# Y — Inca Glossary

> From the Inca Glossary by Patt O'Neill (© 2007, 2008, 2014).
> Web page: https://incaglossary.com/y
> 107 terms. Each term heading links to that term's own Markdown file.

## [Yacana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yacana.md)

(n) The [Llama](https://incaglossary.com/ll/llama.md), one of the dark cloud constellations,
or [Pachatira](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachatira.md), recognized in [Mayu](https://incaglossary.com/m/mayu.md). [MAN]
[ROR]

## [yacarca](https://incaglossary.com/y/yacarca.md)

(n) A [diviner](https://incaglossary.com/d/divination.md) by fire. They were greatly
feared by the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md) as well as by the
rest of the people, and wherever he went, the Inca took them with him. [IRC]

## [Yacumama](https://incaglossary.com/y/yacumama.md)

*See*, [yakumama](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakumama.md).

## [yachaj](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaj.md)

*See*, yachaq.

## [yachachi, yachachej](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachachi.md)

(n) Teacher. [HOI]

## [yachachiy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachachiy.md)

(n) A principle, a teaching.
(v) To teach. [PSL]

## [yachachiykunawan tratokunawan](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachachiykunawan-tratokunawan.md)

(n)
Doctrine and covenants (sp. trato). [PSL]

## [yachai sami rumi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaisamirumi.md)

(n) A [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md)'s stone that contains the [kawsay](https://incaglossary.com/k/kawsay.md) of a dead shaman, a spirit, or a
soul, or some combination thereof. [AYV] (*See*, [yachay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachay.md),
 [sami](https://incaglossary.com/s/sami.md), [rumi](https://incaglossary.com/r/rumi.md),
 [khuya](https://incaglossary.com/k-prime/khuya.md), [encanto](https://incaglossary.com/e/encanto.md).)

## [yachakuy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachakuy.md)

(v) To learn. [PSL]

## [yachana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachana.md)

(n) Schooling. [RS] Cultural knowledge which the
individual must balance with [ricsina](https://incaglossary.com/r/ricsina.md). [WCE] *See*, also, [yachaq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaq.md).)

## [yachana wasi, yachawasi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachana-wasi.md)

(n) Schoolhouse. [RS] The boys of the nobility were
sent to a school where they were taught by carefully chosen tutors. [Garcilaso](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/m#garcilaso) tells us about their
educational philosophy in the words of [Inca Roca](https://incaglossary.com/i/incaroca.md), “It is not licit to teach the children of low people [the [runa](https://incaglossary.com/r/runa.md)] the sciences which pertain to the
noblemen and to nobody else so that, as lowly gentry, they do not rise
and become proud; it is becoming enough that they learn the trade of
their parents, since the science of government does not belong to the
plebe…”

## [yachanaway](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachanaway.md)

yachay: (v) To learn. [RS]

## [yachapu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachapu.md)

(n) A
know-it-all. [DYE]

## [yachaq, yachaj, yacha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaq.md)

(n) The one who knows; the possessor of
knowledge.
[IGMP] The one who balances [ricsina](https://incaglossary.com/r/ricsina.md) with [yachana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachana.md),
and [muscuna](https://incaglossary.com/m/muscuna.md) with [yuyana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyana.md). [WCE] One who knows, master teacher
of the Andes. [ANON1]

## [yachay, yachai](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachay.md)

(n) (1) Wisdom, the impersonal application of knowledge. Head,
intuition, [seeing](https://incaglossary.com/s/seeing.md). [Shamanic](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md) yachai is the wisdom of open
spaces. There is nothing out there for you to discover because it is
already known. The power of intellect grounded in experience. [AVO]
[JLH] The attribute
of wisdom that involves acquiring knowledge beyond intellectual
understanding. [PSPM] (*See*, [llank'ay](https://incaglossary.com/ll/llankay.md) and [munay](https://incaglossary.com/m/munay.md).)
(2) A magical phlegm the novice [vegetalista](https://incaglossary.com/v/vegetalista.md)
receives (as an empowerment) at some point in the initiation, either
from the senior shaman or from the spirits. It is then coughed up as
needed during ceremonies, acting as a magnet to attract a [virote](https://incaglossary.com/v/virote.md), which is then sucked out by the
shaman. It also stores a [sorcerer](https://incaglossary.com/s/sorcerer.md)'s
virotes and [marupas](https://incaglossary.com/m/marupa.md). As yachay increases,
the vegetalista gains increasing access to the [underwater world](https://incaglossary.com/u/underwaterworld.md). [AYV] (*See*, also, [yausa](https://incaglossary.com/y/yausa.md), [mariri](https://incaglossary.com/m/mariri.md).)
 (3) The
upper energy center comprised of [chakras](https://incaglossary.com/c/chakra.md)
six, seven and eight. [JLH] (adj) Wise, intelligent. [PSL]

---

**Don
Dimitrio [the teacher] regurgitated during a ceremony what looked like
a small coiled millipede! When I met [the initiate], he confirmed it
was like a physical thing, and he still feels it inside him. The yachay
received by [another initiate] was passed on to him by smoking a pipe
filled with flowers of a special plant that don Ruperto gathered from
the river, once they naturally fell in water. The dry flowers were
mixed with [mapacho](https://incaglossary.com/m/mapacho.md) (and we don't know
what else) and smoked. This was the way don Ruperto himself got his
second yachay, and passed it on to [initiate], who maintains that the
yachay received directly from the mouth of the [maestro](https://incaglossary.com/m/maestro.md) is weaker

and less effective than the one that is obtained by smoking the pipe.** [EMM]

---

## [yachaynin](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaynin.md)

(n)
Knowledge. [DYE]

## [yachaypak](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaypak.md)

(adj)
Able to learn. [DYE]

## [yachayniyoj](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachayniyoj.md)

(adj) Wise, intelligent. [PSL] [QP]

## [yachayniyoj palabra](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachayniyoj-palabra.md)

(n) A
word to the wise (sp). [PSL]

## [yacu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yacu.md)

*See*, [yaku](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku.md).

## [yagé, yajé](https://incaglossary.com/y/yage.md)

(n) *See*, [ayahuasca](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayahuasca.md).

## [yagecero](https://incaglossary.com/y/yagecero.md)

*See*, [ayahuascero](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayahuascero.md).

## [yagé del monte](https://incaglossary.com/y/yage-del-monte.md)

(n) *Banisteriopsis
inebrians*. Another plant of the same genus as [ayahuasca](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayahuasca.md) (sp). [DYE]

## [Yagé Woman](https://incaglossary.com/y/yage-woman.md)

(n)
According to Tukano belief, she is directly responsible for providing
the Amazonian tribes with yajé, or [ayahuasca](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayahuasca.md).
Impregnated by the sun, when her son was born she rubbed him with
leaves from special plants until he shone bright red. She then took him
to the first men, each of whom claimed to be the father and each taking
a piece of the child. Thus each tribe acquired the plants used to make
the psychedelic brew. [MAN]

## [yahuar, yawar, llawar](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar.md)

(n) Blood,
blood lineage. [PSL] [RS]

## [yahuar-piripiri](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar-piripiri.md)

(n) (*Eleutherine bulbosa*)
The spirit of this plant is the [yahuar](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar.md)-toro
(blood bull); its [icaro](https://incaglossary.com/i/icaro.md) serves as a cure
for those who suffer [mal aire](https://incaglossary.com/m/malaire.md) or who
have been harmed by the [ayañawi](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayanawi.md), [ch'ullanchaki](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chullanchaki.md) or [maligno](https://incaglossary.com/m/maligno.md). [AYV]

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

Also known
as Inca Yupanqui, was the legendary seventh [Inca king](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md), probably sometime in the 14th Century. [MAN]

---

**His name means *weeps blood*.
He was the ruler who wept blood and who kept weeping blood every time
he had some political difficulty. Naturally it is very difficult to say
with any degree of certainty just what was ailing him. Chronicler [Salinas y Cordova](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/m#salinas) states that the
Emperor “wept blood when he was born and every time he made sacrifices
to the [Sun god](https://incaglossary.com/i/inti.md).” [Father Bernabe Cobo](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/m#cobo) says that “whenever he was overcome by his enemies, he
would weep blood.” Most other sources agree that he wept blood for the
first time when he was kidnapped by the political enemies of his
father, whereupon he was immediately returned to his home lest the gods
would destroy those who dared put their hands upon him. [DYE]**

---

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yahuarhuacac.jpg — Yahuar Huacac, from a drawing by Felipe Guaman [Poma](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/m#poma) de Ayala.

## [yahuar raymi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar-raymi.md)

*See*, [raymi yahuar](https://incaglossary.com/r/raymiyahuar.md).

## [yaku, yacu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku.md)

(n) Water; spirit of
water element. [RS]
 All
bodies of water are feminine. When water falls vertically to the ground
as rain, it is considered masculine. [IGMP]

## [yaku-lancha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku-lancha.md)

*See*, [supay-lancha](https://incaglossary.com/s/supay-lancha.md).

## [Yakumama, Yacumama](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakumama.md)

(adj) Left,
feminine, magical. (n) A giant anaconda, the mother (spirit) of waters,
mother of rivers. Deity of the river. This mythical being lives
exclusively in the water. [RS]
 Yakumama
means *Mother of the Water*. This water goddess was portrayed as
a snake. When she came to the earth's surface, she transformed into a
great river. She could also pass to the upper world. In that shape she
was called . [MJO] She is a huge anaconda
thought to live at the bottom of lakes and rivers. It's the water
counterpart of what the [Sach'amama](https://incaglossary.com/s/sachamama.md)
is on earth. [EMM] The Yakumama can dive deep
into the water and become a submarine or travel on the surface of the
water as a steamboat. [AYV] An ancient legend refers to
two mythical serpents who operated on all three levels of the universe.
[*See*, [Hanaqpacha](https://incaglossary.com/h/hanaqpacha.md), [Kaypacha](https://incaglossary.com/k/kaypacha.md),
and [Ukhupacha](https://incaglossary.com/u/ukhupacha.md).] They both began in the
Ukhupacha. When they reached the Kaypacha, Yakumama crawled and was
converted into the [Ucayali River](https://incaglossary.com/u/ucayali.md). Upon
reaching the Hanaqpacha, Yakumama turned into lightning and was called
Illapa and was god of the storm, thunder, and rain. The three worlds
were united by these serpent gods of water and fertility. [WOFW] *See*, [Wayramama](https://incaglossary.com/w/wayramama.md)
for definition and another picture, [mama](https://incaglossary.com/m/mama.md), [purahua](https://incaglossary.com/p/purahua.md).)

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yakumama.jpg — Yakumamas. Detail from a painting by Pablo Amaringo, an [ayahuascero](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayahuascero.md), of one of his visions. Here, the mamas are guarding the gates of a golden [city](https://incaglossary.com/c/cities.md) beneath the waters, into which a [muraya](https://incaglossary.com/m/muraya.md) is being led by two [mermaids](https://incaglossary.com/m/mermaid.md). The mamas are guarding the city with their tongues, and they capture anyone who tries to enter by force. [Yakuruna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakuruna.md) can be seen eating fish (lower right corner). [AYV]

## [yaku phajchay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku-phajchay.md)

(n)
Waterfall. [PSL]

## [yaku puma](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku-puma.md)

, yana yaku
lobos: (n) Giant river otter, also called a water jaguar and river
wolf. Black water wolves used by healers as guards of the aquatic [hark'anas](https://incaglossary.com/h/harkana.md) because they move very quickly
in the water. [AYV] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7YBLMRe2Yo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7YBLMRe2Yo) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01iWx4476pY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01iWx4476pY) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bchtQ4W4aIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bchtQ4W4aIo)

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yaku%20puma.jpg — Reaching 2 meters and 30 kilos in adulthood, the yaku puma was called water wolf by the Spanish.

## [yakuruna, yacuruna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakuruna.md)

(n) Mythical
amphibious, humanoid and hairy (ape-like) water denizens, who, along
with [mermaids](https://incaglossary.com/m/mermaid.md) and the pink river
dolphin ([bufeo colorado](https://incaglossary.com/b/bufeocolorado.md)), help the jungle [vegetalistas](https://incaglossary.com/v/vegetalista.md). Yakuruna are reputed to
kidnap people to keep as consorts, taking them to their underwater [cities](https://incaglossary.com/c/cities.md). They use boas stretched between
trees as hammocks, turtles as benches and their shells as sandals,
alligators as canoes, and pink dolphins as horses and messengers. Very
powerful and sovereign in their water environment, they can shapeshift
at will, ascending to the highest clouds to cause storms. Responsible
for tearing up large trees with heavy arms, they are also responsible
for the whirlpools which overturn heavily laden canoes. There are
several types of yakuruna: [masha yakuruna](https://incaglossary.com/m/masha-yakuruna.md), [taksha yakuruna](https://incaglossary.com/t/takshayakuruna.md), [yana-sacraruna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-saqraruna.md), [puka-ninaruna](https://incaglossary.com/p/puka-ninaruna.md). [AYV] The yacuruna are very often
associated and even identified with the [bufeos](https://incaglossary.com/b/bufeocolorado.md)
(considered malignant beings). [MSIN] (*See*, pictures at [jenin-yushinbaon carcel](https://incaglossary.com/j/jenin-yushinbaoncarcel.md) and [yakumama](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakumama.md).)

## [yaku warmi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku-warmi.md)

(n)
Underwater spirit wife of a [vegetalista](https://incaglossary.com/v/vegetalista.md).
(*See*, [warmi](https://incaglossary.com/w/warmi.md).)

## [yana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana.md)

(n) (1) Girl-friend;
boy-friend. [RS]
 (2)
An Incan serf. [GPA] (adj) Black. [RS]
 Dark,
obscure. [ACES] Sometimes translated as *black*;
however, in the Quechua conception of light or color classifications,
yana is thought of as *dark* (or *obscure*) in opposition
to *light*, rather than as *black* opposed to *white*.
 [ACES]

## [yanachakuy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanachakuy.md)

(n) (1) Wedding. [QP] (2) The Andean ritual for
joining together two different energy bubbles. (*See*, [yananchaku](https://incaglossary.com/y/yananchaku.md),
 [masichakuy](https://incaglossary.com/m/masichakuy.md), [yanantin](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanantin.md), [masintin](https://incaglossary.com/m/masintin.md).)
(v) (1) To come together in marriage. (2) To drink the second glass of
alcohol. [RS]

## [yana chunpi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-chunpi.md)

*See*, [chunpi](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chunpi.md).

## [Yanahuanga, Yanahuanca](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanahuanga.md)

*See*, [Chaparrí](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chaparri.md).

## [yanakuna, yanacona](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanakuna.md)

(n) Literally, *the
blacks* (*yana* = black + *-kuna*, plural suffix). The
servant class in Inca society. The association of the color black was
with people who had no kinship to the [Inca](https://incaglossary.com/s/sapainca.md)
ruler, not with race. The yanakuna were the male equivalent of the [akllakuna](https://incaglossary.com/a/aklla.md), although their tasks were mainly
secular. They were not necessarily of low status; some scholars see
them as the beginning of an upwardly mobile middle class. [CSCR] Slaves; people forced to
compulsory service for the landlord; home servants. [RS] Servants and artisans. [WOFW]

## [yananchaku](https://incaglossary.com/y/yananchaku.md)

(n) Union. [RS]

## [yananchanakuy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yananchanakuy.md)

(v) To meet, reunite. [RS]

## [yanantin](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanantin.md)

(n) Unconscious side.
Relationship of dissimilar energies. Harmonious relationship between
different things; what we usually conceive as opposites the [Incas](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md) conceive as complements; ie, male and
female, light and dark, right and left. A pair; bride and groom. [RS]
[ROR] “Yanantin is
the ring, [masintin](https://incaglossary.com/m/masintin.md) is the resonance
inside the ring.” Yanantin is also a similar quality or equivalence.
The [zero point](https://incaglossary.com/z/zeropoint.md) of this is [hapu](https://incaglossary.com/h/hapu.md). [JLH] What we usually conceive as
opposites the Incas conceive as complements. [NND]

## [yanapay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanapay.md)

(v) To help, assist. [QP]

## [Yana Phuyu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-phuyu.md)

(n)
Literally, *dark cloud*. (1) The collective name for the dark
cloud constellations within [Mayu](https://incaglossary.com/m/mayu.md). [MAN] Pachatira are still thought
of as animal constellations. The movement of the dark cloud
constellations across the sky is used to predict zoological cycles on
earth and to time fauna-related activity. This traditional knowledge
was kept by the [Misminay](https://incaglossary.com/m/misminay.md). [MAR] They are listed here in the
order in which they rise along the southeastern horizon (see fig.
below): [Mach'ácuay](https://incaglossary.com/m/machacuay.md) (Serpent), [Hanp'átu](https://incaglossary.com/h/hanpatu.md) (Toad), [Yutu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yutu.md)
(Tinamou), [Llama](https://incaglossary.com/ll/llama.md), [Uñallamacha](https://incaglossary.com/u/unallamacha.md) (Baby Llama connected to
mother by umbilicus), [Atoq](https://incaglossary.com/a/atoq.md) (Fox), and Yutu
again. [ACES] (2) "We've known that it
[dark matter] exists for more than 25 years," says astronomer Virginia
Trimble... How can astronomers be so certain of something they have
never seen? The answer comes from observations of how stars and
galaxies move.... Within spiral galaxies, individual stars and clouds
of gas are orbiting faster than they should if they were only being
affected by the gravity of the galaxy's visible matter. The same is
true for clusters of galaxies: The motions of individual galaxies can't
be explained by the gravity of what astronomers can see.  To
explain these observations, astronomers have deduced that galaxies are
surrounded by vast halos of a different, unseen kind of matter. This
so-called dark matter is invisible to us because it does not radiate
energy. But it does have mass, and that means it can supply the extra
gravity necessary to hold galaxies, and clusters of galaxies, together.
Even in the bizarre world of cosmology, it's a strange proposition. [WSC1] Mysterious dark matter is
spread around the universe just like regular matter... The studies show
that both forms of matter work in concert to build delicate *filaments*
(*see*, [ceke](https://incaglossary.com/c/ceke.md))
in space, with dense junctions where galaxies cluster together.... The
resulting structures look something like spider webs... [D]ark matter
and galaxies trace out the same shapes and structures. They become
sculpted into nearly identical sheets and filaments, with vast expanses
of near-nothingness in between. [WSC2] Astronomers have deduced that
galaxies are surrounded by vast halos of a different, unseen kind of
matter. *[**See**,
image below of such a halo.]* Dark matter is invisible and
non-reflective, it cannot be seen directly. The technique astronomers
used to find the ring pictured below is called gravitational lensing.
No one has ever seen dark matter. [LAT1] Dark cloud constellations are
located in that portion of the Milky Way where one sees the densest
clustering of stars and the greatest surface brightness and where the
fixed clouds of interstellar dust ([Pachatira](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachatira.md))
which cut through the Milky Way therefore appear in sharper contrast. [ACES]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yanaphuyu1.jpg — (Def. 1) The Yana Phuyu as viewed from Misminay. [ACES]
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yanaphuyu2.jpg — [IMAGE LEFT] (Def. 2) A ring of dark matter. This ripple of dark matter was formed by the collision of galaxy clusters. (Hubble). [IMAGE RIGHT] (Def. 2) Although shaped like a kidney, the dark cloud known as Barnard 68 appears to beat like a heart, pulsing once every 250,000 years.
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/paint362.jpg

## [Yana Puma](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-puma.md)

(n) (1) The
black jaguar. (2) The black [jaguar](https://incaglossary.com/j/jaguar.md) that
mythically lives both on earth and in water and is considered by
Amazonians to be a bridge between the two elements. It is destructive
and voracious. Its [icaro](https://incaglossary.com/i/icaro.md) is used for [mal aire](https://incaglossary.com/m/malaire.md) and to put an [hark'ana](https://incaglossary.com/h/harkana.md) on the newly born to ensure
strength, to make it easy for pregnant women to give birth, and as a
defense when one is attacked by a [sorcerer](https://incaglossary.com/s/sorcerer.md)
during a trance. She can make people sleep in order to devour them. [AYV]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yanapuma.jpeg — Yanapuma, the black jaguar.

## [yana-saqraruna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-saqraruna.md)

(n) Literally, *black
evil people*. This type of [yakuruna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yakuruna.md)
is so named because he is a practitioner of black magic. His sole
purpose is to kill, and he take great pleasure in causing riverbanks to
collapse. The yana-saqraruna is an ally of the [sorcerers](https://incaglossary.com/s/sorcerer.md). He lives in the deepest,
darkest caves of the [underwater world](https://incaglossary.com/u/underwaterworld.md)
and uses a red conch as a fan to cast his evil spells. [AYV]
 (*See*, [saqra](https://incaglossary.com/s/saqra.md).)

## [yanaymi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yanaymi.md)

(n) My equivalent one. [JLH]

## [yana yaku lobos](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-yaku-lobos.md)

*See*, [yaku puma](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaku-puma.md).

## [yangunturo](https://incaglossary.com/y/yangunturo.md)

(n) *Priodontes maximus*.
The giant armadillo of the Amazon, also called *Carachupa* [Mama](https://incaglossary.com/m/mama.md). [AYV] The Giant Armadillo can grow
up to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 130 lbs. The Giant Armadillo
population covers a wide area. Although most are found in the Amazon
Basin its territory stretches from North Eastern Venezuela and South to
parts of Northern Argentina. Its habitat is varied and they have been
found in floodplains, tropical and subtropical rainforests, dry
woodlands and even up to 1500 feet above sea level. A large population
of termites and ants is a prerequisite for Giant Armadillos inhabiting
an area. It is thought that they live in an area of about 2 square
miles. Once a Giant Armadillo encounters a termite mound it will
completely consume all its inhabitants. It is thought that Giant
Armadillos can swim but generally they stick to dry land. They are
usually loners only meeting up with others to mate. They are nocturnal
and spend the daytime in burrows which they dig with their strong legs
and extra long claws. The Giant Armadillo can stand on its hind legs
and reach into the higher parts of termite mounds if it has to. Usually
when they have destroyed a termite mound they bury themselves beneath
it and stay there for some time before moving on. The Giant Armadillo
has a bony shell which covers most of its body, its head and other
extremities can be hidden underneath the shell when attacked by a
predator. They also have a very big central claw.
[IPT]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yangunturo.jpg — A yangunturo, or giant armadillo.
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yangunturonote.jpg — A Venezuelan bank note honoring the yangunturo.

## [yankallan](https://incaglossary.com/y/yankallan.md)

(adj) Free, no cost. [QP]

## [yapanapukuna](https://incaglossary.com/y/yapanapukuna.md)

(n) All the holy mountains. [JLH]

## [yas](https://incaglossary.com/y/yas.md)

*See*, [borrachero](https://incaglossary.com/b/borrachero.md).

## [yatichatha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatichatha.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Teach. [ASD]

## [yatichiri](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatichiri.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Teacher. [ASD]

## [yatiña](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatina.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Science. [ASD]

## [yatiri](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatiri.md)

(n) [Medicine](https://incaglossary.com/m/medicine.md) woman from the Island of the Moon
in [Lake Titicaca](https://incaglossary.com/l/laketiticaca.md). They are known to
melt lead and drop it into cold water, [divining](https://incaglossary.com/d/divination.md)
forms and invoking [Koa](https://incaglossary.com/k/koa.md). [JLH]

Special Aymaran diviners who ascertain the future through the medium of
 [coca](https://incaglossary.com/c/coca.md). A yatiri may locate lost
or stolen property, divine the outcome of a marriage or trading
venture, discover infidelity, or tell whether a sick person will live
or die. Much attention is also paid to dreams. [WOFW] (*See*, [Appendix B](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/b) for map of Lake Titicaca, [yatichatha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatichatha.md), [yatichiri](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatichiri.md),
 [yatiña](https://incaglossary.com/y/yatina.md).)

## [yausa](https://incaglossary.com/y/yausa.md)

*See*, [yachay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachay.md).

## [Yauyos](https://incaglossary.com/y/yauyos.md)

(n) One of the legendary
lineage [ayllus](https://incaglossary.com/a/ayllu.md) of [Cajatambo](https://incaglossary.com/c/cajatambo.md). [MAN]

## [yawar](https://incaglossary.com/y/yawar.md)

*See*, [yahuar](https://incaglossary.com/y/yahuar.md).

## [yawarchay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yawarchay.md)

(v) To bleed. [QP]

## [yaya](https://incaglossary.com/y/yaya.md)

(n) Priest, God. [QP]

## [yawning](https://incaglossary.com/y/yawning.md)

Languages: Eng

(n)
Once a [mesa](https://incaglossary.com/m/mesa.md) [def. #5] has begun, yawning is
a sign of [daño](https://incaglossary.com/d/dano.md). [GOL]

## [Yaya-Mama](https://incaglossary.com/y/yayamama.md)

(n) Literally, *Father-Mother*.
A religious tradition which endured for centuries (ca. 800 B.C. to ca.
300 A.D.) and that unified the diverse peoples living around [Lake Titicaca](https://incaglossary.com/l/laketiticaca.md) for the first time. It
is named after a tall carved stone monument from a site at the Northern
end of the lake. Because it displays stylized male and female figures
on opposite faces (see image below), this monument is called the
Yaya-Mama stela. The beliefs were perpetuated by the [Tiwanako](https://incaglossary.com/t/tiwanako.md) cultures and later repeated by
the Inca. The longevity of Yaya-Mama aesthetic forms reflect the depth
and power of the ancient beliefs and practices. [TAI] (*See*, [lo andino](https://incaglossary.com/l/loandino.md).)

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yayamama.jpg — The Yaya-Mama stela which gave the religion its name. [TAI]

## [yclesia](https://incaglossary.com/y/yclesia.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Church/sacred
place (sp). From Spanish *iglesia*. [ASD]

## [ychurichuc](https://incaglossary.com/y/ychurichuc.md)

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

## [yellow ayahuasca](https://incaglossary.com/y/yellow-ayahuasca.md)

*See*, [cielo ayahuasca](https://incaglossary.com/c/cieloayahuasca.md).

## [Ynti](https://incaglossary.com/y/ynti.md)

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

## [yerba del moro hembra](https://incaglossary.com/y/yerba-del-moro-hembra.md)

, and **yerba
del moro macho** (Span): (n) *Achyranthes obovata* and *Achryranthes
rigida*, respectively. Both specimens are employed in decoction to
lessen bleeding. Crushed with salt, they are applied to lessen bloody
hemorrhages and heal ulcers: the poultice is changed every 24 hours.
The natives heal bruises and cuts of the feet caused by splinters
when shoes are not worn. [REPC]

## [yoc, yoq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoc.md)

(n) The [power](https://incaglossary.com/p/power.md) subscribed to and that flows through
the [shaman](https://incaglossary.com/s/shaman.md). [JLH]

## [-yoc, -yoq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoc-2.md)

(suff) With;
possessing; having; having as property. [RS]

## [yocalla](https://incaglossary.com/y/yocalla.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Young man. [ASD]

## [yoq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoq.md)

*See*, [yoc](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoc.md).

## [yoco, yoko](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoco.md)

*See*, [huarmi-yoco](https://incaglossary.com/h/huarmiyoco.md).

## [yonque](https://incaglossary.com/y/yonque.md)

(n) Cane
alcohol. [GOL]

## [yoqsi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yoqsi.md)

*See*, [lloqsi](https://incaglossary.com/ll/lloqsi.md).

## [yuca](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuca.md)

(n) *Manihot
esculenta*, also called manioc, tapioca (predominantly in India) and
manioc root,. Native to South America, it is extensively cultivated as
an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible
starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates and gluten free.
It differs from the similarly spelled yucca. Cassava, when dried to a
powdery (or pearly) extract, is called tapioca. Cassava root is a good
source of carbohydrates, but a poor source of protein. Cassava is
classified as sweet or bitter. Like other roots and tubers, cassava
contains antinutritional factors and toxins. It must be properly
prepared before consumption. **Improper preparation of cassava can
leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and
goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis.** [emphasis
mine] Cassava must be cooked properly to detoxify it before it is
eaten. A safe processing method used by the pre-Columbian indigenous
people of the Americas is to mix the cassava flour with water into a
thick paste and then let it stand in the shade for five hours in a thin
layer spread over a basket. In that time, about 83% of the cyanogenic
glycosides are broken down; the resulting hydrogen cyanide escapes to
the atmosphere, making the flour safe for consumption the same evening.
Cassava root has been promoted as a treatment for bladder and prostate
cancer. [WIKI] [https://www.incaglossary.org/recipes_files/yuca.recipes.html](https://www.incaglossary.org/recipes_files/yuca.recipes.html)

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yuca.jpg — Yuca, or cassava, is native to South America. Now grown all over the world, it is the source of tapioca. Larco Museum

## [yumbo](https://incaglossary.com/y/yumbo.md)

Languages: Ecua

(n) A fierce native of the jungle. Villagers dress as Indians
and “attack” the [loa](https://incaglossary.com/l/loa.md) and the patron of a
festival by throwing sugar and candy, trying to hit their faces and
draw blood. [TAV]

## [yunka, yunga](https://incaglossary.com/y/yunka.md)

(n) (1) Jungle, forest. [PSL] Coastal valley; jungle;
forest. [RS] (2) Named
after the low valleys of the Pacific coast, the yunka were people
adapted to hot and either dry or humid climates, biologically fit not
only to withstand high temperatures and dehydration or dampness, but
possessing a long-standing, inbred immunity to malaria and many other
tropical diseases common to those areas. [DYE] See,
 [climatology](https://incaglossary.com/c/climatology.md), [quechua](https://incaglossary.com/q/quechua-quichua.md) (def. 2), [colla](https://incaglossary.com/c/colla.md).

## [yupana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yupana.md)

(n)
Literally, *counting tool*. The yupana is a device used by the
Incas, presumably as a type of calculator. According to Spanish priest
José de Acosta (1590), “In order to carry out a very difficult
computation for which an able computer would require pen and paper,
these Indians make use of their [maize] kernels. They place one here,
three somewhere else and eight. They move one kernel here and there and
the fact is that they are able to complete their computation without
making the smallest mistake. As a matter of fact, they are better at
practical arithmetic than we are with pen and ink. Whether this is not
ingenious and whether these people are wild animals let those judge who
will! What I consider as certain is that in what they undertake to do
they are superior to us.” Researchers believe that such calculators
were based on [Fibonacci numbers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number) to minimize the number of necessary grains per field. [WIKI] Click [here](https://incaglossary.com/pdfs/IncanAbacus.pdf) to download an article regarding the
mathematics of this device. *See*, also, [quipu](https://incaglossary.com/q/quipu.md) and [Appendix C](https://incaglossary.com/appendix/c).

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yupana.png — Yupana in a display case. [WIKI]

## [yupaycatha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yupaycatha.md)

Languages: AYM

(v) To honor. [ASD]

## [yupaychana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yupaychana.md)

(n) Punch'ay, sabbath. [QP]

## [yupaychay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yupaychay.md)

(v) To honor, to worship. [PSL]

## [yupaychay wasi](https://incaglossary.com/y/yupaychay-wasi.md)

(n) Church,
temple. [QP] (*See*, [wasi](https://incaglossary.com/w/wasi.md).)

## [yura-aya](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuraaya.md)

(n) Literally, *plant (or bush) spirit*. This creature has four
horns as antennae that pick up all kinds of supernatural bodies. (*See*, picture at [allpa-pishco](https://incaglossary.com/a/allpa-pishco.md).) [AYV]

## [yurag](https://incaglossary.com/y/yurag.md)

(n) Plant spirit.

## [yuritha](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuritha.md)

Languages: AYM

(n) Birth. [ASD]

## [yuruhuacta](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuruhuacta.md)

(n) *Solanum
luteoalbum*. The
natives of Peru apply the leaves upside down to bring ulcers and sores
to a head. When applied under side down, the leaves are believed also
to heal sores. [REPC]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yuruhuacta1.jpg — Yuruhuacta leaves (left, [EOL](https://incaglossary.com/sources#EOL)) and flower (right).
- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/yuruhuacta2.jpg

## [Yutu, Yutu-Yutu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yutu.md)

(n) The tinamou (a partridge-like bird), *Eudromia elegans*
– one of the [pachatira](https://incaglossary.com/p/pachatira.md), or dark cloud
constellations. [MAN] One of the [Yana Phuyu](https://incaglossary.com/y/yana-phuyu.md). The Yutu of Quechua astronomy
is equivalent to the Western constellation of the Coalsack (one of the
few dark spots recognized and named in Western astronomy). The
partridge-like yutus resemble a game bird with short legs, compact body
and small head with slender neck. They lay eggs of all the colors of
the rainbow. In [Mayu](https://incaglossary.com/m/mayu.md), which is considered
the equivalent of a nocturnal rainbow, Yutu is located at the top of
the arc. [ACES]

- Image: https://incaglossary.com/images/Y_files/tinamou.jpg — A yutu, or tinamou. One of the most ancient living groups of bird, they are most closely related to the flightless ratites and first appear in the fossil record in the Miocene epoch. They are generally sedentary, ground dwelling and, though not flightless, when possible avoid flight in favour of hiding or running away from danger.

## [yuya](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuya.md)

(n) Wisdom, primary meaning. Acquisition of knowledge through
observation and knowing. One of the major organizing principle(s). (*See*, [saiwa](https://incaglossary.com/s/saiwa.md),
 [munay](https://incaglossary.com/m/munay.md), [nuna](https://incaglossary.com/n/nuna.md),
 chekak, [ch'ulla](https://incaglossary.com/ch/chulla.md), [kallari](https://incaglossary.com/k/kallari.md),
 [kawsay](https://incaglossary.com/k/kawsay.md).) [JLH]
 A
root word common to concepts like soul, thinking, imagination,
remembrance, decision, learning and many others related to
psychological functions which not only gives us an idea of the richness
of Quechua, but also of the knowledge which the [Incas](https://incaglossary.com/i/inca.md)
had about these functions. [DYE] *See*, words
below beginning with *yuya*.

---

**All
the derivatives of the root *yuya* always related to the
activities of the mind. Only occasionally one sees the root *uma*
– which signifies head – in reference to concepts which present
knowledge ascribed to this area of the human organism.** [DYE]

---

## [yuyacuni](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyacuni.md)

(v) To
decide. [DYE]

## [yuyachiq, yuyacheq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyachiq.md)

(n) Reminder;
remembrance. [RS]

## [yuyachiy, yuyachina](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyachiy.md)

(v) To remind. [RS]

## [yuyana](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyana.md)

(n) Memory, idea;
supposition. [RS] Learning, which the
individual must balance with [muscuna](https://incaglossary.com/m/muscuna.md). [WCE] Imagination. [DYE] (*See*, also, [yachaq](https://incaglossary.com/y/yachaq.md).)

## [yuyani](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyani.md)

(v) To
think. [DYE]

## [yuyaq, yuyac, yuyak](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyaq.md)

(adj)
Thoughtful. Judicious. [DYE] (n) (1)
Adult; elder and wise adult. [RS] A thinker. [DYE]
(2) Soul. [DYE] [The word
for *soul* here is also the word root for other words about
mental functioning. In English, the Greek word *psyche* is a word
used the same way. *Psyche* originally meant spirit or soul, but
is now used (some would say politically redefined) as the function of
the brain. -- Patt]

## [yuyarayani](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyarayani.md)

(v) To
memorize. [DYE]

## [yuyarini](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyarini.md)

(v) To
meditate. [DYE]

## [yuyariy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyariy.md)

(v) To remember. [QP]

## [yuyay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyay.md)

(n) Thought, memory. (v) To
think, to remember. [PSL]

## [yuyaychini](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyaychini.md)

(v) To
remember. [DYE]

## [yuyaynin](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyaynin.md)

(n)
Thought, intelligence. [DYE]

## [yuyay pantay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyay-pantay.md)

(n) Mental
confusion. [QP]

## [yuyayquy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyayquy.md)

(n) Advice. [QP]

## [yuyayukuy](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyayukuy.md)

(v) To realize. [QP]

## [yuyaychay](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyaychay.md)

(v) To counsel. [QP]

## [yuyaychaj](https://incaglossary.com/y/yuyaychaj.md)

(n) Counselor. [PSL]

## Sources

- **ACES**: *At the Crossroads of Earth and Sky*, Urton
- **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
- **CSCR**: *Cut Stones and Crossroads*, Wright
- **DYE**: Source not listed on the original Text Sources page.
- **EMM**: www.ayahuasca-shamanism.co.uk/
- **GOL**: *The Gift of Life*, Glass-Coffin.
- **GPA**: *El primer nueva coronica y buen gobierno, *Poma de Ayala.
- **HOI**: *History of the Incas,* Sarmiento de Gamboa
- **IGMP**: *Andean Awakening*, Delgado
- **IPT**: www.iquitostimes.com/giant_armadillo.htm
- **IRC**: *Inca Religion and Customs*, Cobo
- **JLH**: Jose Luis Herrera, various lectures
- **LAT1**: Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2007
- **MAN**: *Mythology of the American Nations*, Jones and Molyneaux
- **MAR**: www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/archy/ aymara/inca.html
- **MJO**: www.mythicjourneys.org
- **MSIN**: conference paper *The Concept of Plants as Teachers among four Mestizo Shamans of Iquitos, Northeastern Perú*, Luna
- **NND**: www.netnaturdoktoren.dk/ordbog.htm
- **PSL**: www.geocities.com/phillott/Bolivia/Dictionary02.htm  Bolivian Quechua
- **PSPM**: *Pachakuti Mesa*, Magee
- **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
- **TAI**: *Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca,* Young-Sánchez
- **TAV**: *The Awakening Valley, *Collier and Buitrón
- **WCE**: [World Culture Encyclopedia] www.everyculture.com/South-America/ Canelos-Quichua-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html
- **WIKI**: en.wikipedia.org (no www)
- **WOFW**: Source not listed on the original Text Sources page.
- **WSC1**: www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/cosmic_darkmatt_020108-1.html
- **WSC2**: www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/dark_matter_011211.html