PACHACAMAC

creator deity worshipped by the pre-Inca maritime population of Peru; it was also the name of a pilgrimage site in the Lurn Valley (south of Lima) dedicated to the god and revered for many centuries. After the Incas conquered the coast, they did not attempt to replace the ancient and deeply rooted worship of Pachacamac but instead incorporated him into their own pantheon. Pachacamac was believed to be a god of fire and a son of the sun god; he rejuvenated the world originally created by the god Viracocha and taught men the crafts. Pachacamac was also believed to be invisible and thus was never represented in art. The ruins of the shrine in the Lurn Valley include several pyramids and temples and are partially restored. The site may have served as the central city of a coastal kingdom from c. 1000 to c. 1440. large pre-Columbian ruin located in the Lurin Valley on the central coast of present-day Peru. The earliest major occupation and construction of Pachacamac dates to the Early Intermediate Period (c. 200 BCAD 600) and to a culture generally known as Early Lima (Maranga, Interlocking style). The terraced adobe pyramid and temple known as the Temple of Pachacamac belongs to this time and culture, and Pachacamac's fame as the seat of an oracle probably began in the Early Intermediate Period. During the Middle Horizon (AD 6001000) it continued as a major centre and place of pilgrimage and was probably the principal establishment of the Huari Empire on the coast. In late pre-Columbian times the Inca constructed the large Temple of the Sun at the site, and the Oracle of Pachacamac, to which the early Spanish explorers refer, probably was associated with a shrine in this temple. The shrine and temple were sacked by Francisco Pizarro's soldiers during the Spanish conquest (c. 1532).