The Incan Cross
The Chakana, also known as the Incan cross, is a recognizable symbol that dates back to 300 BC and has a strong cultural, spiritual, and religious meaning among many Incan people today. The cross is twenty sided, symmetrical, and is made up of a square with a cross going through and a whole in the center. The Chakana has many meanings among Incan people although the most popular is that the three levels (top, middle, and bottom) represent the three levels of existence. These levels being Hana Pacha, the Kay Pacha, and the Urin Pacha. The Hana Pacha is considered the home of the gods above us, the Kay Pacha is the world where we live and the Urin Pacha is the underworld, inhabited by those who have died and other spirits. The chakana usually has a hole in the center which represents the whole in which one can travel through the three worlds mentioned. It is also said to represent the Incan Empire’s center, Cusco.
Another meaning of the Chakana is that the four sides (top, bottom, left, and right) represent the four seasons as well as the passage of time. This interpretation, although often disagreed upon by many historians and Incan people, holds true to some. Others believe that the steps on the Chanaka represent the cycle of life; a person will starts their life at the left and climb up the steps as they grow up and descends the steps as they die until inevitably reaching the Urin Pacha or the underworld, where one resides after death.
Many Incan people wear a Chakana around their neck or as another form of jewelry as a reminder of their heritage. Although the symbolic meaning varies from person to person, the Chakana holds value and historic meaning to many people today.
