Huaca
/ˈwɑː.kə/noun
A sacred place, object, shrine, or supernatural being in the religious traditions of the Andes.
Did you know?In the Inca world, a huaca could be a mountain, spring, stone, ancestor, temple, or artifact—sacred power was understood as inhabiting the landscape itself.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Andes
Quechua
wak'a
“A sacred or powerful being, place, object, or natural feature”
16th Century
Spanish
huaca
“An Indigenous sacred place, shrine, idol, or burial site, as recorded by Spanish chroniclers”
17th Century
Colonial Spanish
guaca
“A sacred Indigenous site or hidden burial treasure; the spelling varied in colonial usage”
19th Century
Spanish
huaca
“An archaeological mound, shrine, tomb, or pre-Columbian sacred site”
Modern English
English
huaca
“A sacred Andean place, object, structure, or supernatural entity”