Guaca
/ˈɡwa.ka/noun
In Andean Spanish, a guaca is a sacred place, object, tomb, or buried treasure associated with pre-Columbian Indigenous cultures.
Did you know?Spanish colonizers used guaca for everything from temples and idols to tombs and offerings, while in Indigenous Andean religion huacas could include mountains, springs, stones, ancestors, and other powerful beings.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Quechua
wak'a
“A sacred, powerful being, place, object, or manifestation of supernatural force”
16th Century
Spanish
guaca
“A sacred Indigenous place or object; also a tomb containing offerings or valuables”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
huaca
“A shrine, idol, temple, burial place, or sacred object in the Andes”
Colonial period
Spanish
guaca
“A hidden tomb or cache of Indigenous valuables, especially gold and grave goods”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
guaca
“A huaca or archaeological burial site; regionally, buried treasure”
Modern English
English
huaca
“A sacred Andean site, monument, object, or tomb”