El cerro de potosí y el dios pachacámac

Abstract

In this essay it is argued that "Cerro de Potosí" was hidden from the Spanish conquerors because it was the region's most important huaca or sanctuary, due to the fact that it was dedicated to the god Pachacámac. Abundant testimonies (colonial documents) indicate that "Cerro de Potosí" was a worshipped "Apu" (Mountain, Señor or Lord), nevertheless chronicler Orzans de Orsúa y Vela (1736) stated that this "Apu" belonged to Pachacámac, god of the underworld. A tradition collected near the Salar de Uyuni states the same; finally, a sacrifice in honor of Pachacámac that occurred during the 16th century on the shores of Lake Titicaca, shows the presence of this god in the Collasuyo. When the Incas reached Potosí, they introduced worship of the Sun, and when the Spanish conquerors arrived, they identified the "Cerro de Potosí" with the Virgin Mary which at the same time was identified with Pachamama or Mother Earth.