Wak'a

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Wak'a ( Quechua ; mostly written huaca in colonial documents ) is the name of local deities in the Andean culture as well as the place where such a deity is worshiped. They are similar to the Kamuy of the Ainu or the Kami of Japan .

The Wak'a were and still are important gods to this day, but - unlike panandine deities such as Pachamama or Wiraqucha - only have a locally limited meaning, as practically every village community ( Ayllu ) has its own Wak'as . Although the worship of the Wak'a was opposed after the Conquista in the course of Christianization , they are still venerated by the Quechua and Aymara in parts of southern Peru and in Bolivia .

In the Huarochirí manuscript , the term Wak'a is used for mountain deities (e.g. Paryaqaqa and Wallallu Qarwinchu ) who are now called Apu or Wamani in southern Peru and are above the Wak'a in the hierarchy .

literature

  • Jesús de Machaqa: Las voces de los Wak'a. Fuentes principales del poder político aymara . Cedoin / Cipca, La Paz 2000 (in Spanish)
  • John Eddowes Villarán: La huaca . Ed. Horizonte, Lima 1992 (in Spanish)