{"id":999,"date":"2022-12-27T02:27:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T02:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/?p=999"},"modified":"2022-12-29T23:21:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T23:21:00","slug":"apus-andean-deities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/","title":{"rendered":"Apus: Andean Deities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On your trip to some Andean country, especially <strong>Peru and Machu Picchu<\/strong>, you will hear or read the word \u00abApus\u00bb or \u00abPachamama\u00bb. In Inca belief, APU was the name given to the sacred spirit of a mountain, a highly revered Andean deity. At present, the people of the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Andes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peruvian Andes<\/a><\/span><\/strong> continue to venerate these Inca gods, as entities in charge of agricultural prosperity and the correct distribution of water.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_34 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Summary<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Tabla de contenidos\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1'><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#What_Are_The_Apus\" title=\"What Are The &#8216;Apus&#8217;?\">What Are The &#8216;Apus&#8217;?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#What_Mountains_Were_Considered_Apus\" title=\"What Mountains Were Considered Apus?\">What Mountains Were Considered Apus?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#How_are_the_Apus_venerated_today\" title=\"How are the Apus venerated today?\">How are the Apus venerated today?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#How_were_the_Apus_venerated_in_Inca_times\" title=\"How were the Apus venerated in Inca times?\">How were the Apus venerated in Inca times?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#These_are_the_most_important_Apus_of_the_Incas_in_Cusco\" title=\"These are the most important &#8216;Apus&#8217; of the Incas in Cusco:\">These are the most important &#8216;Apus&#8217; of the Incas in Cusco:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#In_other_regions_of_Peru\" title=\"In other regions of Peru:\">In other regions of Peru:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#In_Chile\" title=\"In Chile:\">In Chile:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#In_Argentina\" title=\"In Argentina:\">In Argentina:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/apus-andean-deities\/#What_Apus_can_be_observed_in_the_visit_to_Machu_Picchu\" title=\"What Apus can be observed in the visit to Machu Picchu?\">What Apus can be observed in the visit to Machu Picchu?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_The_Apus\"><\/span>What Are The &#8216;Apus&#8217;?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>&#8216;Apu&#8217; is a Quechua word meaning \u00absacred spirit\u00bb<\/strong>. The Incas used the term to refer to mountains and snow-capped peaks of great importance.<\/li>\n<li>The \u00abApus\u00bb were protective spirits and watched over the people in their territory, their livestock and their crops.<\/li>\n<li>The \u00abApus\u00bb are deities that can offend and annoy and at the same time punish the beings that are within their domain.<\/li>\n<li>According to the <strong>worldview of the Andean man<\/strong> (before, during and after the Incas), the mountains were divine entities that governed the destiny of human beings.<\/li>\n<li>For the Andean man, each mountain has its own spirit, its own name and its own domain which they protect. Thus, <strong>each region has its own &#8216;Apu&#8217; or protective mountain<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_1005\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/apus-sacred-mountains.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1005\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1005\" src=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/apus-sacred-mountains.jpg\" alt=\"andean-sacred-mountains\" width=\"800\" height=\"583\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Apus and Alpacas<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Mountains_Were_Considered_Apus\"><\/span>What Mountains Were Considered Apus?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>The Andes mountain range occupies the western part of South America<\/strong>, bordering its entire coast in the Pacific Ocean. It has a length of 8,500 kilometers, making it the longest continental mountain range on Earth. From its northern end, in western Venezuela, it crosses Colombia and Ecuador; in the center of South America it crosses Peru and Bolivia; in the south, it serves as a natural border between Chile and Argentina, and has its southern end in Tierra del Fuego.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Only in the Peruvian Andes there are more than 3,000 snow-capped mountains<\/strong> and more than 9,000 non-snow-capped mountains; not all of these mountains were considered Apus. For a mountain to be considered a tutelary spirit, it must possess the following characteristics.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The highest snow-capped mountains in a geographical region: some examples of these would be the snow-capped Aconcagua, the highest in the Andes, and the snow-capped Ausangate, the highest snow-capped peak in Cusco.<\/li>\n<li>Mountains that contain large amounts of minerals, such as Apu Potosi in Bolivia, a mountain that contained large amounts of silver. This mountain was exploited by the Spanish invaders between 1545 and 1625.<\/li>\n<li>Apus were considered, all the mountains that had a water source or hills that for meteorological reasons were natural markers of rainfall in a region. A clear example of this type of deities is the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/how-to-climb-machu-picchu-mountain-in-2022\/\">Machu Picchu mountain<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Finally, Apus were considered, the mountains that had a unique and imposing scenic beauty such as the case of Apu Vinincunca, better known as the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">rainbow mountain<\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_1006\" style=\"width: 809px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ausangate-sacred-mountain.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1006\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1006\" src=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ausangate-sacred-mountain.jpg\" alt=\"apus-sacred-andean-spirits\" width=\"799\" height=\"534\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Apu Ausangate<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_are_the_Apus_venerated_today\"><\/span>How are the Apus venerated today?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Today people in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and northwestern Argentina perform the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/kintu-andean-ceremony\/\">Kintu<\/a><\/span><\/strong>; it refers to a group or bunch of coca leaves selected and used ritually to make an offering or a pukuy (Andean prayer). Offerings with kintus can be directed to nature as thanks and especially to the <strong>spirits of the mountains<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_were_the_Apus_venerated_in_Inca_times\"><\/span>How were the Apus venerated in Inca times?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>The people of the Incanato usually worshiped the &#8216;Apus&#8217; with chicha<\/strong> (corn beer), llama tallow and coca leaves.<\/li>\n<li>Scientific evidence has been found that in times of natural disasters such as: <strong>floods caused by the EL NI\u00d1O phenomenon<\/strong>, droughts, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, the Incas performed human sacrifices. This ceremony called Capacocha was performed to calm the fury of the Apus.<\/li>\n<li>One of the most important discoveries in Peru was the finding of the <strong>&#8216;Juanita Mummy&#8217;<\/strong> (also known as the &#8216;Lady of Ampato&#8217;). The body of this girl was found in 1995 at the top of the snowy Ampato.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_1007\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/juanita-mummy.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1007\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1007\" src=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/juanita-mummy.jpg\" alt=\"Inca-mummy\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1007\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Juanita Mummy<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"These_are_the_most_important_Apus_of_the_Incas_in_Cusco\"><\/span>These are the most important &#8216;Apus&#8217; of the Incas in Cusco:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Ausangate.<\/li>\n<li>Salkantay.<\/li>\n<li>Veronica.<\/li>\n<li>Colque Cruz.<\/li>\n<li>Pitusiray Sawasiray<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_other_regions_of_Peru\"><\/span>In other regions of Peru:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Sara Sara (Ayacucho).<br \/>\nCoropuna (Arequipa).<br \/>\nAmpato (Arequipa).<br \/>\nMisti (Arequipa).<br \/>\nChachani (Arequipa).<br \/>\nHuarancante (Arequipa).<br \/>\nHualca Hualca (Arequipa).<br \/>\nAllincapac (Puno).<br \/>\nCcarhuarazo (Ayacucho).<br \/>\nRasuwillka (Ayacucho).<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_Chile\"><\/span>In Chile:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Paniri (Antofagasta).<br \/>\nLicancabur (Antofagasta).<br \/>\nCopiapo (Atacama).<br \/>\nThe Lead (Santiago de Chile).<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_Argentina\"><\/span>In Argentina:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Chani (Jujuy).<br \/>\nQuehuar (Salta).<br \/>\nAconcagua (Mendoza).<br \/>\nChuscha (Salta).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Apus_can_be_observed_in_the_visit_to_Machu_Picchu\"><\/span>What Apus can be observed in the visit to Machu Picchu?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>Inca citadel of Machu Picchu<\/strong> is surrounded by a sacred landscape, from the point of view of the Inca and Andean worldview. Due to its location it is found inside the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Pachamama<\/span><\/strong> and surrounded in 360 degrees by tutelary Apus. Between them we have:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Apu Machu Picchu.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/how-to-climb-huayna-picchu-in-2022\/\">Apu Huayna Picchu<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Yanantin.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Putukusi.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Wiscachani.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Pumasillo.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Veronica.<\/li>\n<li>Apu Salkantay.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_1008\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/yanantin-mountain.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1008\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1008\" src=\"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/yanantin-mountain.jpg\" alt=\"mountain-in-machupicchu\" width=\"800\" height=\"531\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Yanantin Mountain<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many Andean and spiritual people from all over the world currently make use of the ancestral ceremony of the <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/ikaroayahuascaretreat.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wachuma<\/a><\/span><\/strong> to come into contact with the sacred spirits of the Pachamama and the Apus; two widely respected Andean deities in the Peruvian Andes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On your trip to some Andean country, especially Peru and Machu Picchu, you will hear or read the word \u00abApus\u00bb or \u00abPachamama\u00bb. In Inca belief, APU was the name given to the sacred spirit of a mountain, a highly revered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=999"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1022,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999\/revisions\/1022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/incagoexpeditions.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}