
It is the location for where a temple dedicated to Catequil is located.Ĭatequil is believed to create thunder by striking clouds with his spear and club. Located in the northwest of Peru, this mountain is known for attracting lightning. Less savory is that children were sacrificed to Catequil. Incan depictions place Catequil as an attendant to Inti, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon goddess.

The Inca would even carry an image of Catequil into battle.Ĭatequil was seen as a god of the day and viewed as a good-aligned deity. What I’ve come across is the mention of the sling may be a confusion in translation, that Catequil used an atlatl or spear-thrower.Ĭatequil’s worship stretched from Quito to Cuzco where he was regarded as a culture hero. Another imagery has him with a sling and mace. Some imagery shows Catequil wielding a spear and club. There are several other local deities who are thought to just be regional variations. has commented that the Augustinian priest likely tore down Catequil’s temple in an effort to stamp out idolatry and suppress the worship of any religion and gods too pagan and thus evil in the eyes of Christianity.Ĭatequil’s worship spread into neighboring Ecuador and is one of the more important pre-Hispanic deities worshiped. They were able to find fragments of the destroyed idol and place them in a new temple.Ĭanadian archaeologist John R. Others feel that Atahualpa was only partly successful.Īfter Atalualpa’s departure, the Inca continued to worship at Catequil’s sacred site. Other sources seem to imply that this was a complete destruction of Catequil’s cult and worship with the death of the high priest and burning Catequil’s idol. A couple historians and scholars do agree that on hearing the prophecy from high priests that Catequil is to have passed on, did order a beheading along with the destruction of the Cerro Ichal temple site. Taking a moment to pause there, as we know, history is written by the victors and the survivors. The Augustinian priests also write that Catequil foretold of the invading Christian army and its victory.

Catequil is also to have criticized Atahualpa for the death of so many people. These Augustinian priests record a prophecy from the priests of Cerro Ichal saying that Catequil predicted the last of the Sapa Inca, Atahualpa. This of course leads many to view and see Catequil as a regional variation of Illapu.Īnything that we know about Caetquil is going to be thanks to the efforts of Augustinian priests in 1551, writing in their journals about the Peruvian and Incan peoples.

In Incan mythology, Catequil is the god of thunder and lightning, much like the god Illapu is also a god of thunder and lightning. Alternative Names: Apocatequil, Apu Catequil
