Inca Religion

So I was interested in learning more about the Inca of the "Virgin of the Sun's". But I haven't really been able to find anything specifically on it yet. I did find out that the Inca worshiped Wiraqocha, Sun God. Their King was considered to be the Only Son of the Sun. Inti Raymi was their sun festival held every June 21, winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. In Andean mythology the Inca were descendants of the Sun, so they would worship it annually. This celebration was at the end of their potato and maize harvest, to either thank the Sun for their bounty, or to ask for more in their next crops. Days before the ceremony the whole population had to practice fast and sexual abstinence. At sunrise the people would greet the Sun God with the "much'ay", kisses offered symbolically with the fingertips. Then they would sing solemn songs, which would then turn into weepy, emotional songs. Then the Inca King would take two golden ceremonial tumblers, both filled with maize beer. One he would pour into a golden channel for the Sun God, the other he would sip, then the remaining would be sipped by the noblemen who were with him. Then later maize beer would be offered to everyone else in attendance. Then the High Priest would sacrifice a completely black, or completely white llama- (I have to say this is a bit disgusting) He would cut open the chest and rip out the beating heart and the lungs and viscera to foretell the future. Then the High Priest would take this concave gold medallion filled with this soft or oily substance, that I guess when he held it up in the light the rays would go in and catch the substance on fire. This sacred fire would then be kept during the next year in the Koricancha and Aqllawasi. Then Holy bread was made with maze flour and the blood of the llama. Then after the ceremonies were done the people would be entertained with music, dancing and drink, lots of drink.
Later it talked about crime, and it mentioned Sun Virgins. How it would be a crime to commit adultery with a Sun Virgin. Those who committed the crime were tied up to a wall by their hands and feet and left to starve to death. I wonder if Sun Virgins were some type of priestesses or something, and if they are connected to "Virgin of the Suns". Hmmm...perhaps I'll never know. Dangit, I hate not knowing. :S Oh well.

Machu Picchu continued

So I was reading more about Machu Picchu. I had originally just read information on it on the wikipedia website, but today I went to http://www.peru-machu-picchu.com/ to learn a little bit more about it. I haven't gotten too much more, but I'll add what I got. First off I should add that Machu Picchu is in Peru, I forgot to write that in my last post.
Machu Picchu is 7,000 feet above sea level. It is on top of a small hill resting between the Andean Mountain range. It it separated into three areas: agricultural, urban, and religious. The aqueducts and terraces work well with the natural slopes. The lower area is where the farmers and teachers live. At the top of the hill are where most of the important religious buildings are, looking over the Urubamba valley below.

Machu Picchu

Pronounced Ma-ch-u Pick-ch-u. It means "Old Peak". Machu Picchu is an Inca site, which was begun in 1430 AD. The Incas abandoned it about a hundred years later, during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Ironically though there is no Spanish record stating that they ever found Machu Picchu, and therefore was never plundered and destroyed, which happened to many other Inca sites. Until 1911, when it became internationally known, it was really only the locals who were aware of it's existence.
There are many theories as to the purpose of the citadel or fortress. Some believe that it was the birthplace of the Inca of the "Virgin of the Suns". Others believe it was built as a settlement to control the economy of the conquered regions. Another theory is that it was built as a prison for those who had committed extremely terrible crimes against Inca Society.
Many archeologists are convinced it was where the Inca emperor Pachacuti dwelt. Evidence has also been given that the area was selected because it was considered sacred because of geological landmarks, such as the mountains. It is believed the mountains line up with astronomical events that would have been important to the Incas.
Another theory is that it was built as an agricultural testing site. That it was used to discover what plants could be grown there, with all the many different mini-climates caused by the location and terraces.
In 1971 about 325.92 kilometers of surrounding land was declared to be a Historical Sanctuary of Peru. In 1983 Machu Picchu was declared a World Heritage Site, and in 2007 it was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Anyway I am really interested in learning more about Machu Picchu and other things Inca related, but I've got to run, so I'll finish this later.

"War is what happens when language fails." -Margaret Atwood. I have to admit that right now that quote annoys me, and so I disagree. War is what happens when one group (or more than one group) decides that they WANT more ____ (you fill in the blank). It really has nothing to do with language. Greed and hate are the two main causes of war- you hate this person, because you believe that they did this, so you must get rid of them, or overpower them, so you can control them. Or you just want more power, so you'll try to get it through any means. Or you want more money, which can be translated into power. So really it comes down to power and hate. Rarely does a war happen because someone forgot to communicate something to another. Though I suppose there are always those who follow their leaders out of ignorance, because they've failed to educate themselves, and therefore help perpetuate any horrible things their tyrant wants to do. While if people were more educated, and wise they could prevent someone from taking power who would be a tyrant, and cause war.
I guess the reason I dislike that quote is because I feel Ms. Atwood is saying, if we just talked it out everything would be better, we wouldn't fight. There are evil people in the world, and no amount of talking with them will make them change their minds about what they want. Those people you have to fight; they are the real cause for war in almost every case, if not every case.

Learning to Have Confidence

I want to make the focus of this blog about things I learn, especially about confidence. I struggle with confidence, and I want to learn how to have it, to not just occasionally experience it. And I would like to record what I learn as I gain it. One thing that I recently "learned", or came to understand, from a book called "Being Happy" by Andrew Matthews, is that if we were to care for a three-month old baby, at feeding time we'd feed it. We would do this with no strings attached. We wouldn't withhold food until it did something really smart or or witty. You feed the baby because it deserves to be fed, to be loved, given care and to be given fair treatment. The baby deserves this because it is human. We are human, we may not be cute little babies, but we are human, and we deserve to be cared for. You don't have to have some special talent, or be beautiful, or smart to deserve this. If we learn to treat ourselves as we deserve to be treated, and we show people that we will accept nothing less than this, then they will treat us with respect.