# I — Inca Glossary

> From the Inca Glossary by Patt O'Neill (© 2007, 2008, 2014).
> Web page: https://incaglossary.com/i
> 104 terms. Each term heading links to that term's own Markdown file.

## [icaro](https://incaglossary.com/i/icaro.md)

,
ikaro (Span.): (n) Derived most likely from the jungle Quichua verb [ikaray](https://incaglossary.com/i/ikaray.md),
the Spanish word
*icaro* designates
the magical lyrics, incantations, either whistled or spoken, learned by
the shaman through the [diet](https://incaglossary.com/d/diet.md)
of plant teachers. [POP]
Magical or [medicine](https://incaglossary.com/m/medicine.md) song that
constitute the quintessence of shamanic power and are acquired from
spirit helpers. Icaros are given to the [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md)
by the spirits of the plants the shaman is ingesting and learning to
heal with. (*See*,
 [yachay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachay.md).)
The icaro has material and immaterial qualities representing a
transference of the spirits of the [entheogenic](https://incaglossary.com/e/entheogenic.md)
plants with all of the animal and human form manifestations into the
shaman's own body. Once you know the icaro of a plant, you no longer
need to consume that plant. Icaros must be sung perfectly for them to
work. [AYV]
Air or force charged with positive [energy](https://incaglossary.com/s/subtleenergy.md). [EMM]Having
strong icaros is essential for surviving as a medicine man. [MSIN] Amazonian
medicine/healing song. Common to both [tarjos](https://incaglossary.com/t/tarjo.md) and
icaros, there is an opening chorus that is used to set the healing
ground. Once sacred space is created, the [curandero](https://incaglossary.com/c/curandero.md) must then
allow the medicine song to sing itself. It could be said that when this
occurs, the curandero no longer sings the song, the song begins to sing
the curandero, ultimately delivering the medicine that Spirit deems
appropriate for the given occasion. [PSPM] (*See*,
 [Appendix E](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/e) for much more on
icaros.)

## [ichu](https://incaglossary.com/i/ichu.md)

(n)
*Stipa ichu*. Peruvian
feather grass which grows extensively in the Andean [altiplano](https://incaglossary.com/a/altiplano.md). It is
used as fodder for livestock, roofing, rope making. [WIKI]The ichu
grass had some obscure mythological meaning. [DYE]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/ichu.jpg — Stipa ichu. Peruvian feather grass blowing in the wind.

## [ichuri](https://incaglossary.com/i/ichuri.md)

, ychuri,
ychuiri, ychurichuc: (n) (1) Grassman. A special class of [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md) from
Collao (home of the ancestors of the Aymara) who heard confessions of
sin, imposed penances, and purified those who sought their services.
Sin had a community connotation throughout ancient Peru, for
unconfessed sins were believed to exert a blighting effect on the
social group. Penance and purification took place on riverbanks. The
penitent confessed in secret into a bunch of *ichu grass* (*see*, above). Then he
transferred the sin to the grass by spitting on it. The grass (and the
sin) were thrown into the water, to be carried far from the reach of
humanity. A ceremonial bath in the water completed purification. [WOFW] The
role of these professionals in the community was considered very highly
They were revered as saintly personalities essential to the well-being
of the individual and the group. The reason for this prestige was that
they were the only ones who could pardon sin. Illness was interpreted
as a punishment of the gods for some wrong-doing, good health was
directly associated to a state of grace obtained only through
confession to an ichuri. The sinner would accompany the ichuri to an
isolated place and prostrate, recite one by one all of his crimes,
vices and wrong doings (an evil thought was not considered a sin; only
the consummated actions against the laws of the community). The ichuri,
who probably knew his brethren better than anyone else, saw to it that
no offense remained occult in this act of confession. If he was
not satisfied, he would punish, even torture, the sinner until
everything was said. Then he would do some [magic passes](https://incaglossary.com/m/magicalpass.md) over the penitent and,
taking a handful of ichu, he would throw it into the current of a
river. With the grass went all the sins and their ill effects and also
went the memory of the event, signifying the complete privacy of the
confession. When the confessor judged that the person was too great a
sinner, he increased the penitence as follows: he brought a person who
had a congenital defect who went to the penitent to the river to make
the usual washing; having washed, the person with the congenital defect
whipped the penitent with poison ivy. For this purpose there was in [Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md) a small
host of those [congenitally crippled](https://incaglossary.com/b/birthdefect.md)
who were in charge of these chores. The ichuris were sworn to absolute
secrecy before they were given credentials to work in the community.
They were neither judges nor spies. Their holy action was directed only
to the liberation of the human soul from sin. Once this was done in
complete privacy, the sin was forgotten by the gods and its occult
dangers were averted. This was not intended to be curative; it was
mainly a prophylactic ceremony. Ichuris lived frequently isolated in
the deserted plains of the Andes [the [puna](https://incaglossary.com/p/puna.md)]
where the ichu grows. They led an ascetic life of sacrifice and
meditation, suffering cold and fasting for long periods. Most of them
came from the priestly caste or from [guacacues](https://incaglossary.com/fg/guacacue.md). [DYE] (2) The
revealing of misdeeds, usually to the priestly attendants (ychurichuc)
of [huacas](https://incaglossary.com/h/huaca.md). If the confessor felt that the
person was telling less than the whole truth, he or she might resort to
 [divination](https://incaglossary.com/d/divination.md) to settle the
issue and would use a stone to pummel the bent back of anyone
considered to be lying. [IAWS]
[NMHI]

## [idioma](https://incaglossary.com/i/idioma.md)

Languages: Span

(n) The [icaro](https://incaglossary.com/i/icaro.md)
with which a [vegetalista](https://incaglossary.com/v/vegetalista.md)
communicates with the spirits of the plants. [EMM]

## [idolotrías](https://incaglossary.com/i/idolotrias.md)

Languages: Span

(n) Idolatries; the investigations by the Spanish priests into
the idolatrous practices in the countryside of the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)
empire. The richest sources of information were the [curacas](https://incaglossary.com/c/curaca.md).
The Idolatrías and the [Huarochirí Manuscript](https://incaglossary.com/h/huarochirimanuscript.md)
are rich sources of information of the historical practices of Inca
spirituality. [MAN]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-52.jpg — The church inspector, Cristobal de Albornoz, with the help of his native assistant, administers punishment during an extirpation of idolatries campaign. From a drawing by Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala.

## [Iguana](https://incaglossary.com/i/iguana.md)

(n) A god
often depicted as an anthropomorphic iguana. Iguana generally sports a
long tunic, a bulging cloth tied around the waist or the neck, and a
headdress made with long feathers and a bird effigy, usually a condor.
He is frequently found in Moche iconography with [Aia-Paec](https://incaglossary.com/a/aiapaec.md). [WUTE]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/iguana.png — Iguana (on left holding decapitated head) is often paired with Aia-Paec in Moche art.

## [ikaray](https://incaglossary.com/i/ikaray.md)

(v)
To blow smoke for healing. [POP]
(*See*,
 [icaro](https://incaglossary.com/i/icaro.md).)

## [ila poca](https://incaglossary.com/i/ila-poca.md)

,
ila cayu (AYM): (n) Moment of time. [ASD]

## [illa, illia, illya, iylla](https://incaglossary.com/i/illa.md)

(n) (1) Regenerative, creative principle,creation.
The moment when it acquires flow, it becomes [kawsay](https://incaglossary.com/k/kawsay.md).
The substance that creates reality; manifests as fire and water. [RS]
[JLH] [ROR] A specific designation of [khuya](https://incaglossary.com/k-prime/khuya.md) used by [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md)-priests,
including (but not limited to) [conopas](https://incaglossary.com/c/conopa.md); can also
mean “most high” or sacred, or as an abbreviation for *illariy* (*see*, below). [ANON1] (2)
Lightning; ray; reflected or artificial light. (3) Precious stone;
jewel; hidden treasure. (4) Enlightenment. (5) A small square stone
given by a mentor to the student. [RS]
[JLH] [ROR]
Rectangular four- or five-inch alabaster stone carved in the form of a [chacra](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chacra.md),
with crops, animals, houses and people of the family. It is in essence
a [mesa](https://incaglossary.com/m/mesa.md) unto itself.
[IGMP]
(6) In Aymara ceremony, it is a l[ivestock figurine](https://incaglossary.com/c/conopa.md). Illas are the equivalent of the Quechua [enqaychu](https://incaglossary.com/e/enqaychu.md). [WOFW] *See*, [tukapu](https://incaglossary.com/t/tukapu.md)).

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint92.jpg

## [illac umo](https://incaglossary.com/i/illac-umo.md)

(n)
Literally, *light
head*. One who
radiates light. [IGMP]

## [Illamani](https://incaglossary.com/i/illamani.md)

(n) The name of one of the sacred mountains of the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md).
Located in Bolivia. Its mystical significance is to channel [illa](https://incaglossary.com/i/illa.md)
into tangible benefit, abundance. [JLH]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-62.jpg

## [Illampu](https://incaglossary.com/i/illampu.md)

(n)
The name of one of the refuge mountains of the [Kollahuayas](https://incaglossary.com/k/kollahuaya.md),
21,000 feet.

## [illanchay](https://incaglossary.com/i/illanchay.md)

(v) To radiate. [RS]

## [Illapa](https://incaglossary.com/i/illapa.md)

Iyapa,
Ilyap'a, Katoylla: (n) God of thunder. [RS]
[ROR]
God of thunderstorms. [EFD]
seen as a man carrying a club and rocks in his hands, or as a man in
shining clothes that flashed as lightning when he moved. [GM]
[MAN]
He was one of the more popular Incan deities. His name meant *thunder
and lightning*,
and he drew rain water from the Milky Way, which he kept in a jug. When
there was not enough rain, people would tie up black dogs and let them
starve. They would keep them there until Illapa took pity on them, and
sent rain. (*See*, [titicaca water frog](https://incaglossary.com/t/titicacawaterfrog.md).) [WPO]
Ancient curanderos believed that lightning crosses through the three
worlds, as they observed lightning coming from the sky ([hanaqpacha](https://incaglossary.com/h/hanaqpacha.md)), touching
the earth ([kaypacha](https://incaglossary.com/k/kaypacha.md)), and
disappearing into the ground ([ukhupacha](https://incaglossary.com/u/ukhupacha.md)). In
pre-Columbian cosmology, Illapa was a god depicted as a man holding a
club and sling. [PSPM]

---

**In
the sierra, the storm was the most pervasive and dynamic of all the
male huacas, envisaged as a heroic figure in the heavens armed with
rain, hail, and thunder; the flash of his golden sling was lightning.
All male children born in the fields on a thunderous day were
considered to be his sons and were dedicated as future [shamans](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md). Among the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md),
he was Illapa. In the northern province of Huamachuco, site of a famous
oracle, he was [Catiquilla](https://incaglossary.com/a/apocatequil.md). After the
Spanish Conquest he was transmuted into St. James, mounted (the
hoofbeats were his thunder) and brandishing a glittering Spanish sword
(his lightning). The serpents that are often associated with the sky
god are not difficult to identify as his lightning. The ancient form of
the sky god lingers on today among contemporary Quechua Indians as [Koa](https://incaglossary.com/k/koa.md), the sponsor of shamans, a vicious catlike
figure residing in the heights of the Andes and commanding the storm
and hail.

-- Eduardo Calderón**[WOFW]

---

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/St.James.jpg — Illapa morphed into St. James after the Conquest.

## [illapa](https://incaglossary.com/i/illapa-2.md)

(n) A generic term referring to all forms of lightning. (*See*,
 [qhaqya](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhaqya.md), [raio](https://incaglossary.com/r/raio.md),
 [relámpago](https://incaglossary.com/r/relampago.md).)

## [illaputtatha](https://incaglossary.com/i/illaputtatha.md)

Languages: AYM

(v) To be touched by lightning or die from a lightning strike. [ASD]
(*See*,
 illa.)

## [illari](https://incaglossary.com/i/illari.md)

(n)
Dawn, the first ray of dawning. [ANON1]

## [Illari Ch'aska](https://incaglossary.com/i/illarichaska.md)

, Qoyllur
Ch'aska: (n) The dawn star or Morning Star: Venus. [ANON1] *See*, [ch'aska](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chaska.md).
(sometimes also Q'oyllor Ch'aska or simply Ch'aska)

## [illaris](https://incaglossary.com/i/illaris.md)

(n) An object that shines or radiates light. [AEAA]

## [illariy](https://incaglossary.com/i/illariy.md)

(adj) Shining; brilliant. (v) (1) To bring light into the world, which
in turn allows awakening of the [ceke](https://incaglossary.com/c/ceke.md) system. [PSPM] To dawn;
to shine; to light; to brighten. Bring forth creation. [RS]
(2) To harness the energy of the [three suns](https://incaglossary.com/k/kinsaintikuna.md) (of each of the three worlds) with our [luminous bodies](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminousbody.md). [PSPM] To draw in
the first ray of dawning, usually of a specific energy-system. [ANON1] (v.imp.)
To call into alignment or awakening the above-mentioned forces. [ANON1] *Rise
and embrace the sun!*
A phrase used to empower another. (n) The divine principle of dawn or
of illumination and awakening, often in reference to the activation of
specific (or global) cekes, temples, or shrines; also used in reference
to the “coming into alignment” of inner and outer principles of light
or of the archetypal [Three Suns](https://incaglossary.com/k/kinsaintikuna.md)
within the human [luminous body](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminousbody.md). [ANON1]

## [illasqa, illaska](https://incaglossary.com/i/illasqa.md)

(n) An illumined person. [RS]

## [Illa Ticci, Illa Tiqsi, Illa Teqsi, Illa Ticci Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/i/illaticci.md)

The Creator God. Illa meaning *light*;
ticci means *base,
foundation*,
or *origin*,
hence founder. An early scholar translated it as *Eternal
Light*.
 [HOI]
(See,
[Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/w/wiracocha.md).)

## [illawi](https://incaglossary.com/i/illawi.md)

(n) [Boa](https://incaglossary.com/b/boa.md)
constrictor. [RS]

## [illia](https://incaglossary.com/i/illia.md)

*See*, [illa](https://incaglossary.com/i/illa.md).

## [Illescas](https://incaglossary.com/i/illescas.md)

*See*, [Quilliscacha](https://incaglossary.com/q/quilliscacha.md).

## [imaginal senses](https://incaglossary.com/i/imaginalsenses.md)

Languages: Eng

(n)
Westerners have lost five of their ten senses. We still have the five
physical senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing and feeling, but we
have lost the five imaginal senses, the senses of our imagination and
mind. These are (1) the sense of self-healing, (2) the sense of
self-destruction, (3) the sense of penetration, (4) the sense of
perception, and (5) the sense of revelation. These are as taught by the
Chumash Indians of California and they call it Chumash X-ray. [TEQ] (*See*, [Appendix I](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/i) for a fuller explanation of this and
other models of shamanic perception.)

## [imaginal senses](https://incaglossary.com/i/imaginal-senses.md)

See, [Appendix I](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/i), bottom
section (Chumash Model of Perception).

## [imago mundi](https://incaglossary.com/i/imagomundi.md)

Languages: Latin

(n) Literally,
*idealized image of the world*.

## [Imay Maman, Imaymana Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/i/imay-maman.md)

The eldest of the two sons of the god Ticci [Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/w/wiracocha.md). Without
delving too deeply into the complex Quechua linguistics, Imay Maman
seems to represent *he
who inquires and seeks the truth*. [DYE]
*See*, [Tukapu](https://incaglossary.com/t/tucapu.md) (the other
son)..

---

**“He
ordered his older son, Imay Maman Wiracocha, in whose hand He placed
the power over all things, to go through the Andes and the mountains of
all the world, and to give names to all trees and plants and flowers
and fruits, and to determine the season in which they would bloom and
fructify and to teach the people which herbs had curative or poisonous
effects…”** --
Cristobal de Molilna

---

## [Imbabura](https://incaglossary.com/i/imbabura.md)

(n) Called Taita Imbabura (Father Imbabura) by the native Ecuadorians,
the volcano is considered by them to be the father of all mysteries.
Before him is his past and his future, destiny that is woven in a
timeless pattern of earth and seed and harvest. [TAV]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint112.jpg
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint122.jpg

## [impeccability](https://incaglossary.com/i/impeccability.md)

Languages: Eng

(n)
To release the total perceiving capacity of human beings would not in
any way interfere with their functional behavior. In fact, functional
behavior would become an extraordinary issue, for it would acquire a
new value. Function in these circumstances becomes a most demanding
necessity. Free from idealities and pseudo-goals, man has only function
as his guiding force. [Shamans](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md) call this
impeccability. For them, to be impeccable means to do one's utmost best,
and a bit more. They derive function from [seeing](https://incaglossary.com/s/seeing.md) energy
directly as it flows in the universe. If [energy](https://incaglossary.com/s/subtleenergy.md) flows in a
certain way, to follow the flow of energy is, for them, being
functional. Function is, therefore, the common denominator by means of
which shamans face the *energetic
facts* of their *cognitive
world*. [TDJ] The
virtues of a warrior. Impeccability is the systematic, correct and
efficient use of energy. Impeccability is related to being free of
self-importance, being internally streamlined, unambiguous, in control
of self. On one hand the impeccable warrior is traveling light, without
carrying baggage of assumptions, preconceptions, beliefs, internal
considering and so forth. We could say Impeccability has to do with
being an empty vessel that can receive higher influences. On the other
hand, the warrior practicing impeccability has a definite path and is
in no way a random or arbitrary entity. Impeccability is a combination
of commitment to a path and flexibility and acuity of observation and
freedom of choice. [GCC] (*See*, [luminous warrior](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminouswarrior.md).)

## [Imperial Quechua](https://incaglossary.com/i/imperial-quechua.md)

*See*, [Qhapaq Simi](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaqsimi.md).

## [imprint](https://incaglossary.com/i/imprint.md)

Languages: Eng

(n) Like the image left by a rubber stamp, our luminous bodies
carry the energetic patterns of traumatic experiences, waiting like
land mines, to be triggered by circumstance and then release their
stored energy into the physical body, causing illness and/or emotional
upset.
[PGO]
(*See*,
 [luminous body](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminousbody.md).)

## [Inca, Inka](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)

(n) (1) A ruling class of people inhabiting the Cusco valley in
the late 1100's to 1532 a. d., possibly comes from ancient word *enqa*
which means *black hole* [*see*, enqa for more
of this energy-related definition], or one who can absorb all the
living energies; ruler; son of the sun; lover. [RS]
[QNO]
Originally from the [Lake Titicaca](https://incaglossary.com/l/laketiticaca.md) region;
early accounts take note that they were exceedingly light-skinned when
compared to their immediate neighbors and had very Asian-looking
features; they referred to themselves as intip churikuna, “the children
of the Sun.” [ANON1] (2)
Loosely and inaccurately applied to ancient Peruvians as a whole. [CSCR]
(*See*,
 [runa](https://incaglossary.com/r/runa.md), Appendices [D](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/d) and [H](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/h), for more
about their empire, .)
(3) The Inca have attained mythic status in the Amazon. Among the [vegetalistas](https://incaglossary.com/v/vegetalista.md),
the Inca is considered to be the father and creator of humanity. They
have not disappeared but continue to live, enchanted, in cities under
the earth and spirit cities in the sky. [AYV]
(4) There is evidence that the Inca royalty may have spoken a secret
courtly language called *Inca*, distinct from Quechua. (*See*, [Qhapac Simi](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaqsimi.md).) [CSCR]
(5) *Inca*
is the original model of all things; probably this is the fundamental
meaning: archetype. [CSCR]*Compare*,
 [enqa](https://incaglossary.com/e/enqa.md).

---

**The
illness of the nobility, especially that of the Inca was -- at least in
public -- not considered similar to the diseases of the common man
[runa]; they considered them as messages of the Sun-god which came to
call his Son (the Inca) to rest in Heaven; therefore, the Inca would
always say when he felt he was dying: “My father calls me to rest with
Him.” In which case all sacrifices and prayers for the Inca's health
represented a different attitude from those prayers for forgiveness so
frequently used for the common man.** --
Garcilaso de la Vega

---

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-72.jpg — Incas (def. 2) emerging from one of their cities in the water in a detail from a painting by vegetalista Pablo Amaringo. [AYV]

## [Inca Laws](https://incaglossary.com/i/incalaws.md)

*See*, [Three Inca Laws](https://incaglossary.com/t/threeincalaws.md), and [Ama llulla, ama qilla, ama suwa](https://incaglossary.com/a/amallulla.md).

## [Inca Mallku](https://incaglossary.com/i/incamallku.md)

(n) [Shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md)
of the [fifth level](https://incaglossary.com/fg/fifthlevel.md)
who is able to cure with a single touch. [WMG]
[RS]
*[Mallku](https://incaglossary.com/m/mallku.md)*
comes from the root word meaning *tree*,
thus Inka mallku also means *one
connected to the spiritual genealogy of the [Incas](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md).*
The female counterpart is [Ñust'a](https://incaglossary.com/n/nyusta.md). [QNO]Being
struck by lightning is considered a sacred rite of passage for the [curandero](https://incaglossary.com/c/curandero.md). This
phenomenon is associated with several [karpays](https://incaglossary.com/k/karpay.md) for the [paq'o](https://incaglossary.com/p/paqo.md)'s of the
Andes. an important karpay for the Inca Mallku initiate is to be hit by
lightning and to survive, proving the initiate can sustain this
energetic connection; hence, the shaman has been chosen to be initiated
by the [three worlds](https://incaglossary.com/t/threeworlds.md). [PSPM]

## [Inca medicine wheel](https://incaglossary.com/i/incamedicinewheel.md)

(n) There is no solid ethnohistorical evidence for the ritual
orientation to the four cardinal directions in Peru. That the four
quarters were important in pre-conquest Peru is suggested by the name
for the Inca empire: [Tawantinsuyu](https://incaglossary.com/t/tawantinsuyu.md). They also
built four roads running from their capital, [Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md), to each
of the four divisions of the empire. [WOFW]  (*See*, [Appendix D](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/d).) Although
the South American Inca did not have a [medicine wheel](https://incaglossary.com/m/medicinewheel.md) in the sense of the North American natives, at least one
prolific teacher of Inca shamanism in the United States has synthesized
one. Thus, this non-traditional concept has entered the subject of Inca
shamanism as it is taught outside of the Andes. [PGO]

## [incapcocum](https://incaglossary.com/i/incapcocum.md)

, coca del
Inca, cucacuca: (n) According to the Indians, the Incas used the leaf
in place of real [coca](https://incaglossary.com/c/coca.md). In the form of a
powder, it was taken instead of tobacco “to clear the head.” [REPC]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/incapcocum.jpg — Incapcocum.

## [Inca Roca](https://incaglossary.com/i/incaroca.md)

(n) The legendary sixth [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)
ruler, probably ruling in the 13th Century. [MAN]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint142.jpg — Drawing of Inca Roca by Felipe Guaman [Poma](https://incaglossary.com/p/poma.md) de Ayala.

## [inca simi](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca-simi.md)

(n) Quechua (language of the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)). [RS]
(*See*,
[runasimi](https://incaglossary.com/r/runasimi.md))

## [Inca Urco](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca-urco.md)

(n) the ninth [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)
ruler having the shortest reign of any of the pre-Spanish kings,
traditionally less than a year in 1438.  Chose by his father, [Wiracocha Inca](https://incaglossary.com/w/wiracochainca.md),
to be his successor, he fled with his father at the approach of a rival
army, leaving his brother, [Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachacutiinca.md),
to defend [Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md).  [MAN]

## [inca wasi](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca-wasi.md)

(n) [Inca's](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md) house. [RS]

## [incayichu, incaychu](https://incaglossary.com/i/incayichu.md)

*See*, enqaychu.

## [Inca Yupanqui](https://incaglossary.com/i/incayupanqui.md)

Another name for [Yahuar Huacac](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar-huacac.md).

## [iniy, iñiy](https://incaglossary.com/i/iniy.md)

(v) To believe (religious). [QP]

## [Inka](https://incaglossary.com/i/inka.md)

*See*,
 [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md).

## [inkari, Inkari](https://incaglossary.com/i/inkari.md)

(n) Inca rey (sp) ([Inca](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md) king). Masculine
principle, rigid. The right side of the body. [JLH]
(*See*,
 [collari](https://incaglossary.com/c/collari.md).)

## [Inkarrí, Inkari](https://incaglossary.com/i/inkarri.md)

(n) A mythical being captured via deceit by his enemies and
quartered in the central square of [Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md).
The pieces were then buried, hidden, far apart. Legend has it that
these pieces are slowly reuniting and that, when the head again sits
atop the body, the Indians will overthrow the current government and
take back their country under Inkarri's leadership. [THIM]

Inkari was the name of the first man in the Incan creation myth. [MAN]
The post-conquest mythical dying and reviving *Inca* (*see*, below), a combination
of Quechua and Spanish, both words Inka and rey meaning *king*
in their respective languages.  The belief of the return of
Inkarrí is in keeping with the concept of [pachacuti](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachacuti.md).
The myths are apparently based in the beheadings of two of the Inca
kings by the Spanish, [Atahualpa](https://incaglossary.com/a/atahualpa.md)
and [Tupac Amaru](https://incaglossary.com/t/tupacamaru.md).
The belief is that, once buried in the ground, the head becomes the
seed for a new body. [MAN] The
prophesied return of the Inca ways, social, political, and spiritual. [ANON1]

## [inkuña](https://incaglossary.com/i/inkuna.md)

Languages: AYM

(n)
A ground cloth oriented to the east upon which the [mesa](https://incaglossary.com/m/mesa.md) sits. [WOFW] *See*,
[Aymara mesa](https://incaglossary.com/a/aymaramesa.md).

## [inlis](https://incaglossary.com/i/inlis.md)

(n) English. [QP]

## [inlisa](https://incaglossary.com/i/inlisa.md)

(n) Church (sp). [QP]

## [inquini](https://incaglossary.com/i/inquini.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) One that has a star, or good fortune, in everything. [ASD]

## [intention](https://incaglossary.com/i/intention.md)

(n)
Intent is not a thought, or an object, or a wish. Intent is what can
make a man succeed when his thoughts tell him that he is defeated. It
operates in spite of the warrior's indulgence. Intent is what makes him
invulnerable. Intent is what sends a shaman through a wall, through
space, to infinity. [WIKIQ] The most
important ingredient in [medicine](https://incaglossary.com/m/medicine.md) work;
intention is everything. [AVO] One of the
maxims of Chinese medicine is *chi
follows yi and blood follows chi*. *Yi* is focused
intent, which gives the practitioner the capacity to control [subtle energies](https://incaglossary.com/s/subtleenergy.md) (chi) with
the mind (yi), eventually affecting the body (blood). (*See*, [munaña](https://incaglossary.com/m/munana.md), [luminous warrior](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminouswarrior.md).). [PGO]

## [interesada](https://incaglossary.com/i/interesada.md)

Languages: Span

(adj) Self-serving. [GOL]

## [inti](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti.md)

(n) Sun. [RS]

## [Inti](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-2.md)

(n) (1) The shortened use of Inti Tayta, or Tayta Inti. [IGMP]
(2) Sun god. Inti gave rainbows to the people he created to remind them
of his creation of the world and of them, and how the rainbow is
different colors but is one road from earth to the sky. [WMO]
Inti rivalled [Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/w/wiracocha.md)
in importance as a creator god because of his relationship with the [Sapa Inca](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md).
 [MAN]
(*See*,
 Punchau.)
(AYM):
(n) Sun or, according to the ancients, Villca [[Wilka](https://incaglossary.com/w/wilka.md)].
 [ASD]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint152.jpg

## [Inti Cancha](https://incaglossary.com/i/inticancha.md)

(n) House of the Sun. [HOI]

## [intichay](https://incaglossary.com/i/intichay.md)

(n) East. [RS]

## [inti chimpu](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-chimpu.md)

(n) Aureole around the sun. [RS]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint162.jpg

## [inti chinkay](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-chinkay.md)

(n) Literally, *sun
disappears*.
(1) Solar eclipse. (2) West. [RS] (*See*,
 [Inti Jiwaña](https://incaglossary.com/i/intijiwana.md), [chincana](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chincana.md).)

## [intihuatana](https://incaglossary.com/i/intihuatana.md)

(n) *See*,
 [Inti watana](https://incaglossary.com/i/intiwatana.md).

## [Inti Jiwaña](https://incaglossary.com/i/intijiwana.md)

*Death
of the Sun*.
A solar eclipse. The mythic [Black Jaguar](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-puma.md)
slowly devours [Inti](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti.md),
the light and life of this world.

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-92.jpg

## [Intikana](https://incaglossary.com/i/intikana.md)

(see text
box below):

---

**The
highest initiations of the Andean sacred path involve transforming

the initiate's consciousness through light. Being struck by lightning
is

but the beginning of the Andean [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md)'s
journey, the path of light.

The highest initiations involve transforming the initiate's material
body

into the [light body](https://incaglossary.com/l/luminousbody.md). Eventually,
after years of arduous training, the

master shaman is capable of leaving the limitations of Earth-time

and traveling beyond the speed of light. At the point of death, the

Andean shaman's journey doesn't end. His luminous essence merges with

the pure spiritual energy of the [Apus](https://incaglossary.com/a/apu.md).
People in Peru have witnessed shamans disappear and reappear in other
locations, bring messages from relatives

at great distances, retrieve lost objects, transport objects from one
location to another, and have their physical body in more than one
place at a time. The Incas called such a one Intikana, a being of
light, limitless and at one with Inti.**[ACAI]

---

## [Inti Illapa](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-illapa.md)

(n) The
name means *Thunder of the Sun*. It was an
idol of solid gold set on a rich litter of gold. *Inca Yupanqui* (*see*, below) made it and
took it for this *[wayqi](https://incaglossary.com/w/wayqi.md)*, or brother.
It had a house in the district of Totocache and they did it great
veneration. In the same house or temple was the body of the said Inca
Yupanqui. To this idol they very commonly made [sacrifices of children](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaqhucha.md) and of
everything else, asking it that the strength of the Inca be preserved
and his dominion not decrease. [IRC]

## [Inti inti](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-inti.md)

(n) Sun of suns; supreme cosmic energy. [CHAM]
 Behind [Inti Tayta](https://incaglossary.com/i/intitayta.md) is the
“Sun behind the sun,” or the Divine Presence who sends life force
energy through Inti Tayta to [Pachamama](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachamama.md)
for all of nature. We receive this spiritual light energy in our
spiritual body, from which it then flows to our physical body. [IGMP]

## [inti lliklla](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-lliklla.md)

(n) (1) A
 [lliklla](https://incaglossary.com/ll/lliklla.md) (manta)
adorned with patterns representing Inti, perhaps the most common sort
of manta. (2) Inti in the aspect of one specific geometric
representational symbol. [ANON1]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/inti%20lliklla.jpg — The inti pattern on a Q'ero weaving.

## [inti lluqsiy](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-lluqsiy.md)

(n) Literally, *sun
comes out*.
Sunrise. [RS] (*See*, [lloqsi](https://incaglossary.com/ll/lloqsi.md).)

## [intindiy](https://incaglossary.com/i/intindiy.md)

(v) To understand (sp). [QP]

## [inti pacha](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-pacha.md)

(n) Sun time. [RS] (*See*, [pacha](https://incaglossary.com/p/pacha.md).)

## [Intip Apu](https://incaglossary.com/i/intip-apu.md)

(n) Governor of things pertaining to the Sun.  [HOI]

## [intip chinkanan](https://incaglossary.com/i/intip-chinkanan.md)

(n) West (where the sun disappears). [RS] (*See*, [chincana](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chincana.md).)

## [intip churi, intiq churi](https://incaglossary.com/i/intip-churi.md)

(n) Child of the Sun.  [HOI]
Children of the sun; title used by the Incas, the ruler of whom (the [Sapa](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md)) was
considered to be the spiritual son of the sun, quite literally. [ANON1]

## [intip lluqsinan](https://incaglossary.com/i/intip-lluqsinan.md)

(n) East (where the sun comes out). [RS] (*See*, [lloqsi](https://incaglossary.com/ll/lloqsi.md).)

## [Intipunku](https://incaglossary.com/i/intipunku.md)

Literally, *sun
gate*.
A notch in the mountain ridge near [Machu Picchu](https://incaglossary.com/m/machupicchu.md).

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-372.jpg — The Intipunku as seen from Machu Picchu

## [inti p'utumuy](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-putumuy.md)

(n) Sunrise. [RS]

## [Inti quenayaro hithinti](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-quenayaro-hithinti.md)

Languages: AYM

(v) To conceal the sun with the clouds. [ASD]

## [Inti Raymi](https://incaglossary.com/i/intiraymi.md)

(n) The Festival of the Sun at the winter solstice in June. An ill omen
witnessed during the feast of Inti Raymi signaled the downfall of the
empire when an eagle was seen mobbed by buzzards, and it fell from the
sky. This occurred during the reign of [Huayna Capac](https://incaglossary.com/h/huaynacapac.md).
 [MAN]
The Festival of the Sun at [Sacsahuaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/sacsahuaman.md), [Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md),
celebrated initially on June 21; however, following the Spanish
conquest and [extirpation of idolatries](https://incaglossary.com/e/extirpationofidolotry.md), has been celebrated annually on June 24 to coincide
with the feast day of John the Baptist. [PSPM] (*See*,
 [Qhapac Raymi](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaq-raymi.md).)

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/droppedImage-382.jpg

## [Inti Tayta, Tayta Inti](https://incaglossary.com/i/intitayta.md)

(n) Father sun. [RS]
Father sun, the original god of the [Inca Empire](https://incaglossary.com/t/tawantinsuyu.md)
representing a solar principle of consciousness (i.e., one pertaining
to the unity of all that exists) and spiritual illumination and
enlightenment; the unity principle embodied by Inti Tayta was the
guiding force behind the uniting vision of the Inca priests and rulers (*see*, also, [Kinsa Intikuna](https://incaglossary.com/k/kinsaintikuna.md) for an
understanding of the Three Suns). [ANON1]

## [inti t'iksuy](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-tiksuy.md)

(n) Afternoon. [RS]

## [inti wañuy](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-wanuy.md)

(n) Solar eclipse. [RS]

## [inti wata](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-wata.md)

(n) Solar year. [RS]

## [Inti watana, Intihuatana](https://incaglossary.com/i/intiwatana.md)

(n) (1) A place to read the sun's standing position; sun
watch. [RS]
(2) Although it wasn't the only one, it often means the hitching post
of the sun at [Machu Picchu](https://incaglossary.com/m/machupicchu.md), the most
well known. Many of the Inti watanas were destroyed by the Spanish, who
considered them pagan. [PGO]The one at
Machu Picchu is the top point of the pyramid that connects with the
pyramid in the Cosmos. We can also say it connects the spiral of [Pachamama](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachamama.md) with the spiral of the Cosmos. [IGMP]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/machuwatana.jpg — The Inti watana at Machu Picchu -- the most well-known of them all. [SVI]
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/intiwatana.jpg — The Inti watana at Pisac.

## [Inti yaykuna, Inti yaykuy](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti-yaykuna.md)

West (where the sun sets); sundown. [RS]

## [iñaca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inaca.md)

(n) A non-[Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)
noble woman. [ICC]

## [ipa](https://incaglossary.com/i/ipa.md)

(n) Aunt, sister of father. [ASD]
(*See*,
 [tayca](https://incaglossary.com/t/tayca.md).)

## [iporuru](https://incaglossary.com/i/iporuru.md)

*See*, [hiporúru](https://incaglossary.com/h/hiporuru.md).

## [ipeca](https://incaglossary.com/i/ipeca.md)

(n)
Obtained from the roots of about a dozen different species, the best
known of which are *Cephaelis
ipecacuanha* and *Cephaelis
acuminata*. The
active principle is emetin, a substance which acts specifically against
amoeba dysenterica. Ipecac, is derived from the dried rhizome and roots
of the ipecacuanha. It is typically used to induce vomiting, which it
accomplishes by irritating the lining of the stomach and by stimulating
part of the brain called the medullary chemoreceptor trigger zone. [WIKI]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/ipecac.jpg — Ipecacuanha. [WIKI]

## [irakar](https://incaglossary.com/i/irakar.md)

(v) To empower.

## [irpay](https://incaglossary.com/i/irpay.md)

(n) The ceremony of marking cattle, sometimes considered a wedding of
young animals. [ROR]

## [ishanga](https://incaglossary.com/i/ishanga.md)

(n)
*(Laportea aestuans)*
A plant that can be used by [sorcerers](https://incaglossary.com/s/sorcerer.md)
to do harm. [It is a nettle.] [AYV]
It has folk healing uses as well. Commonly used to relieve rheumatic
pains, as a diuretic, for burns, constipation, dysentery, rickets, and
wounds. [DUKE]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/paint212.jpg

## [ishpingo, eshpingo, cerejeira](https://incaglossary.com/i/ishpingo.md)

(n)  *Ocotea
quixos* is a
species of evergreen tree in the Lauraceae family, native to Ecuador
and Columbia. It is one of the South American trees with a
cinnamon-like aroma, and is used as a spice called ishpingo or
eshpingo. The bark is used to produce 'Ecuadorian' (or 'American')
cinnamon which bears some resemblance to common cinnamon (which also
comes from a tree in this family). The tree is known in Quechua as
ishpingo, which specifically refers to the flowers, and more recently
as Flor de Canela. The taste of Ecuadorian cinnamon is thought to come
from the presence of methyl cinnamate and trans-cinnamaldehyde which
are also found in the essential oils which come from the flower calices
of the plant. While some reports show it has been used as a flavoring
since [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md) times, modern Ecuadorians still
use this spice during general cooking and the production of food for
rituals. Offerings to family ancestors for example, sometimes include
food such as [mazamorra morada](https://incaglossary.com/recipes/mazamorra) (purple pudding) and
beverages such as the alcoholic drink alajua, both of which require the
use of ishpingo as a key ingredient. The oils have previously been used
in the traditional medicine of some Amazonian tribes for their
anti-inflammatory properties and some peer-reviewed data also support
this theory. It has also been shown that this oil can reduce the chance
of blood clot formation by preventing platelet aggregation in the
blood. [WIKI]
 [Chicha](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chicha.md) used as an offering
often has ishpingo powder added to it. Historic accounts say it is a
very effective medicine against stomachaches, bloody diarrhea, and
other diseases; however, the exact plant known historically as ishpingo
has a few candidates with the precise identification unknown. [EPP]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/I_files/ishpingo.jpg

## [iskay chantayuq, iskay chantayoj](https://incaglossary.com/i/iskay-chantayuq.md)

(adj) Of two forms; biform. [RS]

## [iskay kapun, iskay kapunku](https://incaglossary.com/i/iskay-kapun.md)

Languages: phrase

*Now
there are two in one*,
expressed by attendees after a wedding. [ROR]

## [iskay sonco](https://incaglossary.com/i/iskay-sonco.md)

(phrase)
The literal translation from Quechua is *two wills, two hearts*,
which essentially signifies with double intention, in betrayal. [DYE]

## [Isla de la Plata](https://incaglossary.com/i/isla-de-la-plata.md)

(n) An
island off the coast of Ecuador from whence it is thought [Wiracocha](https://incaglossary.com/w/wiracocha.md)
disappeared over the waters to the horizon. Inca occupation of this
part of the empire was slight and problematic. Even so, important Inca
offerings including golden and silver human figurines have been found
on the otherwise unoccupied island suggesting that [qhapac hucha](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaqhucha.md) sacrifices
had been carried out there. [RTZ1]

## [Island of the Moon](https://incaglossary.com/i/island-of-the-moon.md)

*See*,
 [Appendix B.](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/b)

## [Island of the Sun](https://incaglossary.com/i/island-of-the-sun.md)

*See*,
 [Appendix B](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/b).

## [ispallas](https://incaglossary.com/i/ispallas.md)

(n) Airborne elementals that love to eat
[hucha](https://incaglossary.com/h/hucha.md).
 [JLH]

## [Itu](https://incaglossary.com/i/itu.md)

(n) An
important ceremony and festival held when the need arose, such as a
pestilence, earthquake, draught or if the Inca decided to go to war
himself. The men fasted and practiced celibacy, the women who had
animals, and people from the provinces were sent from the city ([Cusco](https://incaglossary.com/c/cusco.md)). Guards
were placed at the entrances to the city and no one was allowed to
enter during the festival. [Animals were sacrificed](https://incaglossary.com/r/raymiyahuar.md), and if the need was great, some [children as well](https://incaglossary.com/q-prime/qhapaqhucha.md). Everyone who
participated wore special costumes. After the ceremonies, the next day,
there was much feasting and rejoicing. The [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md) himself
was the only one who could perform this ceremony, although as a very
special favor, certain lords were allowed by the Inca to celebrate this
Itu festival in his land. [IRC] See, also,
 [Ayma](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayma.md).

## [itu apu](https://incaglossary.com/i/ituapu.md)

(n) (1) Mountain of your birth. Masculine spirit of one's place of
birth, also known as your guiding star. "Don Benito spent hours [scrying](https://incaglossary.com/s/scrying.md) in a cosmic plate to communicate
with his guiding star; it makes you part of a larger cosmic system."
[RS][QNO]
 The
equivalent feminine energy is called [paqarina](https://incaglossary.com/p/paqarina.md).
 [JLH] Refers to
the subterranean chamber of the [apu](https://incaglossary.com/a/apu.md). It is
through this chamber that the [curandero](https://incaglossary.com/c/curandero.md) travels in
order to meet the spirit of the apu called an [estrella](https://incaglossary.com/e/estrella.md). [PSPM]

## [ituy](https://incaglossary.com/i/ituy.md)

(v) to carry something heavy with both hands. [RS]

## [ivénki](https://incaglossary.com/i/ivenki.md)

Languages: Amaz

(n) The Ashanínka word for a tuberous herb of magical and
medicinal properties which are used according to their shape. [THIM]

## [iwanqiliu, ewanqelio](https://incaglossary.com/i/iwanqiliu.md)

(n) Gospel (sp.). [RS]

## [Iyapa](https://incaglossary.com/i/iyapa.md)

*See*,
 [Illapa](https://incaglossary.com/i/illapa.md).

## Sources

- **ACAI**: The Andean Codex, J.E. Williams
- **AEAA**: *Astronomy and Empire in the Ancient Andes*, Bauer and Dearborn
- **ANON1**: anonymous donor 1. Click * for explanation.
- **ASD**: *Vocabulario de la Lengua Aymara*
- **AVO**: my notes from Alberto Villoldo, various writings and lectures
- **AYV**: *Ayahuasca Visions,* Luna
- **CHAM**: Chamalu, Luis Espinoza
- **CSCR**: *Cut Stones and Crossroads*, Wright
- **DUKE**: www.ars-grin.gov/duke/syllabus/module8.htm
- **DYE**: Source not listed on the original Text Sources page.
- **EFD**: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com
- **EMM**: www.ayahuasca-shamanism.co.uk/
- **EPP**: *Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants*, Rätsch
- **GCC**: glossary.cassiopaea.com/glossary.php?id=397
- **GM**: www.gaiameditations.com
- **GOL**: *The Gift of Life*, Glass-Coffin.
- **HOI**: *History of the Incas,* Sarmiento de Gamboa
- **IAWS**: *Mythology, Illustrated Anthology of World Myth & Storytelling*
- **ICC**: *Inca Civilization in Cuzco*, Zuidema
- **IGMP**: *Andean Awakening*, Delgado
- **IRC**: *Inca Religion and Customs*, Cobo
- **JLH**: Jose Luis Herrera, various lectures
- **MAN**: *Mythology of the American Nations*, Jones and Molyneaux
- **MSIN**: conference paper *The Concept of Plants as Teachers among four Mestizo Shamans of Iquitos, Northeastern Perú*, Luna
- **NMHI**: *The Natural and Moral History of the Indies*, de Acosta
- **PGO**: Patt Grantham O’Neill, personal definitions I write when I cannot find a good one elsewhere.
- **POP**: *Portals of Power*, Langdon
- **PSPM**: *Pachakuti Mesa*, Magee
- **QNO**: www.quechuanetwork.org
- **QP**: *Quechua Phrasebook* , Coronel-Molina
- **REPC**: *Ruiz as an Ethnopharmacologist in Peru and Chile, *Schultes [taxonomy accuracy questionable]
- **ROR**: *Rituals of Respect*, Bolin
- **RS**: runasimi.de
- **RTZ1**: www.colorado.edu/Conferences/pilgrimage/papers/Zuidema.html
- **SVI**: *The Sacred Valley of the Incas: Myths and Symbols*, Elorrieta Salazar
- **TAV**: *The Awakening Valley, *Collier and Buitrón
- **TDJ**: *The Teachings of Don Juan*, Castaneda
- **TEQ**: *The Eagle’s Quest*, Wolf
- **THIM**: *The Three Halves of Ino Moxo*
- **WIKI**: en.wikipedia.org (no www)
- **WIKIQ**: en.wikiquote.org
- **WMG**: www.medicinegarden.com/SRE/PeruInitiation.html
- **WMO**: www.mythome.org
- **WOFW**: Source not listed on the original Text Sources page.
- **WPO**: www.pantheon.org
- **WUTE**: www.utexas.edu/utpress/excerpts/exbousex.html