Wak'a
/ˈwɑː.kə/noun
A sacred place, object, shrine, or spiritually powerful being in Andean Indigenous religious traditions.
Did you know?In the Inca world, a wak'a could be a mountain, spring, rock, ancestor, or shrine treated as an active sacred presence rather than merely a symbol.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Andes
Proto-Quechuan
*wak'a
“Reconstructed term for a sacred or spiritually powerful entity or place.”
15th–16th Century
Classical Quechua
wak'a
“A sacred place, object, ancestor, natural feature, or supernatural power.”
16th Century
Spanish
huaca
“A Quechua sacred shrine, tomb, idol, or revered place, recorded by Spanish chroniclers.”
19th–20th Century
Anthropological English
huaca
“A sacred site or object in Andean archaeology and religious studies.”
Modern English
English
wak'a / waka
“A standardized or culturally respectful transliteration of the Quechua term for an Andean sacred entity or site.”