﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  301 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  had 
  a 
  standard 
  gesture 
  of 
  reverence 
  in 
  addressing 
  any 
  

   divine 
  being 
  or 
  the 
  Emperor. 
  The 
  worshiper 
  stood 
  facing 
  the 
  object 
  

   of 
  his 
  reverence, 
  and 
  bowed 
  low 
  from 
  the 
  hips 
  with 
  his 
  arms 
  stretched 
  

   out 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  him, 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  

   of 
  his 
  head, 
  the 
  hands 
  open 
  and 
  the 
  palms 
  out. 
  Then 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  kis- 
  

   sing 
  noise 
  with 
  his 
  lips 
  (labial 
  click) 
  , 
  brought 
  his 
  hands 
  to 
  his 
  lips 
  and 
  

   kissed 
  the 
  fingertips. 
  As 
  a 
  sign 
  of 
  extra 
  reverence 
  while 
  worshiping 
  

   the 
  Creator, 
  the 
  Sun, 
  or 
  the 
  Thunder, 
  the 
  worshiper 
  held 
  a 
  switch 
  in 
  

   in 
  his 
  hands. 
  The 
  gesture 
  of 
  reverence 
  was 
  called 
  mocha, 
  from 
  which 
  

   the 
  Spaniards 
  made 
  a 
  verb 
  "mochar" 
  which 
  the 
  chroniclers 
  used 
  

   repeatedly 
  to 
  mean 
  "worship 
  Indian 
  fashion." 
  

  

  In 
  passing 
  a 
  spring 
  or 
  crossing 
  a 
  river, 
  travelers 
  stopped 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  

   drink 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  prayed 
  for 
  permission 
  to 
  pass 
  and 
  a 
  safe 
  journey. 
  

  

  When 
  drinking 
  chicha, 
  the 
  Indians 
  dipped 
  their 
  fingers 
  in 
  the 
  liquid 
  

   and 
  spattered 
  it 
  toward 
  the 
  Sun, 
  the 
  Earth, 
  or 
  their 
  fire, 
  with 
  a 
  prayer 
  

   for 
  life, 
  peace, 
  and 
  contentment. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  set 
  form 
  of 
  words 
  for 
  

   an 
  oath, 
  but 
  a 
  man 
  might 
  grasp 
  a 
  handful 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  look 
  toward 
  the 
  

   Sun, 
  as 
  if 
  taking 
  pacamama 
  and 
  inti 
  as 
  his 
  witnesses 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  23). 
  

  

  Another 
  important 
  ceremonial 
  act 
  was 
  fasting, 
  which 
  assumed 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  forms. 
  The 
  lightest 
  fast 
  consisted 
  in 
  abstaining 
  from 
  salt 
  

   and 
  chili 
  pepper; 
  a 
  more 
  serious 
  form 
  prohibited 
  taking 
  meat 
  and 
  

   chicha, 
  and 
  indulging 
  in 
  sex 
  relations. 
  In 
  another 
  fast, 
  only 
  cooked 
  

   maize, 
  herbs, 
  and 
  cloudy 
  chicha 
  were 
  consumed 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  24; 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  135-36, 
  169). 
  

  

  Prayers. 
  — 
  The 
  Inca 
  prayed 
  both 
  silently 
  and 
  aloud, 
  and 
  usually 
  

   made 
  up 
  their 
  own 
  prayers 
  to 
  fit 
  the 
  occasion. 
  They 
  also 
  asked 
  the 
  

   priests 
  or 
  their 
  friends 
  to 
  pray 
  for 
  them 
  when 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  prayer 
  

   was 
  sufficiently 
  important. 
  It 
  was 
  customary 
  to 
  preface 
  any 
  prayer 
  

   to 
  a 
  huaca 
  with 
  one 
  to 
  Viracocha. 
  Cobo 
  (1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  21) 
  

   gives 
  a 
  sample 
  prayer, 
  such 
  as 
  a 
  farmer 
  might 
  address 
  to 
  the 
  spring 
  

   which 
  supplied 
  his 
  land 
  with 
  water: 
  

  

  To 
  thee, 
  Lord, 
  who 
  nourishest 
  all 
  things 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  wast 
  pleased 
  to 
  

   nourish 
  me 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  this 
  spring 
  for 
  my 
  support, 
  I 
  pray 
  that 
  thou 
  wilt 
  

   not 
  permit 
  it 
  to 
  dry 
  up, 
  but 
  rather 
  make 
  it 
  flow 
  forth 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  done 
  in 
  other 
  

   years, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  harvest 
  the 
  crop 
  we 
  have 
  sown. 
  

  

  O 
  fountain 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  for 
  so 
  many 
  years 
  has 
  watered 
  my 
  field, 
  through 
  

   which 
  blessing 
  I 
  gather 
  my 
  food, 
  do 
  thou 
  the 
  same 
  this 
  year 
  and 
  even 
  give 
  more 
  

   water, 
  that 
  the 
  harvest 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  prayer 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  an 
  offering. 
  

  

  The 
  prayers 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  public 
  ceremonials 
  were 
  traditional, 
  and 
  

   did 
  not 
  vary. 
  Many 
  have 
  been 
  preserved 
  by 
  Molina 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  

   Quechua 
  (Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913), 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  English 
  translations 
  are 
  

   given 
  by 
  Means 
  (1931, 
  pp. 
  437-39). 
  The 
  authorship 
  of 
  such 
  prayers 
  

   was 
  traditionally 
  assigned 
  to 
  Inca 
  Pachacuti, 
  as 
  the 
  Psalms 
  are 
  assigned 
  

  

  