Coca Leaves in Inka Rituals in Tambo Viejo, Acarí Valley, Peru

Abstract

The Inka believed that the world around them was inhabited by powerful spirits and heavenly deities who had a strong influence on their lives. The Inka understood the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the spirits and deities to receive their positive influences. To this end, the Inka state staged ritual ceremonies to present offerings; in return, the recipients were expected to reciprocate by sending good fortune. Ethnohistorical records assert that coca leaves, one of the most esteemed plant products of the Inkas, was one of the preferred offerings. Recent archaeological excavation at the imperial center of Tambo Viejo, on the south coast of Peru, has uncovered coca leaves in association with llama and guinea pig sacrifices, demonstrating that this plant product played an important role in Inka ritual activities. While written sources claim that the coca leaves were burned, the archaeological evidence consists of the actual leaves.