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Europe (MacCormack 17). This “faithful imagination” of the saints having a daily influence on the Earth was

applied directly to outward, divine intervention; a direct communication from the Heavens down to its denizens on

Earth (MacCormack 23).

Another similarity between Catholicism and Andean Spirituality was that practice of syncretism in their

formations. Christianity has adopted many aspects of other religions into its own, from the celebration of

Christmas in December as a response to Pagan solstice festivals to the practice of the Passover Seder Meal every

sunday from Judaism. It was this aspect of syncretism which both faiths shared that would allow them to coalesce

in Peru after the Discovery of Peru in 1592.

The first Spanish invaders of the Andes had no other experience outside of Catholicism by which to

explain the native traditions they encountered there and so our first historical records of Andean Tradition describe

it as it relates directly to Christianity (MacCormack 49). To the early Spanish, the Andean faith was a clear sign of

the influence of demons on the imaginative nature of the human mind. One such famous observance occurred at

the Temple of Pachacamac, where the Spanish raiders of the temple were astounded by the dark central chamber

devoted to a single wooden totem. When the Spanish saw that the totem was carved in scenes of sacrifice, disaster,

and violence, they swore it was the devil that these people so worshiped (Wood, The Conquest of the Inca).

The previous Conquest of Mexico by the Spanish had shown them that capturing the Aztec Emperor

Montezuma had robbed the people of their bravery and the Aztec religious order began to fall apart with the image

of their Emperor so powerless to stop these invaders. As a result of this, the Spanish who arrived in Peru had

decided that a proper course of action to take would be to set up a situation where they might capture and hold the

Inca Emperor Atahualpa to achieve the same effect as had occurred in Mexico (MacCormack 55). The capture and

murder of Atahualpa did not have the desired effect. Due to the recent events of an Andean Civil War, Atahualpa

did not in fact have the political support of Cusco and was not so loved across the Empire. The Inca Empire was

not nearly so centralized as the Aztec had been and the execution of the Emperor did little to change the political

and religious order of the Andes.

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