ReligionLittle is actually known about the religion of the Chavín civilization, but historians are still able to draw distinct conclusions due to the vast amounts of archeological remains. Their religion acted as a basis for multiple Andean civilizations and societies.
Gods Based on artifacts found in the Old Temple, we had identified only three gods. The following gods are: the “snarling” god of Lanzon, the caiman of the Tello Obelisk, and the Staff God of the Raimondi Stone. However, historians believed that by the time the New Temple was constructed, the “snarling” god of Lanzon was replaced by a currently unidentifiable god. Aside from these three central gods, majority of the other deities and religious images resemble species of animals with catlike characteristics. Shamans The Chavin shamans made much use of a hallucinogen made from the San Pedro cactus. They took the hallucinogen in order to “see and interpret” messages from the spirit world. For example, the half-human and half-animal creatures depicted on Chavin art are such images that the Shamans would see while ingesting the hallucinogen. Sacred Geography When constructing the cities of the Chavín, the builders purposefully arranged their buildings in a way in which it aligns with surrounding physical features they consider as holy. They thought they were spiritually linked with places such as the mountain peak of Huantsan, Moqsna River, and the site in which the Moqsna and another river coincide. Coincidentally, this location became the foundation of their city. Built upon a majority of these sacred places were individual shrines called huacas which served as an instant connection with the gods. Upon traveling and presenting a gift to these shrines, people whom made the pilgrimage were blessed with safety and prosperity. |
InnovationAlthough it appears that not much can be said about Chavin innovation, their huge monuments with small sculptured pieces, as well as their metal working, gold, textile, and ceramic production were great feats in themselves. Not to mention the construction of the Old Temple and New Temple. between the time periods of 500 and 200 B.C.E the Chavins changed traditional culture, engineering, and architecture, laying the foundation for many civilizations to come. Their innovations diffused across a very wide area.
Because the Chavin civilization was ultimately a cultural ruler, much of the innovations seen are implemented in religion. Many artisans used methods such as gold metallurgy to convey images that correspond with perhaps a deity in the religion. |