﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  35 
  

  

  people. 
  The 
  imposing 
  ruins 
  of 
  Chavin 
  and 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  Coast 
  pyramids, 
  were 
  probably 
  built 
  for 
  religious 
  

   purposes, 
  and 
  much 
  time, 
  manpower, 
  and 
  organization 
  were 
  required 
  

   for 
  their 
  construction. 
  Both 
  priests 
  and 
  medicine 
  men 
  were 
  prom- 
  

   inent 
  in 
  religious 
  activities. 
  Early 
  Mochica 
  Period 
  designs 
  show 
  

   medicine 
  men 
  massaging 
  a 
  patient 
  or 
  sucking 
  out 
  disease 
  objects. 
  

   In 
  the 
  same 
  period, 
  priests 
  are 
  represented, 
  presumably 
  as 
  the 
  for- 
  

   malized 
  leaders 
  of 
  religious 
  cults. 
  In 
  Inca 
  times, 
  the 
  priests 
  were 
  well 
  

   organized 
  and 
  prominent 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies. 
  

  

  The 
  elaborately 
  prepared 
  burials 
  imply 
  that 
  ancestor 
  worship 
  was 
  

   an 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  religion 
  at 
  all 
  times. 
  For 
  example, 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  energy 
  of 
  the 
  Early 
  Paracas 
  

   peoples 
  was 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  weaving 
  of 
  cloth 
  for 
  the 
  mummy 
  bundles. 
  

   During 
  Inca 
  ceremonies, 
  the 
  decorated 
  mummies 
  of 
  important 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  were 
  frequently 
  paraded. 
  Several 
  stages 
  of 
  wrapping 
  in 
  a 
  

   Paracas 
  bundle, 
  alternating 
  decorated 
  and 
  plain 
  fabrics, 
  would 
  sug- 
  

   gest 
  that 
  this 
  custom 
  was 
  old. 
  

  

  Anthropomorphized 
  and 
  mythological 
  beings 
  are 
  common 
  in 
  Early 
  

   Period 
  ceramic 
  design. 
  Everywhere, 
  the 
  feline, 
  serpent, 
  and 
  condor 
  

   divinities 
  are 
  prominent. 
  Scenes 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  are 
  also 
  depicted. 
  In 
  

   Inca 
  times, 
  ceremonies 
  were 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  agricultural 
  calendar, 
  

   and 
  presumably 
  this 
  was 
  also 
  true 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  remote 
  past. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  Conquest 
  Period, 
  the 
  major 
  changes 
  in 
  Indian 
  society 
  

   were 
  economic 
  and 
  political 
  rather 
  than 
  religious, 
  in 
  striking 
  contrast 
  

   to 
  Mexico. 
  The 
  pacified 
  Quechua 
  continued 
  their 
  religious 
  practices 
  

   with 
  little 
  interruption, 
  and 
  missionary 
  activity 
  was 
  directed 
  at 
  the 
  

   separatist 
  group. 
  During 
  the 
  Early 
  Colonial 
  Period, 
  however, 
  an 
  

   active 
  campaign 
  to 
  eradicate 
  idolatry 
  was 
  started. 
  The 
  sacred 
  mum- 
  

   mies 
  and 
  idols 
  were 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  the 
  remnants 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  priest 
  

   group 
  were 
  restrained 
  from 
  practicing. 
  The 
  campaign 
  was 
  successful 
  

   to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  by 
  about 
  1650 
  the 
  Church 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  Que- 
  

   chua 
  had 
  accepted 
  Christianity. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  periods, 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   religious 
  beliefs 
  and 
  practices 
  that 
  did 
  not 
  conflict 
  with 
  the 
  Church 
  

   doctrines 
  were 
  tolerated 
  as 
  superstitions. 
  The 
  Indians 
  turned 
  to 
  the 
  

   Church 
  for 
  prestige 
  outlets. 
  

  

  Today, 
  Indian 
  religion 
  is 
  a 
  fusion 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  beliefs 
  and 
  practices 
  

   with 
  the 
  Catholic. 
  Ceremonies 
  which 
  once 
  followed 
  the 
  agricultural 
  

   cycles 
  now 
  merge 
  with 
  the 
  Catholic 
  ceremonial 
  calendar. 
  Small 
  home 
  

   ceremonies 
  are 
  still 
  performed, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  minor 
  magical 
  be- 
  

   liefs 
  and 
  practices 
  is 
  enormous. 
  Sorcerers, 
  diviners, 
  herb 
  specialists, 
  

   and 
  many 
  other 
  categories 
  of 
  medicine 
  men 
  are 
  still 
  popular. 
  

  

  KNOWLEDGE 
  

  

  True 
  writing 
  and 
  a 
  recorded 
  calendar 
  were 
  unknown 
  in 
  the 
  Andean 
  

   region. 
  However, 
  mathematical 
  organization 
  was 
  characteristic 
  of 
  

  

  