HOME | DD

Description

In traditional, pre-Hispanic Andean cosmology of the Kichwa (a.k.a Quechua, group which includes the Incas) and Aymara peoples, Supay refers to spirits from Uku Pacha, the underworld, as well to its ruler, the personification of death, a god associated with caves and the underground.

Uku Pacha, the underworld, has been traditionally associated with snakes whereas the upper world, Hanan Pacha, has been associated with the Andean Condor. Eventually, since the colonial period, Supay has been equated to the figure of the christian devil in local syncretic beliefs, and borrowed part of his iconography, being often depicted with horns, huge eyes and fangs, despite being a deity that's neither good or evil, just one who plays a role in managing the underworld, where the ancestors dwell after death.

In the background, behind Supay, stands the Chakana (literally "bridge" in Runa Simi the language of the Kichwa), or "Inca Cross", a common, pre-Inca and pan-Andean motif later inerpreted as a representation of the connection between Hanan Pacha, the upper world, Kay Pacha, our world, and Ukhu Pacha, where the spirits of the ancestors dwell. I also chose to represent the two staffs used by the "Staff God" of ancient Tiwanaku, believed by some to be a representation of Wiracocha ("Sea Foam" in Runa Simi) the creator god. The oldest possible depiction of the Andean staff god, however, unlike that from the more well known Gate of the Sun in Tiwanaku, on broken gourd fragments, in a burial site at the Norte Chico region, Peru, depicts him with fangs, and dates to ca. the 23rd Century b.c. The stela at Chavin de Huantar also depicts a fanged god holding one staff in each hand. Other distinct ancient Andean cultures also depicted a similar figure in their art. Here the staffs depict the Puma, the Condor, and maize.

To this day, Supay is a figure invoked in the elaborate costumes worn by dancers of the "Diabladas", a folk dance common in the Altiplano region of South America, especially in Qollasuyu (Bolivia). The diabladas however ultimately descends from the Llama llama dance which the local Uru peoples dedicated to the god Tiw in pre-Hispanic times. Similar figures exist among folk dances from the highlands of the Qusqu / Cusco region of Peru, in the form of the "Saqra" ("malignant, evil, wicked" in Runa Simi - the Kichwa / Quechua language), dancers who wear elaborate costumes representing monsters.

Supay, how the underworld god is known in Runa Simi (the Kichwa / Quechua language), is associated with the Anchanchu figure from traditional Aymara belief, and the "El Tío" ("the Uncle") figure from colonial era Bolivia, a figure more commonly invoked or honored by local miners, for his association with caves - as with Anchanchu and Supay.

Mixed media illustration (ink drawing on paper + digital painting) by Zamahel, 2022
Digital collectible version minted and sold in the Tezos Blockchain

Description

In traditional, pre-Hispanic Andean cosmology of the Kichwa (a.k.a Quechua, group which includes the Incas) and Aymara peoples, Supay refers to spirits from Uku Pacha, the underworld, as well to its ruler, the personification of death, a god associated with caves and the underground.

Uku Pacha, the underworld, has been traditionally associated with snakes whereas the upper world, Hanan Pacha, has been associated with the Andean Condor. Eventually, since the colonial period, Supay has been equated to the figure of the christian devil in local syncretic beliefs, and borrowed part of his iconography, being often depicted with horns, huge eyes and fangs, despite being a deity that's neither good or evil, just one who plays a role in managing the underworld, where the ancestors dwell after death.

In the background, behind Supay, stands the Chakana (literally "bridge" in Runa Simi the language of the Kichwa), or "Inca Cross", a common, pre-Inca and pan-Andean motif later inerpreted as a representation of the connection between Hanan Pacha, the upper world, Kay Pacha, our world, and Ukhu Pacha, where the spirits of the ancestors dwell. I also chose to represent the two staffs used by the "Staff God" of ancient Tiwanaku, believed by some to be a representation of Wiracocha ("Sea Foam" in Runa Simi) the creator god. The oldest possible depiction of the Andean staff god, however, unlike that from the more well known Gate of the Sun in Tiwanaku, on broken gourd fragments, in a burial site at the Norte Chico region, Peru, depicts him with fangs, and dates to ca. the 23rd Century b.c. The stela at Chavin de Huantar also depicts a fanged god holding one staff in each hand. Other distinct ancient Andean cultures also depicted a similar figure in their art. Here the staffs depict the Puma, the Condor, and maize.

To this day, Supay is a figure invoked in the elaborate costumes worn by dancers of the "Diabladas", a folk dance common in the Altiplano region of South America, especially in Qollasuyu (Bolivia). The diabladas however ultimately descends from the Llama llama dance which the local Uru peoples dedicated to the god Tiw in pre-Hispanic times. Similar figures exist among folk dances from the highlands of the Qusqu / Cusco region of Peru, in the form of the "Saqra" ("malignant, evil, wicked" in Runa Simi - the Kichwa / Quechua language), dancers who wear elaborate costumes representing monsters.

Supay, how the underworld god is known in Runa Simi (the Kichwa / Quechua language), is associated with the Anchanchu figure from traditional Aymara belief, and the "El Tío" ("the Uncle") figure from colonial era Bolivia, a figure more commonly invoked or honored by local miners, for his association with caves - as with Anchanchu and Supay.

Mixed media illustration (ink drawing on paper + digital painting) by Zamahel, 2022
Digital collectible version minted and sold in the Tezos Blockchain