Revival of Inca culture
Taki Onqoy: the Dancing Sickness
After the magistrate of Cuzco, Juan Polo de Ondegardo, discovered that in 1558 the descendants of Inca kings were still worshipping their ancestors' mummies, he launched a campaign to find the mummies and dispatch them to the coast. The capture of these mummies resulted in the creation of a clandestine movement called Taki Onqoy, the "Dancing Sickness", invented as a cause to reject all things European and restore traditional Andean ways of life and religion. The movement featured ecstatic dancing during which the dancers went into trances as if possessed. Its leaders also encouraged members to find and store weapons in secret as part of an anticipated rebellion.
Unfortunately, this secret movement was revealed during a Catholic confessional and the priest informed the Spanish authorities in Lima. In the end, the uprising did not take place as the authorities rooted out its leaders and confiscated the weapons. It was, however, the beginning of a general popular feeling that glorified the past, and over the years the myth of Inkarii began to emerge. A syncretic figure blending the Inca with the rey (Spanish for king), he would return to the Andes to free the native peoples from their European bondage, and even in modern times cycles of myths about Inkarri persist in Andean society.
Legacy and revival
Philosophies and attitudes key to the society of the Incas continue to pervade many of the communities of the Peruvian highlands. Links between kin, social support and the relationship between humans and the land that supports them are key pillars of modern society; cooperative ownership of resources and the equal sharing of labour for communal projects are still part of their way of life.
Although the Spanish tried to eradicate native religions and convert the Andean people to Christianity, a form of religious syncretism combined with the natural secrecy of passing down rites and rituals to one's immediate kin in the scattered villages of the highlands ensured many of the old beliefs survive to the present day. People still observe many of the same constellations and celestial passages that were a part of Inca cosmology, and offerings of coca and chicha are still made to Pachamama, the earth Goddess, throughout the highlands. Pilgrimages to ancient shrines high in the Andes, such as the summits of Huanacauri and Nevado Sinakara, are deadly serious events that occasionally claim the lives of the dedicated pilgrims determined to make their offering to the ancient powers inhabiting the land.
As part of Peru's heritage, the Inca remain an important legacy. Peru's currency was called the Inti, named after the sun or Sun God of the Incas, in the 1980's, and is currently called the Nuevo Sol, Spanish for "New Sun". One of the national drinks of Peru is Inca Kola, which has a larger market share than either Coca-Cola or Pepsi. During the presedential election of 2000, a rally in Lima was called "La Marcha de los Cuatro Suyos", or "The March of the Four Parts".
Finally, tourism has had a significant positive impact on the general Peruvian awareness and perception of the Incas. The tourist boom brought a large influx of cash, created jobs, raised the profile of historic sites and resulted in the government, in general, taking great care of the old remains of the empire. Although tourism has also resulted in massive erosion along the Inca Trail, new legislation to limit the number of people allowed into the national park each day and maintenance crews who look after the trail and its incredible sites demonstrate a commitment to preserving and protecting Peru's Incan heritage.
Next - Inca society: Writing and record keeping
