliefs were rooted primarily in the daily lives of peoples of Andean origin with European and multiethnic ancestry.

As part of this cult, its followers usually practice a weekly ritual on Sundays, with prayers and invocations to Pachamama in Quechua and Spanish.

The New Age movement also encouraged the exploration of religious tourism in the Andean region, attracting tourists to rituals and experiences of immersion in temples and Andean communities that preserve the cult of this ancestral goddess.

Machu Picchu and Cusco are some of the places in Peru that give tourists the chance to participate in a ritual with offerings to Pachamama.

Pachamama has been used as a form of political resistance to assert the values ​​and beliefs of native South American peoples. Its importance is such that its belief is recorded in the Bolivian and Ecuadorian constitutions, in addition to appearing in a…