What Does Pachamama Mean?

The meaning of Pachamama or mother earth in the Andean cosmogony is an important and fundamental tradition that has been inherited for generations to a deity that is permanently present. Auri Peru tells you the importance and Pachamama meaning throughout history.

Travelers Participating in the Pachamama Ceremony

The belief that you see and know today in the Andes was not always so, stay a little longer in this reading and know a little more about what really Pachamama Spiritual Meaning.

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1.- INFORMATION ABOUT PACHAMAMA MEANING

The meaning of Pachamama is the representation of a female goddess projected as the origin of everything. This devotion and belief in mother earth spread throughout the Andean and Amazonian territory where people also considered that pachamama meaning is the main provider of food, shelter and security for all, in this vision, it is understood that the pachamama meaning is more important, it also represents the environment and nature to which the Andean Cosmogony (Andean belief) has given an importance in the passage of time.

The Andean people who often work with agriculture make payments or offerings in ceremonies where usually, they make burials of objects representing abundance, so mother earth rewards them with a good agricultural production that season, for this reason some people associate that the pachamama meaning is abundance, since the seeds buried there become extensive production areas. Even today this belief is still very present, many people maintain this and believe that the Pachamama spiritual meaning is to protect us.

Shaman Andean Priest

2.- ORIGIN OF THE PACHAMAMA MEANING

The word Pachamama means mother earth and is directly associated with nature:

• Pacha is originated from Quechua and Aymara = Earth.
• Mama = Mother.

During the height of the Inca culture it was considered that the most important activity was agriculture, as it also served as a means of barter and trade to obtain other products from the coast or the jungle, for this reason it had a stronger connection with mother earth, including a belief in the pachamama spiritual meaning.

Coca Leaves – Quintu

3.- THE CEREMONY STEP BY STEP

The ceremony of offering to the Pachamama gives back in a symbolic way what she gives us, it has become a tradition as part of the culture that every July 31st is performed throughout the region of Cusco as a previous celebration to the main day of mother earth which is August 1st. Everyone can be part of this ceremony during the trip to Peru, the ceremony begins as follows:

• The location of the place where the ceremony takes place can be in an open place from where you have a direct view to the apus (mountains), as well as in a closed place like a house, here attends an Andean priest who is also known as a “shaman” who wears a traditional attire of his community with which leads the entire ceremony.
• After settling in the chosen place, the Andean priest begins preparing the offering for mother earth. Either in a container such as a clay pot or in folds of paper sheets, he places objects such as coca leaves, wheat, sweets, chocolates, toys and others (the objects may vary according to the requirement of the ceremony as it may be for health, money, work or others). Before placing any object inside the offering, all those present participate in a small petition in which they leave the wishes or desires that they want to be fulfilled holding 3 coca leaves in their hands (This is called Quintu). They also put containers with liquids such as soda, wine and chicha de jora. During the whole process the priest makes prayers in Quechua language thanking mother earth, asking for protection for all participants.
• After all the offering has been finished, the Andean priest looks for a place where he can make a hole in the ground where he places the offering that previously has been carefully closed and while he makes more prayers in Quechua he brings a flame of fire so that it is consumed, while he drinks chicha de jora or wine and shares it symbolically with the mountains. When the offering is consumed by the fire, he begins to bury it and end the ceremony.
• At the end of the ceremony begins the celebration where food is shared, there is music and in some cases dances, and you can start with the planned activities more safely, this ceremony to the Pachamama, meaning that there is a respect for the environment and nature before starting any activity.

Chicha de Jora

Important: In many occasions in which an offering ceremony is made to mother earth is not necessarily on this date, you can make an offering at the beginning of a new business, a new project, a new house or other similar, the offering to the pachamama meaning a starting point in a new direction.

4.- MEANING OF PACHAMAMA IN THE TIME OF THE INCAS

All historical records tell you that the Inca culture had as its main god the Sun, however there was also a strong belief in other things of nature such as the rainbow, lightning, wind, earth and others. Although many of these were considered as minor deities, Mother Earth or Pachamama meaning more than that since this culture was built by the union of other population centers around Cusco, the belief that the earth was part of the identity of the people and therefore represented an important point in their beliefs took root in a stronger way. Before the arrival of the Incas, the people of the Andes had their own way of believing in and worshiping the earth, and then it was changing and adapting as the culture was molded to the veneration of the sun.

The Pachamama in the Incas Time

During the Inca apogee the main activity was agriculture so it was normal to see how they had a greater adoration for the Pachamama meaning the origin of all that they could cultivate, for this reason multiple ceremonies were performed in order to please the mother earth and get a better result at the end of the harvest. This tradition was always accompanied by a later party in which they were convinced that they had had a gratifying result. It can be said that at that time the Pachamama Spiritual Meaning was much stronger.

5.- MEANING OF PACHAMAMA IN THE COLONY

With the arrival of the Spanish conquerors the Pachamama Spiritual Meaning took on a much more present importance for the Andean settlers who were forced to coexist in an environment where they were not allowed to express their traditions and beliefs, this is when an event occurred that would give rise to many of the customs that we can see today in the Andes.

A clear example of this is that for the Spanish conquerors the worship of images and paintings was so important that they imposed their belief in a compulsory way so the Andean people devised a way to continue with their traditions in a discreet way is why both the figures and images of the Virgin Maria instead of showing her full body began to have a pyramidal figure. The whole body had a triangular shape and only her head stood out above, this in an Andean way gave the representation of the mountains or apus, so when the Andean settlers were forced to carry the figure of the virgin on their shoulders, they had in their minds that who they were really honoring was the mother earth. This process of mixing was repeated with other things as well such as food, festivities and more, eventually it became known as syncretism, the mixture between 2 cultures.

Within the history there is also a clear reference to this, as it is said that in the year 1650 an earthquake of great magnitude hit the city of Cusco, however, when a procession of the image of the Sr. de los Temblores (Lord of the Tremors) was carried out, the earthquake stopped and the city was saved. What is also interesting is that this procession continues to this day as a tradition that prevails in the city.

The Pachamama in the Colony

6.- MEANING OF PACHAMAMA IN THE PRESENT DAY

From the moment Peru declared itself free in 1821, freedom of expression was much more open and allowed people to celebrate in a more open way their beliefs and traditions, this also included the devotion for nature including the respect for the pachamama meaning a symbol of culture and tradition to this day. Some traditions that are related to this are:

6.1.- Duality

This is a very normal characteristic of the Andean cosmovision, every feminine aspect has a masculine counterpart, by way of representation the mother earth or pachamama meaning below, while the sky represents above. This is something that is maintained to this day so that there is a balance in both activities and roles. This concept does not apply to the concepts of good and evil since it can be understood that their worship to a god could be for his benevolence as well as for his justice or punishment.

Representation of Duality

6.2.- Reciprocity

It has been demonstrated that the whole Andean culture has a strong sense of gratitude and the same happens with the interaction with mother earth, in this sense the pachamama means the one who provides while the man when receiving offers an offering in gratitude, in some cases it could even be a sacrifice. The intention of this was to demonstrate that just as they obtained things from the earth they could also offer something in return. This action is still done today because it is still understood that the pachamama meaning is a deity for all the people who inhabit the Andes.

Objects Used in an Offering to Pachamama

6.3.- Natural spaces

It is also common to hear from the Andean villagers that the pachamama means a  symbol of respect and that when you want to visit a place that is not usually visited you must ask permission, this with the intention that the trip is safe. Mother Earth has a strong connection with nature and sometimes we have witnessed how it has manifested itself through some natural disaster, so it is always important to understand that if you do not have a real belief in this at least you can respect it.

Natural Spaces

7.- A FUSION OF CUSTOMS

 “In Peru’s magic lands, our family embarked on a spiritual path. An ancient ceremony, an offering to the Pachamama. Returning her generosity with reverence and gratitude. Marcelino, our private shaman, was fantastic! Auri Peru’s flawless guidance allowed us to feel this special connection with mother earth”.

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Your experience in Peru can be unforgettable. You have the opportunity to live the Pachamama ceremony with a specialized shaman. Auri Peru can help you with this now, learn more about what we have for you.

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