The Andean/Incan people lived in the vast majority of the Andean Mountain ranges of Peru. They were mainly polytheistic and believed it was a series of gods who were responsible for providing the rain, maize, sun, etc. that was needed for daily survival.

Viracocha was the main and greatest god. He was held solely responsible for the creation of Earth, animals and man. He made men out of stone, replicated them and destroyed them according to his whim. Viracocha was considered he divine protector of the Incan rulers or “Incani’s”.

Inti, the Sun god was the head of the state cult whose worship was mandatory. Every year a special festival called Inti-Raymi was held in Inti’s and the suns honor. Animal sacrifices and ritual dances marked and were often the highlight of the celebration.

Daily prayers were addressed to Apu Illapu, the rain giver, who was responsible for sustaining the Incans food sources. His temples were set high on a mountain so in case there was a flood, the temple would not be destroyed. A flood signified Apu Illapu’s anger and meant a pilgrimage with human sacrifice was necessary to appease him.

Human sacrifice was not widely practices in the Incan religion as opposed to the Aztec religion where human sacrifices were the norm. Both the Incan and the Aztec believed that human sacrifice was a necessity to appease the gods. They felt there was no greater gift than giving your life to a god. Therefore, the sacrificial person as well as the god was honored. Festivals and daily prayers were often marked with dancing, singing and special prayers to the particular god of what they desired. Both fasting and feasting marked super special festivals.

Penitential rituals must be observed if a particular god is displeased. Murder as an act of war was not a punishable offense whereas murder as an act of vengeance was the gravest sin to be committed.

Birth, puberty, marriage and death were all times for special rituals and sacrifices. Therefore, the Andean people’s lives mainly revolved around their religion as, without the gods, they would have nothing.

The Spaniards
The Spanish conquerors and missionaries arrived upon the New World around 1492 but it took a few years for them to get acclimated to the people and area before they started the conversion of the natives. The Spaniards were staunch Christians and mainly Catholics, under the rule of the Spanish Catholic monarchy. Their primary intention upon arrival was to save the barbarous souls of the natives and teach them the ways of Christ.
The Catholic religion at the time of conquest was largely under the rule of the conquering countries monarchy. The Pope, due to distance, some corruption and lack of timely communication was not often consulted on matters of stopping heresy and propagating faith.

Culture change over time
Upon the Spaniards arrival, they found the natives to be “very gentle without even knowing that it is bad to kill others…” “Which is why it will be easy to make good Christians out of them…since they are believers and know that God is in heaven.” (Frost, 121) Little did the Spaniards realize that they would have to learn all about the native’s religion and twist their gods into a more “Christian” form. For example, the missionaries figured out that Viracocha was the “main god” so to speak so it was easy to translate him as “God the Father” in Catholicism. The rest of the native’s pantheon of gods was easily translated as the “communion of saints ” in Catholicism.

The natives did have a hard time believing that only one God was responsible for everything. However, they welcomed the Spaniards into their homeland and were eager to adopt a new religion, as it was their custom to do so. The difficulty lie between the fact that the Spaniards wanted a full conversion, whereas the natives were willing to integrate bits and pieces of the new religion into their existing one. Eventually, the Spaniards realized this was the case and became more lenient to it. They established cofradias, or lay brotherhoods, to minister to the more localized “catholic” religions of the townspeople. It was they who interpreted religion on the daily, local level. The regular clergy or missionaries were well suited for the work with the natives, however the secular clergy (or formal priests) were not up for the challenge. They were easily distracted and did not agree with the syncretism that was occurring. Syncretism refers to the blending of two religions. In this case, syncretism occurred as a result of the translation and often transplantation of gods and rituals from Catholicism to Incan religion. The Spaniards, mostly missionaries, that worked closely with the natives were agreeable with the syncretized faith they had created because it ‘covered the bases” of Christianity without completely destroying the native faith they (the missionaries) had come to appreciate.

Time passed and the Spaniards focus turned from mainly salvation to mainly materialistic gain, and the natives realized this. “In reality, Indians (of the 1700’s) did not feel the need for daily presence in these institutionalized church settings.”(Szeminski, 281) They often sent their chief to represent them at the daily masses and stayed behind to celebrate the ritual of their choice. Eventually, a man named Thupa Amaro arose a sense of Incan Nationalism and called for a rebellion against the Spaniards. He was revered as a prophet and urged the native people to abandon the new ways and return to their traditions. Amaro spoke of social chaos and the end of the world, as they knew it. He revoked everything European including the religion, clothing and customs. The movement, defeated in 1783, was never thoroughly successful however memories of it remain in some of Latin America. It is remembered as a great thrust for the natives to overcome the new ways but never quite made it.

Power plays a large part in the Spaniards and Natives relationship. The Spaniards always had power over the natives, mainly because they were formally educated and knew how to manipulate them. The lack of communication and background knowledge of each other gave the Spaniards the distinct advantage over the natives. The Spaniards had an agenda yet were not largely successful in totally transforming the natives lives and religions. They may have translated a message but it was not the original message of Christianity and salvation that they intended.

Over time, the two groups were better for having known each other and having learned about the other, however, I cant say that they were good for each other due to the vast original differences. Sometimes, as is evident in the mixing of these two cultures, it is better to respect differences than try and get along poorly.