Resumo

LIMON OLVERA, Silvia. Entidades sagradas y agua en la antigua religión andina. Latinoamérica [online]. 2006, n.43, pp.85-111. ISSN 2448-6914.

This paper is a study of the religious and symbolic importance of water during different periods of the pre-Hispanic era in several Andean zones. Here, the author explores the iconography related to the sea in the main artistic expressions of some Andean peoples before the Incas (especially those who inhabited the Peruvian coasts) and the sacralization of some marine animals. Furthermore, in this article, based on data preserved in colonial documents, the author explores the religious importance of spring sources, lakes and rain on the period just before and during the Spanish Conquest. The author then shows the importance of the thunder god cult, its relationship to its ancestors and some of the main rites to pray for rain. Finally, what the author proposes is a new idea about the relationship of the rain god with the Inca leader who represented the union of two forces that made food production possible: the rain and the sun.

Palavras-chave : Andes; Water; Religion; Iconography.