Ceque system

Coricancha museum marker graphically explaining the Inca Wakas and Seqes system
Coricancha museum marker describing the Inca Wakas and Seqes system

The Ceque (Quechua; also zeq'e) system was a series of ritual pathways leading outward from Cuzco into the rest of the Inca Empire.[1][2] The empire was divided into four sections called suyus. In fact, the local name for the empire was "Tahuantinsuyu," meaning "four parts together." Cuzco, the capital, was the center and meeting point of these four sections, which converged at Qurikancha, the temple of the sun. Cuzco was split half, Hanansaya to the North and Hurinsaya to the South, with each half containing 2 of the four suyus. Hanansaya contained Chichasuyu in the Northwest and Antisuyu in the Northeast while Hurinsaya contained Collasuyu in the Southeast and Cuntisuyu in the Southwest.[3] Each region contained nine lines, except for the Cuntisuyu which had 14 or 15.[4] It comes to a total of 41 or 42 known pathways radiating out from the Qurikancha or sun temple in Cuzco and lead to shrines or huacas of religious and ceremonial significance.[5]

Huacas

Huacas were spots of ceremonial, ritual, or religious significance arranged along pathways called Ceques. Some huacas were natural features, such as springs, boulders, or caves, while others were man-made features like buildings, fountains, or canals. The number of huacas on each line varied, typically from 3-13 or more per Ceque. Certain people from specific kin groups were designated as caretakers for each huaca.[6]

Organization

The ceque lines originate at the Qurikancha and travel, in relatively straight pathways, to the edges of the land added to the Inca empire by Pachacuti.[7] Four of the lines correspond to four main branches of the Inca road system.[8] Every line was tended to by a particular social group, the huacas that fell along its path and what could be sacrificed there, calendric and astronomical events associated with it, and sometimes a description of the environment it passed through.[7][4] Ceques may be relatively straight or have segments that are straight, but the paths frequently curve or zigzag.[9] However, ceque lines do not generally cross over one another.[10] The location of the huacas appears to dictate the path of the ceque line, not the other way around.[11] The lines are also thought to show the social and political organization of Cuzco, specifically the Inca and non-Inca ayllu groups and where the border of each group's territory lies. The ceque lines often pass over springs or canals which were naturally occurring markers of irrigation districts.[12]

Ceque Lines and Ritual

Some information about the purposes of the ceque system remains unclear. R. Tom Zuidema has theorized that the huacas may be related to Incan understanding of astronomy. The Inca followed a synodic lunar calendar (time was measured in phases of the moon.) They observed periodic calendrical rituals celebrating events such as solstices, and different centers were used for different astronomical events.[13] As an extension of this theory, Zuidema proposed that each of the 328 huacas may represent one day in the year, the time for the Moon to complete 12 circuits, and that some of the ceques were used for astronomical sight lines.[14][15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Farrington (1992 p. 370)
  2. ↑ D'Altroy 2003 (p. 155)
  3. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 184)
  4. 1 2 D'Altroy 2003 (p. 162)
  5. ↑ D'Altroy 2003 (p. 155-163)
  6. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 185)
  7. 1 2 Farrington 1992 (p. 370)
  8. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 183)
  9. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 202)
  10. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 201)
  11. ↑ Bauer 1992 (p. 187)
  12. ↑ Farrington 1992 (p. 370-373)
  13. ↑ Zuidema 168-169.
  14. ↑ Bauer 1992 187-202.
  15. ↑ Krupp, Edwin (1994). Echoes of the Ancient Skies. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. pp. 182–183, 270–276. ISBN 9780486428826.

See Also

References

  • D'Altroy, Terrance (2003). The Incas. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Farrington, I. S. (1992). "Ritual geography, settlement patterns and the characterization of the provinces of the Inka heartland". World Archaeology. 23 (3): 368–385. doi:10.1080/00438243.1992.9980186.
  • Bauer, Brian (1992). "Ritual Pathways of the Inca: an analysis of the Collasuyu Ceques in Cuzco". Latin American Antiquity. 3 (3): 183–205. doi:10.2307/971714.
  • Zuidema, R.T. (1981). "Archaeoastronomy in Mesoamerica and Peru". Latin American Research Review. 16 (3): 167–170.
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