Inca Symbols
The Incas had many symbols that they used for war, religion, and astrology. Among them stand out the shape of snakes, condors, corn, cougars, the sun, the lighting, and the coca plant. But there were two important symbols that for them were sacred. The first one is the Inca royal crown (The Mascaipacha), made from red wool with gold threads and two feathers from the Corequenque (Peruvian bird). Only the Inca emperor can wear this crown. It has a sun image in front to represent that the Inca emperor was in direct descent from the God Inti (Sun god). The most important deity in their pantheon.
The second important symbol for the Incas was the Chakana, a cross with a very peculiar shape. The shape of the Chakana is very complex even in mathematics.
In an article, they describe the following:
The Chakana is a geometrical shape, formed by one circle and one square inside the circle. The square is aligned with the vertices, right in the circle midpoints. Then inside the square, we can see another circle, but smaller and inside this small circle we found a second square. The second square is standing in one of its vertices, looking like a rhombus.
Archaeologists are impressed by the accurate mathematical geometry to shape the Incas represented in the art and textiles. In Inca mythology the path that Viracocha took from the lake Titicaca to Ecuador is represented in the Inca cross, the main points are aligned with the corner of the cross.
One thing is for sure, the Inca cross is one of the most mysterious shapes and symbols of history. It holds many secrets related to the Inca lifestyle and how they view the world around them.
Geometric Shape in Inca Art
The Incas were most famous for their art, most specifically for their ceramics and textiles. The decoration design for them often used geometrical shapes. The checkerboard stands out as a very popular design. The reason why their design was repetitive was to represent the specific community that made it.
Ceramics
The design for their pottery was abstract plant motifs and geometrical design, most commonly zig-zags and dots. Something they decorated with animals too.
Textiles
For their textiles, they used six main colors, black, white, green, yellow, orange, purple, and red. The most used abstract geometric designs, especially checkerboard motifs, repeated patterns across the surface. Some patterns could be ideograms. They also made non-geometrical subjects, often rendered in the abstract form including felines like jaguars and pumas, but also llamas, snakes, birds, and plants.
