Viracocha’s Vulcanism: The Cultural Biography of a Volcano

Summary

The paper uses archaeological, historical, ethnographic and geological approaches in an investigation of a small volcano in the department of Cuzco, Peru. Kinsich’ata erupted around 10,000 years ago, but its presence in the landscape is attributed to the animating deity Viracocha in an origin myth that ties Kinsich’ata into a wider narrative cycle locating the social order within the experienced landscape. Kinsich’ata’s eruption disrupted the landscape, altering the path of the river Vilcanota and the agricultural potential of the area, and creating a distinctive landscape feature and cultural resource. Archaeological evidence suggests that the volcano was a focus of activity from the Formative, subsequently both the Wari and the Inca constructed major ritual canters here, and Kinsich’ata is an Apu (mountain deity) for those living in the area today. The volcanic rubble has provided a location and material for domestic and state construction, including an Inca ‘temple’ dedicated to Viracocha and artificial lake that were the focus of ritual procession and pilgrimage. This consider the relationship between mobility and fixed landscape features as pilgrimage, the composition of ritual offerings, and the transport of materials is used by Andean people to conceptually integrate and engage with animate places.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Powerful Places in the Ancient Andes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage