Inti

Inti America
The Inca sun god. He was looked upon as the ancestor of the Incas, whom he had sent down to earth in order to assist the development of civilization. The identification of Inti with the Inca crown led to the merging of their worship. After the death of Pachacuti Yupanqui Inca, the founder of the empire, his dried body and that of his consort were the centre of an impressive annual rite. Their bodies were removed from a palace tomb, seated on gold-covered biers, and taken to sit in the great temple dedicated to the sun god.

At Machu Picchu still stands the ‘hitching post of the sun’, intihuatana, a ceremonial shadow clock which was used in the observance of Inti's course. Around these large stone pillars would gather priests, wise men, and astrologers so as to ascertain the pattern of cosmic events. But Inti was always regarded as a kind and generous deity, like his wife the moon goddess.

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