Welcome back to Peru and Its Symbols, our weekly series on the meaning woven into Andean life. So far, we have flown with the condor in the world above. Then we walked with the puma in the world we live in. This week we complete the sacred trio by going below, to the guardian of the inner world: the amaru, the serpent.
Amaru is the Quechua word for serpent. However, in Andean belief the amaru is much more than an ordinary snake. It is a mythical, powerful being, often imagined as a great serpent. Some stories also give it features of other animals, such as wings or the head of a feline. In fact, the amaru can be a large real snake from the rainforest, like the boa. It can also be a spirit that lives in lakes, rivers and deep inside the mountains.
As we saw with the chakana, the Andean cosmos has three levels. The condor guards Hanan Pacha, the world above. The puma guards Kay Pacha, the world we live in. Finally, the serpent guards Uku Pacha, the world below or within.
Uku Pacha is not a place of punishment. Instead, it is the world of the ancestors, of seeds waiting to sprout, of underground water and of the hidden forces of the earth. Everything that grows begins there. The serpent lives close to the ground and slips easily into the openings of the earth. For this reason, it is the natural guardian of this world.
The amaru has a close link to water. Its winding body recalls the shape of rivers and streams. In many Andean stories, the amaru lives in springs and lakes and controls the water that feeds the fields. Some traditions even see the rainbow as an amaru stretching across the sky after the rain.
The serpent also stands for wisdom, knowledge and renewal. Because a snake sheds its skin and emerges new, the amaru represents transformation and the cycles of life. Think of death and rebirth, the dry season and the rains, or the end of one time and the beginning of another. In some stories, great amarus moving deep in the earth cause landslides and earthquakes. In other words, they remind us of the power of forces we cannot see.
Serpents have appeared in Andean art for thousands of years. At Chavín de Huántar, the great temple in the highlands of Ancash, carved figures wear hair and belts made of snakes. Serpent motifs also decorate the textiles of Paracas and the ceramics of the Moche and Nazca.
In Cusco, the Inca capital, stonemasons carved serpents in relief on stone walls, and you can still see some of them today. One of the royal palaces of the city carried the name Amarucancha, often translated as “enclosure of the serpents.” Today the colonial Church of La Compañía de Jesús stands on this site, on one side of Cusco’s main square.
The amaru also lives on in Peru’s history. Túpac Amaru, whose name means “royal serpent,” was the last ruler of the Inca state of Vilcabamba. The Spanish executed him in Cusco in 1572. Two centuries later, in 1780, José Gabriel Condorcanqui took the name Túpac Amaru II. He then led one of the largest indigenous uprisings in the history of the Americas. Today Peruvians honor him as a national hero, and his name stands for courage and resistance throughout the country.
With the amaru, we complete the sacred trio of the Andean world: the condor, the puma and the serpent. In other words, the sky, the earth and the world within. Together they express a central Andean idea. All levels of existence are connected, so a good life means keeping them in balance. As a result, you will find the three animals together again and again in Andean textiles, ceramics and jewelry.
The serpent is still one of the most loved motifs in Peruvian silverwork, and Ilaria’s artisans in Peru give it many forms. For example, the Amaru Brillante serpent bracelet and the crystal-set Serpiente Amaru bracelet carry its name. Meanwhile, the Chavín serpent bracelet recalls the carved snakes of Chavín de Huántar.
The Sachamama pieces take their name from the great serpent known as the “mother of the forest” in Amazonian tradition. They pair sterling silver with green malachite in a necklace, a bracelet and earrings.
For the Andean peoples, the amaru is a reminder that change is part of life and that renewal follows every ending. It also teaches that the hidden roots of things matter as much as what we can see. That respect for tradition lives on in the work of Andean artisans. You can see it in our Ilaria jewelry, handcrafted in Peru, and in our alpaca ponchos and capes.
Fittingly, the name lives on in our shop in one more way. Amaru is also a brand from southern Chile, and a network of Mapuche artisans makes its alpaca ponchos and coats.
Next week in Peru and Its Symbols: Inti, the sun.
Categories
Best Sellers
