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Machu Picchu: Inca cross representing the three realms of the Inca religion

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Inca Cross
Located near the Temple of the Three Windows on the Sacred Plaza in Machu Picchu, Peru, the three-stepped stone known as the Inca Cross represents the three realms of the Inca religion.

Just like in Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, the Inca religion also had the notion of three realms called pachas. These are:

  1. Hanan Pacha: Symbolized by the condor, this is the upper world or heavens. All the Inca gods live in this realm. People who do good deeds go to this realm after death
  2. Kay Pacha: Symbolized by the jaguar or puma, this is the middle world in which living beings experience birth, life, and death. This represents the physical world (i.e., the earth)
  3. Uku Pacha: Symbolized by the snake, this is the lower world or the inner world. Demons live in this realm, and Supay, the god of death, controls this realm and the demons. People who do bad deeds go to this realm after death. This realm roughly translates to hell

Related Pages
Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lima, Peru,
Inca Civilization, Ancient Cultures of Peru

Copyright © 2017 – 2019 by Lawrence Rodrigues. All rights reserved.

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